Older flies sleep not frozen - they wake up often during the night and restless around. The same goes for people. Researcher at the Max Planck Institute for the biology of ageing in Cologne is the insomnia, which experienced therefore model for a human sleeping behavior of the fruit fly Drosophila . The scientists have now discovered molecules into the fly cells, affecting, as the animals aged sleep: when insulin/IGF signaling is active, reduces the quality of the animals sleep and you wake up more frequently. Use a therapeutic agent, I managed to scientists, who fly back to improve sleep. The scientists suggest that the causes of sleep disorders, by older people and fly experienced are similar. It is also possible that sleep problems, by people not inevitable side effect of aging must and can even reversible.
Flying and people sleep much the same way. Like flies in the night sleep and are active during the day. And the quality deteriorates or pull the two age of types of: individuals NAP during the day and sleep for shorter periods at night more often.
Gerontologists are very familiar with the insulin/IGF (insulin-like growth factor) signal transmission. It actually is a metabolic pathway that controls the cell in response to malnutrition and also affects life expectancy. Fruit flies life therefore longer if the pathway is less active. The pathway also plays a role in aging humans.
Researchers at the Cologne Max Planck Institute have now discovered that fruit flies sleep better at night and during the day are more active, if insulin/IGF signaling inhibited. "Daytime night-time activity and draw are therefore controlled by two different components: during the day, the neurotransmitter Octopamine and the Adipokinetic hormone AKH increase activity in fly." In the night on the other side of the neurotransmitters dopamine and reduce kinase gate of the time periods, "explains Luke tain from the Max Planck Institute for the biology of ageing.
Rapamycin is a substance that inhibits the gate activity, inhibition of the molecule. "We fly older rapamycin administered and observed that they slept again for a long time. Thus, we were the deterioration of the quality of sleep as a result of aging, to undo ", says tain.
The cells of these various organisms as roundworms, fly and people use the insulin/IGF signaling. Its components and functions are similar in different kinds of creatures. Now, researchers want to study whether the signal molecules in higher animals such as mice, have the same effect. In this way, they hope to discover treatments that improve sleep quality in old age.
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