Dataset for: SINGLE UNIT ACTIVITY OF PERIAQUEDUCTAL GRAY AND DEEP MESENCEPHALIC NUCLEUS NEURONS INVOLVED IN SLEEP STAGE SWITCHING IN THE MOUSE

A total of 668 single units were recorded in the mouse periaqueductal gray (PAG) and adjacent deep mesencephalic nucleus (DpMe) in order to determine their role in the switching of sleep-wake states, i.e. wakefulness (W), slow-wave sleep (SWS), and paradoxical (or rapid eye movement) sleep (PS) in general, and, in particular, to determine whether PS-on and PS-off neurons involved in PS state switching are present in these structures and to identify neuronal substrates for the SWS-PS switching mediated by DpMe neurons. Both structures were found to contain similar percentages of W/PS-active neurons, which discharge at a higher rate during W and PS than during SWS, while W-active neurons, which discharge maximally during W, were found mainly in the PAG. Both also contained similar percentages of SWS/PS-active neurons, which discharge at higher rates during SWS and PS than during W, and PS-active neurons, which discharge maximally during PS, while SWS-active neurons, which discharge maximally during SWS were found almost exclusively in the PAG. Both structures contained virtually no PS-on or PS-off neurons, which, respectively, discharge or cease firing selectively and tonically just prior to, and during, PS. Unlike the PAG, the DpMe contained many SWS/PS-on neurons, which discharge selectively at high rates during SWS and PS, but show a decrease in discharge rate at the transition from SWS to PS. Analysis of discharge profiles and trends in spike activity at the state transitions strongly suggests that PAG and DpMe neurons play an important role in the W-SWS, SWS-PS, and/or PS-W switches.

本研究共记录了小鼠中脑导水管周围灰质（periaqueductal gray, PAG）及其邻近的中脑深核（deep mesencephalic nucleus, DpMe）内的668个单个神经元单位，旨在明确这两类核团在睡眠-觉醒状态（包括觉醒（W）、慢波睡眠（SWS）以及异相睡眠（或称快速眼动睡眠，PS））转换中的调控作用，尤其聚焦于探究上述结构中是否存在参与PS状态转换的PS激活神经元与PS抑制神经元，并阐明由DpMe神经元介导的SWS-PS转换的神经元机制。研究结果显示，两类核团中均存在比例相近的觉醒/PS激活神经元，其在觉醒与PS阶段的放电频率显著高于慢波睡眠阶段；而以觉醒阶段放电峰值最高的觉醒激活神经元，则主要分布于PAG内。两类核团同时还包含比例相近的慢波睡眠/PS激活神经元（在SWS与PS阶段放电频率高于觉醒阶段）以及PS激活神经元（PS阶段放电频率达峰值）；而以慢波睡眠阶段放电峰值最高的慢波睡眠激活神经元，则几乎仅分布于PAG中。两类核团中几乎均未发现典型的PS激活与PS抑制神经元——前者会在PS发作前及发作期间选择性紧张性放电，后者则在上述时段选择性停止放电。与PAG不同，DpMe内存在大量慢波睡眠/PS激活神经元，这类神经元在SWS与PS阶段选择性呈现高频放电，但在SWS向PS转换的过渡阶段，其放电频率会出现明显下降。对神经元放电特征及状态转换过程中锋电位活动趋势的分析结果强烈提示，PAG与DpMe内的神经元在W-SWS、SWS-PS以及PS-W的睡眠状态转换中发挥了关键调控作用。