Identification of preoptic sleep-promoting neurons based on projection target

The preoptic area (POA) of the hypothalamus is known to be crucial for sleep generation, but the spatial intermingling of sleep- and wake-promoting neurons makes it difficult to dissect the sleep control circuit. Here we identified a population of POA sleep-promoting neurons based on their projection target. Using a lentivirus for retrograde labeling with channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2) followed by optogenetic manipulation and recording, we found that the POA GABAergic neurons projecting to the tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN) are both sleep active and sleep promoting. Cell type- and projection-specific rabies tracing revealed the presynaptic inputs to these neurons, including an amygdala GABAergic input that promotes wakefulness. Using single-cell RNA-seq, we identified several molecular markers for these neurons, and optogenetic activation of the POA neurons labeled by these markers confirmed their sleep-promoting effects. Together, these findings define a group of sleep-promoting neurons functionally, anatomically, and genetically. Single-cell RNA-Seq of retrogradely-labeled POA neurons projecting to the tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN).