A recent 2013 article published in the Current Opinion of
Neurobiology has reevaluated the neuromodulatory
and inhibitory role of adenosine in regulating
sleep homeostasis.


Through investigating the mechanism by which adenosine
stimulates sleep, the researchers were able to decipher
the mechanism through which caffeine, a substance
increasingly consumed by today’s patients, inhibits sleep.
Adenosine is the molecule that connects energy balance
to sleep regulation, and is regarded as the “energetic
currency” of our bodies.

Although produced by all cells of the body, adenosine’s
site of action in sleep regulation occurs predominately
in the basal forebrain (BF). Researchers have confirmed
adenosine induces sleep in this area of the brain by
activating adenosine 1 (A1) receptors on the surface
of ‘wake-active neurons’.

This latest research has pulled together a variety
of data to illustrate a fascinating regulatory mechanism
linking waking hours and neuronal activity to sleep
propensity. The authors describe waking hours and the
ensuing neuronal activity as inducing a state of energy
depletion, which in turn stimulates a rise in adenosine
concentrations. This rise in adenosine activates the
adenosine 1 (A1) receptors present on the surface of wakeactive
neurons, thereby inducing sleep. It was observed
that during prolonged wakefulness, the concentration
of extracellular adenosine increases in the basal forebrain,
then during recovery sleep the concentration of adenosine
decreases. It was found that when the A1 receptors were
blocked in the BF, as occurs with caffeine consumption,
recovery sleep was not induced.

These findings implicate that the increase in sleep
is dependent on BF adenosine concentrations, and has
a direct and immediate effect on neuronal activity presynaptically
and post-synaptically. This creates interesting
avenues for practitioners to explore clinical interventions,
particularly with cases associated with caffeine
consumption that may have sleep initiation or sleep
maintenance issues.

References available on request.

* Brought to you by the Bio Concepts Education Centre
Founded by Henry Osiecki




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