Abstract
Sleep is thought to be important for memory consolidation, since sleep deprivation has been shown to interfere with memory processing. However, the effects of augmenting sleep on memory formation are not well known, and testing the role of sleep in memory enhancement has been limited to pharmacological and behavioral approaches. Here we test the effect of overexpressing the brain-type fatty acid binding protein (Fabp7) on sleep and long-term memory (LTM) formation in Drosophila melanogaster. Transgenic flies carrying the murine Fabp7 or the Drosophila homologue dFabp had reduced baseline sleep but normal LTM, while Fabp induction produced increases in both net sleep and LTM. We also define a post-training consolidation “window” that is sufficient for the observed Fabp-mediated memory enhancement. Since Fabp overexpression increases consolidated daytime sleep bouts, these data support a role for longer naps in improving memory and provide a novel role for lipid-binding proteins in regulating memory consolidation concurrently with changes in behavioral state.
Highlights
Sleep is an essential behavioral process conserved across phyla from fruit flies to humans, its functions remain elusive
Fatty-acid binding proteins (Fabps) expression regulates sleep and memory Genes that are involved in regulating behavioral states might be predicted to show coordinated, brain-wide changes in their expression levels across the day/night cycle. Since both flies (Fig. 1B) and mammals [27] exhibit a diurnal fluctuation of lipid-binding protein expression in the central nervous system (CNS), we examined the effects of altering Fabp expression on sleep behavior
We have shown that the mRNA levels for Fabp7 are diurnally regulated and are highest during the sleeping period of mice [26,27]
Summary
Sleep is an essential behavioral process conserved across phyla from fruit flies to humans, its functions remain elusive. The process of memory is widely conserved in the animal kingdom, and the relationship between sleep and memory formation continues to be controversial [4]. Studies in both rodents [5] and Aplysia [6] show a clear time-ofday effect on memory formation. Four hours of sleep deprivation (SD) immediately following courtship training abolishes memory retention in flies [9], while SD later during the sleeping period has no effect. It has been suggested that REM sleep is necessary during later consolidation periods of memory in rodents [12]. While molecular targets involving circadian- and sleep-dependent memory formation are beginning to be identified [13,14], specific molecular targets responsible for augmenting sleep and memory concomitantly are not known
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