The molecular genetics of human sleep

It has been known for many years that genetic influences account for some of the individual differences in human sleep parameters, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. With major advances of molecular biology and the recognition of heritable sleep behaviors in humans over the past...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The European journal of neuroscience 2020-01, Vol.51 (1), p.422-428
Main Authors: Zhang, Luoying, Fu, Ying‐Hui
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
animal model
Animal models
Genetic diversity
genetic variant
Molecular modelling
Sleep
sleep disorders
sleep homeostasis
sleep phase
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Summary:It has been known for many years that genetic influences account for some of the individual differences in human sleep parameters, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear. With major advances of molecular biology and the recognition of heritable sleep behaviors in humans over the past 30 years, a number of genetic variants have been identified to be associated with human sleep timing, duration and quality, both in healthy individuals and under pathological conditions. Some of these variants were further validated and characterized in animal models, shedding light on the mechanism of how these variants likely alter sleep in humans, which may provide new insights into developing more effective treatments to improve human sleep. Human sleep phase is regulated by circadian clock genes, whereas sleep quantity and quality are influenced by clock genes as well as genes involved in neurotransmission and metabolism. PERIOD3 appears to be an integrator of the two processes.
ISSN:0953-816X
1460-9568
DOI:10.1111/ejn.14132