Israeli study finds brain area regulating attention and wakefulness

Israeli study finds brain area regulating attention and wakefulness

A joint team from The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences and a research group at Tel Aviv University found that an area of the brain called the claustrum regulates wakefulness, attention and behavior. The team conducted experiments in which varying the activity levels of claustrum in mice affected sleep, responsiveness, and impulsive behavior.

Professor Ami Citri, from The Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Brain Sciences, comments: “Our study provides compelling evidence that claustrum neurons act as gatekeepers of engagement, regulating how likely perception is to drive action. Understanding these mechanisms could offer new insights into a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders characterized by impaired impulse control such as ADHD, OCD, drug addiction, schizophrenia, and other disorders.

Read more in Haaretz and Sleep Review Mag.

The full study has been published by the scientific review Nature: ‘Claustrum neurons projecting to the anterior cingulate restrict engagement during sleep and behavior‘.

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