CSB Seminar Series – Ashley Ingiosi, PhD – Ohio State University

CSB Departmental Seminar

Ashley Ingiosi, PhD

Ohio State University

TITLE: Of sleep and stars: defining a role for astrocytes in sleep expression and homeostasis

ABSTRACT: Sleep is essential for maintaining physical and mental health, but it remains one of the most enigmatic of all biological processes. Our drive for sleep is mediated by sleep homeostasis—an innate regulatory process that balances sleep need, intensity, and amount as a function of prior time spent awake. However, the neurobiological underpinnings of sleep homeostasis are not well defined. Sleep homeostasis was traditionally thought to be controlled by neurons, but we showed that non-neuronal cells called astrocytes also play a role. In this talk, I will discuss our research investigating astroglial mechanisms contributing to sleep-wake behavior and sleep homeostasis, region-specific roles of astrocytes in sleep expression and regulation, and ongoing efforts to uncover astroglial signaling pathways impacted by sleep homeostasis. Understanding how sleep is regulated is fundamental to understanding the causes and consequences of abnormal sleep.

HOST: Jimmy Fraigne, John Peever

LOCATION: Cell and Systems Biology, 25 Harbord Street, Suite 432