Reduced muscle contraction and a relaxed posture during sleep-like Lethargus

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Sleep is characterized by reduced muscle activity resulting in reduced movement and a typical posture compatible with relaxed muscles. Prior to each molt, C. elegans larvae go through a phase of behavioral quiescence called Lethargus. Lethargus has sleep-like properties, but a specific posture has not yet been described. Do C. elegans larvae relax their muscles during sleep and do they assume a typical posture? We measured worm posture and body wall muscle activity using calcium imaging across the sleep-wake-like cycle. We found that worms were less curved and had less muscle activity during the sleep-like state. We conclude that during Lethargus, muscle activity is reduced, resulting in a relaxed body posture typical for a sleep-like state.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)12-14
Number of pages3
JournalWorm
Volume1
Issue number1
Publication statusPublished - 1 Jan 2012
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMedCentral PMC3670164
ORCID /0000-0002-7689-8617/work/142236997

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