Why motion makes you sleepy: Insight from fruit flies

People fall asleep on long car rides, fussy babies can be lulled to sleep in a rocking chair, and fruit flies in a tube doze off while spinning in slow circles. The mechanism behind motion-induced sleep is unclear in humans, but in fruit flies, it depends on motion-sensitive neurons in sensory organs, according to new research published in JNeurosci.

Lone et al. monitored the sleep of fruit flies while they were moved in circles on a shaker. They repeated the experiment during the day and the night and on several genetic strains of flies. Slow rotational speeds increased the frequency of daytime sleep in both male and female flies. The effect continued in flies missing key circadian clock genes, indicating the mechanism does not rely on the time of day.

The research team also investigated the role of nanchung receptors, an ion channel abundant in sensory organs that is sensitive to vibrations, motion, and other mechanical sensations. Motion-induced sleep did not occur as often in the genetic strain of fly lacking nanchung-expressing neurons. Physically removing the nanchung neurons reduced the effect even more. There may be a similar mechanism behind motion-induced sleep in humans via vibration-sensitive cells in the ear.

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Paper title: Mechanosensory Stimulation via Nanchung Expressing Neurons Can Induce Daytime Sleep in Drosophila

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About JNeurosci

JNeurosci, the Society for Neuroscience's first journal, was launched in 1981 as a means to communicate the findings of the highest quality neuroscience research to the growing field. Today, the journal remains committed to publishing cutting-edge neuroscience that will have an immediate and lasting scientific impact, while responding to authors' changing publishing needs, representing breadth of the field and diversity in authorship.

About The Society for Neuroscience

The Society for Neuroscience is the world's largest organization of scientists and physicians devoted to understanding the brain and nervous system. The nonprofit organization, founded in 1969, now has nearly 37,000 members in more than 90 countries and over 130 chapters worldwide.