American scientists have discovered a mutated gene ADRB1, thanks to which its carriers get enough sleep not in eight, but in six hours. Further study of the characteristics of this gene may lead to the creation of new types of drugs for the prevention of sleep disorders, experts say.
Scientists at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) have found that the mutated ADRB1 gene is responsible for the duration and quality of sleep. People with this version of the gene can sleep on average two hours less than normal people and still get enough sleep, according to the study published in the journal Neuron.
A person sleeps on average about eight hours a day. Chronic lack of sleep leads to the development of a number of dangerous diseases, scientists from the UCSF note. American scientists decided to study the genetic characteristics of people who need only six hours of sleep a day. Experts have studied the DNA sequence of several members of the same family with this ability. As a result, the ADRB1 gene revealed a mechanism of influence on the processes of sleep and wakefulness.
In the course of laboratory studies, scientists found that the mutated gene encodes the protein of the same name ADRB1 (β1-adrenoreceptor) and activates brain neurons that allow you to sleep less and get enough sleep.
Scientists conducted the first experiments on the mutated gene in a test tube.
“This study marks an exciting new frontier as we explore the intricacies of brain networks and the different types of neurons that are responsible for sleep and wakefulness,” says one of the study's authors, UCSF neurologist Luis Ptacek.
The researchers then conducted a series of experiments on mice. The rodents with the mutated ADRB1 gene also slept less than normal mice, and slept well.
Scientists admit that the study of the altered gene in rodents does not give a complete picture, since the circadian rhythms of sleep in humans and rodents are different, and besides, humans tend to act contrary to their biological needs - not to sleep at night or, for example, drinking coffee. The researchers also note that the studied ADRB1 is just one of many genes that affect the physiology of sleep, and there is a lot of difficult work ahead of them.
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American neuroscientists are confident that further research will lead to applied research - the creation of drugs that normalize the processes of sleep and wakefulness.
Arseny Skrynnikov