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The sleep–wake switch: A neuronal alarm clock

A 70-year-old hypothesis that a rostral hypothalamic area is essential for maintaining sleep is re-awakened by the demonstration that the sleep-active ventrolateral preoptic neurons interact with wake-promoting systems in the upper brainstem.

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Figure 1: Emerging concept of the neural control of NREM sleep.

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McGinty, D., Szymusiak, R. The sleep–wake switch: A neuronal alarm clock. Nat Med 6, 510–511 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1038/74988

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