CD301b(+) Mononuclear Phagocytes Maintain Positive Energy Balance through Secretion of Resistin-like Molecule Alpha.

Mononuclear phagocytes (MNPs) are a highly heterogeneous group of cells that play important roles in maintaining the body's homeostasis. Here, we found CD301b (also known as MGL2), a lectin commonly used as a marker for alternatively activated macrophages, was selectively expressed by a subset of CD11b(+)CD11c(+)MHCII(+) MNPs in multiple organs including adipose tissues. Depleting CD301b(+) MNPs in vivo led to a significant weight loss with increased insulin sensitivity and a marked reduction in serum Resistin-like molecule (RELM) α, a multifunctional cytokine produced by MNPs. Reconstituting RELMα in CD301b(+) MNP-depleted animals restored body weight and normoglycemia. Thus, CD301b(+) MNPs play crucial roles in maintaining glucose metabolism and net energy balance.

A hypothalamic pathway for Augmentor α-controlled body weight regulation.

Augmentor α and ß (Augα and Augß) are newly discovered ligands of the receptor tyrosine kinases Alk and Ltk. Augα functions as a dimeric ligand that binds with high affinity and specificity to Alk and Ltk. However, a monomeric Augα fragment and monomeric Augß also bind to Alk and potently stimulate cellular responses. While previous studies demonstrated that oncogenic Alk mutants function as important drivers of a variety of human cancers, the physiological roles of Augα and Augß are poorly understood. Here, we investigate the physiological roles of Augα and Augß by exploring mice deficient in each or both Aug ligands. Analysis of mutant mice showed that both Augα single knockout and double knockout of Augα and Augß exhibit a similar thinness phenotype and resistance to diet-induced obesity. In the Augα-knockout mice, the leanness phenotype is coupled to increased physical activity. By contrast, Augß-knockout mice showed similar weight curves as the littermate controls. Experiments are presented demonstrating that Augα is robustly expressed and metabolically regulated in agouti-related peptide (AgRP) neurons, cells that control whole-body energy homeostasis in part via their projections to the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). Moreover, both Alk and melanocortin receptor-4 are expressed in discrete neuronal populations in the PVN and are regulated by projections containing Augα and AgRP, respectively, demonstrating that two distinct mechanisms that regulate pigmentation operate in the hypothalamus to control body weight. These experiments show that Alk-driven cancers were co-opted from a neuronal pathway in control of body weight, offering therapeutic opportunities for metabolic diseases and cancer.

N-acylphosphatidylethanolamine, a gut- derived circulating factor induced by fat ingestion, inhibits food intake.

N-acylphosphatidylethanolamines (NAPEs) are a relatively abundant group of plasma lipids of unknown physiological significance. Here, we show that NAPEs are secreted into circulation from the small intestine in response to ingested fat and that systemic administration of the most abundant circulating NAPE, at physiologic doses, decreases food intake in rats without causing conditioned taste aversion. Furthermore, (14)C-radiolabeled NAPE enters the brain and is particularly concentrated in the hypothalamus, and intracerebroventricular infusions of nanomolar amounts of NAPE reduce food intake, collectively suggesting that its effects may be mediated through direct interactions with the central nervous system. Finally, chronic NAPE infusion results in a reduction of both food intake and body weight, suggesting that NAPE and long-acting NAPE analogs may be novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of obesity.

Ghrelin Predicts Stimulant and Sedative Effects of Alcohol in Heavy Drinkers.

AIM: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between ghrelin levels and the subjective effects of alcohol in heavy drinkers, and to compare them to healthy controls. METHODS: Ghrelin levels were collected as part of two laboratory studies. Both groups received either IV infusion of saline or high dose of alcohol (100 mg%). In the study of heavy drinkers, ghrelin was gathered on all subjects, but data was analyzed only for participants who received placebo (N=12). Healthy controls (N=20) came from another study that collected data on family history. Ghrelin levels and measures of alcohol effects (BAES, VAS, NDS, YCS [see manuscript for details]) were collected at 4 timepoints: baseline, before infusion, during infusion and after infusion. RESULTS: IV alcohol significantly reduced ghrelin levels and higher fasting ghrelin levels were associated with more intense subjective alcohol effects. There were no differences in fasting ghrelin levels or subjective effects between heavy drinkers and controls. However, while both groups showed similar decline in ghrelin levels following alcohol infusion, on the placebo day, ghrelin levels in the healthy subjects increased significantly and exponentially over time while for the heavy drinkers ghrelin levels remained flat. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support the role of ghrelin in reward mechanisms for alcohol. Contrary to others, we found no differences in fasting ghrelin levels or subjective experiences of alcohol between heavy drinkers and healthy controls. However, the group differences on the IV placebo day may be a possible indication of ghrelin abnormalities in heavy drinkers.

Ghrelin is Related to Personality Differences in Reward Sensitivity and Impulsivity.

AIMS: Ghrelin, a feeding-related peptide mainly produced in the stomach, has been linked to reward mechanisms for food and drugs of abuse in addition to traits of impulsivity. This study is a secondary analysis of an existing data set designed to examine the direct relationships between fasting ghrelin levels and reward sensitivity/impulsivity in healthy social drinkers. METHODS: Participants (n = 20) were recruited from an original study examining the subjective effects of alcohol among social drinkers. Fasting ghrelin levels were collected at baseline. Personality measures (Behavioral Inhibition, Behavioral Activation, and Affective Response to Impending Reward and Punishment and Barratt Impulsiveness Scale) were administered at baseline to evaluate sensitivity to reward and punishment, and measure traits of impulsivity, respectively. RESULTS: Fasting ghrelin levels were significantly related to reward sensitivity and impulsivity traits. Specifically, those with higher ghrelin levels were more sensitive to reward and were more impulsive (have lower self-control). CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that individuals with higher levels of ghrelin are more sensitive to reward. In addition, they are less able to exercise self-control and to an extent more likely to act without thinking. This is the first study to report on the direct relationship between fasting ghrelin levels and personality characteristics such as reward sensitivity and aspects of impulsivity among healthy social drinkers. SHORT SUMMARY: Individuals with higher levels of fasting ghrelin are more sensitive to reward, but less sensitive to punishment. Higher ghrelin levels are also related to some aspects of impulsivity such as decreased self-control and increased likelihood of acting without thinking.

Ghrelin is Supressed by Intravenous Alcohol and is Related to Stimulant and Sedative Effects of Alcohol.

AIMS: Evidence indicates that feeding-related peptides, such as ghrelin, have a role in the rewarding properties of addictive substances like alcohol. Oral alcohol administration significantly suppresses ghrelin. This study was designed to evaluate the effects of two doses of alcohol on ghrelin and examine if ghrelin levels predict the subjective effects of alcohol. METHODS: Healthy social drinkers (N = 20) participated in three, randomly assigned, and counterbalanced laboratory sessions. During each session they received a continuous IV infusion of either placebo (saline), low dose (40 mg%) or high dose (100 mg%) of alcohol. Participants were given a standardized, light breakfast 90 min before the start of the infusion. Ghrelin levels [acyl ghrelin (AG) and total ghrelin (TG)] were collected at four time points before, during and after the infusion. Subjective effects of alcohol, using the BAES, were evaluated before, during and after alcohol infusion. RESULTS: IV alcohol significantly reduced AG but not TG levels with no difference between the two doses of alcohol. The percent change (%∆) in AG suppression was substantial in both high dose (43.4%∆), and low dose (39.5%∆) of alcohol. Also, fasting AG and TG levels were significant predictors of alcohol stimulant and sedative effects. Higher fasting ghrelin levels were associated with longer and more intense subjective effects. CONCLUSIONS: The results provide evidence that IV alcohol suppresses ghrelin levels similarly to oral alcohol. This study is the first to show that ghrelin predicts subjective effects of alcohol, suggesting that ghrelin may have a role in the rewarding mechanisms for alcohol. SHORT SUMMARY: Intravenous alcohol infusion (low dose and high dose of alcohol) when compared to placebo (saline) significantly suppresses ghrelin in healthy social drinkers. Fasting ghrelin levels also predict subjective behavioral effects of alcohol. Those with higher fasting ghrelin levels tend to experience alcohol effects longer and more intensely.

UCP2 mediates ghrelin's action on NPY/AgRP neurons by lowering free radicals.

The gut-derived hormone ghrelin exerts its effect on the brain by regulating neuronal activity. Ghrelin-induced feeding behaviour is controlled by arcuate nucleus neurons that co-express neuropeptide Y and agouti-related protein (NPY/AgRP neurons). However, the intracellular mechanisms triggered by ghrelin to alter NPY/AgRP neuronal activity are poorly understood. Here we show that ghrelin initiates robust changes in hypothalamic mitochondrial respiration in mice that are dependent on uncoupling protein 2 (UCP2). Activation of this mitochondrial mechanism is critical for ghrelin-induced mitochondrial proliferation and electric activation of NPY/AgRP neurons, for ghrelin-triggered synaptic plasticity of pro-opiomelanocortin-expressing neurons, and for ghrelin-induced food intake. The UCP2-dependent action of ghrelin on NPY/AgRP neurons is driven by a hypothalamic fatty acid oxidation pathway involving AMPK, CPT1 and free radicals that are scavenged by UCP2. These results reveal a signalling modality connecting mitochondria-mediated effects of G-protein-coupled receptors on neuronal function and associated behaviour.

Hypothalamic hormone deficiency enables physiological anorexia.

Mammalian hibernators survive prolonged periods of cold and resource scarcity by temporarily modulating normal physiological functions, but the mechanisms underlying these adaptations are poorly understood. The hibernation cycle of thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) lasts for 5-7 months and comprises weeks of hypometabolic, hypothermic torpor interspersed with 24-48-hour periods of an active-like interbout arousal (IBA) state. We show that ground squirrels, who endure the entire hibernation season without food, have negligible hunger during IBAs. These squirrels exhibit reversible inhibition of the hypothalamic feeding center, such that hypothalamic arcuate nucleus neurons exhibit reduced sensitivity to the orexigenic and anorexigenic effects of ghrelin and leptin, respectively. However, hypothalamic infusion of thyroid hormone during an IBA is sufficient to rescue hibernation anorexia. Our results reveal that thyroid hormone deficiency underlies hibernation anorexia and demonstrate the functional flexibility of the hypothalamic feeding center.

microRNA-33 controls hunger signaling in hypothalamic AgRP neurons.

AgRP neurons drive hunger, and excessive nutrient intake is the primary driver of obesity and associated metabolic disorders. While many factors impacting central regulation of feeding behavior have been established, the role of microRNAs in this process is poorly understood. Utilizing unique mouse models, we demonstrate that miR-33 plays a critical role in the regulation of AgRP neurons, and that loss of miR-33 leads to increased feeding, obesity, and metabolic dysfunction in mice. These effects include the regulation of multiple miR-33 target genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis and fatty acid metabolism. Our findings elucidate a key regulatory pathway regulated by a non-coding RNA that impacts hunger by controlling multiple bioenergetic processes associated with the activation of AgRP neurons, providing alternative therapeutic approaches to modulate feeding behavior and associated metabolic diseases.

Kisspeptin signaling in astrocytes modulates the reproductive axis.

Reproduction is safeguarded by multiple, often cooperative regulatory networks. Kisspeptin signaling, via KISS1R, plays a fundamental role in reproductive control, primarily by regulation of hypothalamic GnRH neurons. We disclose herein a pathway for direct kisspeptin actions in astrocytes that contributes to central reproductive modulation. Protein-protein-interaction and ontology analyses of hypothalamic proteomic profiles after kisspeptin stimulation revealed that glial/astrocyte markers are regulated by kisspeptin in mice. This glial-kisspeptin pathway was validated by the demonstrated expression of Kiss1r in mouse astrocytes in vivo and astrocyte cultures from humans, rats and mice, where kisspeptin activated canonical intracellular signaling-pathways. Cellular co-expression of Kiss1r with the astrocyte markers, GFAP and S100-ß, occurred in different brain regions, with higher percentage in Kiss1- and GnRH-enriched areas. Conditional ablation of Kiss1r in GFAP-positive cells, in the G-KiRKO mouse, altered gene expression of key factors in PGE2 synthesis in astrocytes, and perturbed astrocyte-GnRH neuronal appositions, as well as LH responses to kisspeptin and LH pulsatility, as surrogate marker of GnRH secretion. G-KiRKO mice also displayed changes in reproductive responses to metabolic stress induced by high-fat diet, affecting female pubertal onset, estrous cyclicity and LH-secretory profiles. Our data unveil a non-neuronal pathway for kisspeptin actions in astrocytes, which cooperates in fine-tuning the reproductive axis and its responses to metabolic stress.

Antibodies to cannabinoid type 1 receptor co-react with stomatin-like protein 2 in mouse brain mitochondria.

Anti-cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1 ) polyclonal antibodies are widely used to detect the presence of CB1 in a variety of brain cells and their organelles, including neuronal mitochondria. Surprisingly, we found that anti-CB1 sera, in parallel with CB1 , also recognize the mitochondrial protein stomatin-like protein 2. In addition, we show that the previously reported effect of synthetic cannabinoid WIN 55,212-2 on mitochondrial complex III respiration is not detectable in purified mitochondrial preparations. Thus, our study indicates that a direct relationship between endocannabinoid signaling and mitochondrial functions in the cerebral cortex seems unlikely, and that caution should be taken interpreting findings obtained using anti-CB1 antibodies.

Synaptic input organization of the melanocortin system predicts diet-induced hypothalamic reactive gliosis and obesity.

The neuronal circuits involved in the regulation of feeding behavior and energy expenditure are soft-wired, reflecting the relative activity of the postsynaptic neuronal system, including the anorexigenic proopiomelanocortin (POMC)-expressing cells of the arcuate nucleus. We analyzed the synaptic input organization of the melanocortin system in lean rats that were vulnerable (DIO) or resistant (DR) to diet-induced obesity. We found a distinct difference in the quantitative and qualitative synaptology of POMC cells between DIO and DR animals, with a significantly greater number of inhibitory inputs in the POMC neurons in DIO rats compared with DR rats. When exposed to a high-fat diet (HFD), the POMC cells of DIO animals lost synapses, whereas those of DR rats recruited connections. In both DIO rats and mice, the HFD-triggered loss of synapses on POMC neurons was associated with increased glial ensheathment of the POMC perikarya. The altered synaptic organization of HFD-fed animals promoted increased POMC tone and a decrease in the stimulatory connections onto the neighboring neuropeptide Y (NPY) cells. Exposure to HFD was associated with reactive gliosis, and this affected the structure of the blood-brain barrier such that the POMC and NPY cell bodies and dendrites became less accessible to blood vessels. Taken together, these data suggest that consumption of an HFD has a major impact on the cytoarchitecture of the arcuate nucleus in vulnerable subjects, with changes that might be irreversible due to reactive gliosis.

Impaired Ghrelin Signaling Does Not Lead to Alterations of Anxiety-like Behaviors in Adult Mice Chronically Exposed to THC during Adolescence.

As marijuana use during adolescence has been increasing, the need to understand the effects of its long-term use becomes crucial. Previous research suggested that marijuana consumption during adolescence increases the risk of developing mental illnesses, such as schizophrenia, depression, and anxiety. Ghrelin is a peptide produced primarily in the gut and is important for feeding behavior. Recent studies have shown that ghrelin and its receptor, the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR), play important roles in mediating stress, as well as anxiety and depression-like behaviors in animal models. Here, we investigated the effects of chronic tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) administration during late adolescence (P42-55) in GHSR (GHSR -/-) knockout mice and their wild-type littermates in relation to anxiety-like behaviors. We determined that continuous THC exposure during late adolescence did not lead to any significant alterations in the anxiety-like behaviors of adult mice, regardless of genotype, following a prolonged period of no exposure (1 month). These data indicate that in the presence of intact or impaired ghrelin/GHSR signaling, THC exposure during late adolescence has limited if any long-term impact on anxiety-like behaviors in mice.

Loss of cis-PTase function in the liver promotes a highly penetrant form of fatty liver disease that rapidly transitions to hepatocellular carcinoma.

Obesity-linked fatty liver is a significant risk factor for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)1,2; however, the molecular mechanisms underlying the transition from non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) to HCC remains unclear. The present study explores the role of the endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-associated protein NgBR, an essential component of the cis-prenyltransferases (cis-PTase) enzyme3, in chronic liver disease. Here we show that genetic depletion of NgBR in hepatocytes of mice (N-LKO) intensifies triacylglycerol (TAG) accumulation, inflammatory responses, ER/oxidative stress, and liver fibrosis, ultimately resulting in HCC development with 100% penetrance after four months on a high-fat diet. Comprehensive genomic and single cell transcriptomic atlas from affected livers provides a detailed molecular analysis of the transition from liver pathophysiology to HCC development. Importantly, pharmacological inhibition of diacylglycerol acyltransferase-2 (DGAT2), a key enzyme in hepatic TAG synthesis, abrogates diet-induced liver damage and HCC burden in N-LKO mice. Overall, our findings establish NgBR/cis-PTase as a critical suppressor of NAFLD-HCC conversion and suggests that DGAT2 inhibition may serve as a promising therapeutic approach to delay HCC formation in patients with advanced non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH).

Enhanced leptin-stimulated Pi3k activation in the CNS promotes white adipose tissue transdifferentiation.

The contribution of different leptin-induced signaling pathways in control of energy homeostasis is only partly understood. Here we show that selective Pten ablation in leptin-sensitive neurons (Pten(DeltaObRb)) results in enhanced Pi3k activation in these cells and reduces adiposity by increasing energy expenditure. White adipose tissue (WAT) of Pten(DeltaObRb) mice shows characteristics of brown adipose tissue (BAT), reflected by increased mitochondrial content and Ucp1 expression resulting from enhanced leptin-stimulated sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) in WAT. In contrast, leptin-deficient ob/ob-Pten(DeltaObRb) mice exhibit unaltered body weight and WAT morphology compared to ob/ob mice, pointing to a pivotal role of endogenous leptin in control of WAT transdifferentiation. Leanness of Pten(DeltaObRb) mice is accompanied by enhanced sensitivity to insulin in skeletal muscle. These data provide direct genetic evidence that leptin-stimulated Pi3k signaling in the CNS regulates energy expenditure via activation of SNA to perigonadal WAT leading to BAT-like differentiation of WAT.

LINE-1 activation in the cerebellum drives ataxia.

Dysregulation of long interspersed nuclear element 1 (LINE-1, L1), a dominant class of transposable elements in the human genome, has been linked to neurodegenerative diseases, but whether elevated L1 expression is sufficient to cause neurodegeneration has not been directly tested. Here, we show that the cerebellar expression of L1 is significantly elevated in ataxia telangiectasia patients and strongly anti-correlated with the expression of epigenetic silencers. To examine the role of L1 in the disease etiology, we developed an approach for direct targeting of the L1 promoter for overexpression in mice. We demonstrated that L1 activation in the cerebellum led to Purkinje cell dysfunctions and degeneration and was sufficient to cause ataxia. Treatment with a nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor blunted ataxia progression by reducing DNA damage, attenuating gliosis, and reversing deficits of molecular regulators for calcium homeostasis in Purkinje cells. Our study provides the first direct evidence that L1 activation can drive neurodegeneration.

TET3 epigenetically controls feeding and stress response behaviors via AGRP neurons.

The TET family of dioxygenases promote DNA demethylation by oxidizing 5-methylcytosine to 5-hydroxymethylcytosine (5hmC). Hypothalamic agouti-related peptide-expressing (AGRP-expressing) neurons play an essential role in driving feeding, while also modulating nonfeeding behaviors. Besides AGRP, these neurons produce neuropeptide Y (NPY) and the neurotransmitter GABA, which act in concert to stimulate food intake and decrease energy expenditure. Notably, AGRP, NPY, and GABA can also elicit anxiolytic effects. Here, we report that in adult mouse AGRP neurons, CRISPR-mediated genetic ablation of Tet3, not previously known to be involved in central control of appetite and metabolism, induced hyperphagia, obesity, and diabetes, in addition to a reduction of stress-like behaviors. TET3 deficiency activated AGRP neurons, simultaneously upregulated the expression of Agrp, Npy, and the vesicular GABA transporter Slc32a1, and impeded leptin signaling. In particular, we uncovered a dynamic association of TET3 with the Agrp promoter in response to leptin signaling, which induced 5hmC modification that was associated with a chromatin-modifying complex leading to transcription inhibition, and this regulation occurred in both the mouse models and human cells. Our results unmasked TET3 as a critical central regulator of appetite and energy metabolism and revealed its unexpected dual role in the control of feeding and other complex behaviors through AGRP neurons.

Early-life experience reduces excitation to stress-responsive hypothalamic neurons and reprograms the expression of corticotropin-releasing hormone.

Increased sensory input from maternal care attenuates neuroendocrine and behavioral responses to stress long term and results in a lifelong phenotype of resilience to depression and improved cognitive function. Whereas the mechanisms of this clinically important effect remain unclear, the early, persistent suppression of the expression of the stress neurohormone corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) in hypothalamic neurons has been implicated as a key aspect of this experience-induced neuroplasticity. Here, we tested whether the innervation of hypothalamic CRH neurons of rat pups that received augmented maternal care was altered in a manner that might promote the suppression of CRH expression and studied the cellular mechanisms underlying this suppression. We found that the number of excitatory synapses and the frequency of miniature excitatory synaptic currents onto CRH neurons were reduced in "care-augmented" rats compared with controls, as were the levels of the glutamate vesicular transporter vGlut2. In contrast, analogous parameters of inhibitory synapses were unchanged. Levels of the transcriptional repressor neuron-restrictive silencer factor (NRSF), which negatively regulates Crh gene transcription, were markedly elevated in care-augmented rats, and chromatin immunoprecipitation demonstrated that this repressor was bound to a cognate element (neuron-restrictive silencing element) on the Crh gene. Whereas the reduced excitatory innervation of CRH-expressing neurons dissipated by adulthood, increased NRSF levels and repression of CRH expression persisted, suggesting that augmented early-life experience reprograms Crh gene expression via mechanisms involving transcriptional repression by NRSF.

Fgfr2 is required for the development of the medial prefrontal cortex and its connections with limbic circuits.

To understand the role of specific fibroblast growth factor receptors (FGFRs) in cortical development, we conditionally inactivated Fgfr2 or both Fgfr1 and Fgfr2 [Fgfr2 conditional knock-out (cKO) or double knock-out mice, respectively] in radial glial cells of the dorsal telencephalon. Fgfr1 and Fgfr2 are necessary for the attainment of a normal number of excitatory neurons in the cerebral cortex. The action of FGF receptors appears to be through increasing self-renewal of neuronal precursors within the ventricular zone. Volume measurements, assessments of excitatory neuron number, and areal marker expression suggested that the proper formation of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) depends on the function of Fgfr2, whereas Fgfr1 together with Fgfr2 control excitatory cortical neuron development within the entire cerebral cortex. Fgfr2 cKO mice had fewer and smaller glutamate synaptic terminals in the bed nuclei of the stria terminalis (BST), a projection area for mPFC cortical neurons. Furthermore, Fgfr2 cKO mice showed secondary decreases in GABAergic neurons in the BST and septum. These data demonstrate that FGFR2 signaling expands the number of excitatory neurons in the mPFC and secondarily influences target neurons in subcortical stations of the limbic system.

Prolonged wakefulness induces experience-dependent synaptic plasticity in mouse hypocretin/orexin neurons.

Sleep is a natural process that preserves energy, facilitates development, and restores the nervous system in higher animals. Sleep loss resulting from physiological and pathological conditions exerts tremendous pressure on neuronal circuitry responsible for sleep-wake regulation. It is not yet clear how acute and chronic sleep loss modify neuronal activities and lead to adaptive changes in animals. Here, we show that acute and chronic prolonged wakefulness in mice induced by modafinil treatment produced long-term potentiation (LTP) of glutamatergic synapses on hypocretin/orexin neurons in the lateral hypothalamus, a well-established arousal/wake-promoting center. A similar potentiation of synaptic strength at glutamatergic synapses on hypocretin/orexin neurons was also seen when mice were sleep deprived for 4 hours by gentle handling. Blockade of dopamine D1 receptors attenuated prolonged wakefulness and synaptic plasticity in these neurons, suggesting that modafinil functions through activation of the dopamine system. Also, activation of the cAMP pathway was not able to further induce LTP at glutamatergic synapses in brain slices from mice treated with modafinil. These results indicate that synaptic plasticity due to prolonged wakefulness occurs in circuits responsible for arousal and may contribute to changes in the brain and body of animals experiencing sleep loss.