<p>Know why do you feel drowsy after a bad night's sleep? The answer lies in a few nerve cells in you brain that may control the switch between internal thoughts and external distractions.<br /><br /></p>.<p>A critical part of the brain called thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) that influences consciousness holds the key.<br /><br />To understand how the brain switchboard works, researchers used lasers to study the firing patterns of TRN cells in mice during sleep and arousal - two states with very different information processing needs.<br /><br />The results suggest that the TRN has many switchboard operators, each dedicated to controlling specific lines of communication.<br /><br />Using this information, researchers could alter the attention span of mice.<br /><br />"Now we may have a handle on how this tiny part of the brain exerts tremendous control over our thoughts and perceptions," said Michael Halassa, an assistant professor at New York University's Langone Medical Centre.<br /><br />These results may be a gateway into understanding the circuitry that underlies neuropsychiatric disorders.<br /><br />The TRN cells are thought to act as switchboard operators that control the flow of information relayed from the thalamus to the cortex.<br /><br />"The future of brain research is in studying circuits that are critical for brain health and these results may take us a step further," said James Gnadt, programme director at the US National Institute Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).<br /><br />The findings appeared in the journal Cell.</p>
<p>Know why do you feel drowsy after a bad night's sleep? The answer lies in a few nerve cells in you brain that may control the switch between internal thoughts and external distractions.<br /><br /></p>.<p>A critical part of the brain called thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN) that influences consciousness holds the key.<br /><br />To understand how the brain switchboard works, researchers used lasers to study the firing patterns of TRN cells in mice during sleep and arousal - two states with very different information processing needs.<br /><br />The results suggest that the TRN has many switchboard operators, each dedicated to controlling specific lines of communication.<br /><br />Using this information, researchers could alter the attention span of mice.<br /><br />"Now we may have a handle on how this tiny part of the brain exerts tremendous control over our thoughts and perceptions," said Michael Halassa, an assistant professor at New York University's Langone Medical Centre.<br /><br />These results may be a gateway into understanding the circuitry that underlies neuropsychiatric disorders.<br /><br />The TRN cells are thought to act as switchboard operators that control the flow of information relayed from the thalamus to the cortex.<br /><br />"The future of brain research is in studying circuits that are critical for brain health and these results may take us a step further," said James Gnadt, programme director at the US National Institute Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).<br /><br />The findings appeared in the journal Cell.</p>