Glial Mechanisms in Sleep and Circadian Biology

Glial Mechanisms in Sleep and Circadian Biology presents a comprehensive and up-to-date discussion of the role of glial cells in numerous, often unexpected, aspects of sleep. It seamlessly links glial cell activity to the multi-system processes that affect sleep. Experts in the field discuss how glial cells influence the sleep-wake cycle, the accumulation and discharge of sleep drive, the timing of sleep and wake across the 24-hour day, and how glial cells may govern important sleep functions (e.g., brain plasticity and metabolism). This is a book that could well change scientists’ and practitioners’ traditional beliefs about the factors underlying sleep. Users will find the book's content at the forefront of one of the hottest topics in basic sleep research. Over the last decade, scientists have made breakthrough discoveries revealing that sleep is not only a product of neurons, but of neuronal-glial interactions.