What is it about?
Sleep is closely linked to how the brain processes energy, but the role of nutrients in the blood is not well understood. This study found that a transporter protein at the blood-brain barrier helps regulate sleep by moving carnitine, a molecule involved in fat metabolism, into the brain. When researchers reduced the function of this transporter in fruit flies, the flies slept less and accumulated excess fats in their brain. However, feeding the flies certain fatty acids restored their sleep, suggesting that proper brain metabolism is essential for healthy sleep, suggesting that adjusting metabolism could be a potential way to improve sleep.
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Why is it important?
Our study opens new possibilities for improving sleep through diet or metabolism-based treatments. It suggests that the way our brain processes fats might be key to getting good rest, which could lead to new ways to treat sleep disorders.
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This page is a summary of: A carnitine transporter at the blood–brain barrier modulates sleep via glial lipid metabolism in
Drosophila, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, January 2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2421178122.
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