Characterization of basal forebrain glutamate neurons suggests a role in control of arousal and avoidance behavior.

The basal forebrain (BF) is involved in arousal, attention, and reward processing but the role of individual BF neuronal subtypes is still being uncovered. Glutamatergic neurons are the least well-understood of the three main BF neurotransmitter phenotypes. Here we analyzed the distribution, size, calcium-binding protein content and projections of the major group of BF glutamatergic neurons expressing the vesicular glutamate transporter subtype 2 (vGluT2) and tested the functional effect of activating them.

A rodent cage change insomnia model disrupts memory consolidation.

Insomnia involves disruption of sleep initiation, maintenance and/or overall quality, and may interfere with cognition. Here, we evaluated memory impairment produced by rodent mild (acute) insomnia models. Insomnia models consisted of either single or repeated exposure to cages previously occupied (dirtied) by an unfamiliar rat for 5-7 days.