Crosstalk between the subiculum and sleep–wake regulation: A review

Abstract

SummaryThe circuitry underlying the initiation, maintenance, and coordination of wakefulness, rapid eye movement sleep, and non‐rapid eye movement sleep is not thoroughly understood. Sleep is thought to arise due to decreased activity in the ascending reticular arousal system, which originates in the brainstem and awakens the thalamus and cortex during wakefulness. Despite the conventional association of sleep–wake states with hippocampal rhythms, the mutual influence of the hippocampal formation in regulating vigilance states has been largely neglected. Here, we focus on the subiculum, the main output region of the hippocampal formation. The subiculum, particulary the ventral part, sends extensive monosynaptic projections to crucial regions implicated in sleep–wake regulation, including the thalamus, lateral hypothalamus, tuberomammillary nucleus, basal forebrain, ventrolateral preoptic nucleus, ventrolateral tegmental area, and suprachiasmatic nucleus. Additionally, second‐order projections from the subiculum are received by the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus, locus coeruleus, and median raphe nucleus, suggesting the potential involvement of the subiculum in the regulation of the sleep–wake cycle. We also discuss alterations in the subiculum observed in individuals with sleep disorders and in sleep‐deprived mice, underscoring the significance of investigating neuronal communication between the subiculum and pathways promoting both sleep and wakefulness.