How does chronic sleep loss affect brain synapses?

“Chronic sleep deficit is known to impair memory. Because protein degradation is essential for synaptic plasticity – a basic cellular mechanism for memory formation – we plan to investigate this further,” explains Chao Sun.

The collaboration between Chao and Yi Zuo has been made possible through a Lundbeck Foundation Visiting Professorship Grant, which supports international research exchanges and collaborative projects.

By combining expertise in sleep, synaptic plasticity and advanced experimental approaches, the two researchers hope not only to advance the project during the coming months, but also to lay the groundwork for future collaborations between the Sun Lab and Zuo Lab beyond the current visit.

Bringing complementary strengths together

Chao and Yi first met when Chao attended a neurobiology course taught by Yi at the Marine Biological Laboratory in Woods Hole, USA, earlier in his career. Their scientific interests have continued to overlap, particularly in the field of sleep research, where they each bring complementary expertise.

“It is a great opportunity for skills exchange that the Lundbeck Foundation makes possible,” says Chao, who believes that one of the strengths of the collaboration is the complementary methods and expertise of the two laboratories.

“We know each other well and have complementary skills, so I think the collaboration will have good energy.” 

A view shared by Yi:

“What attracted me most was the chance to bring together two complementary ways of looking at synaptic plasticity,” she explains.

“Chao's group has developed powerful approaches for studying protein degradation at synapses, while my lab has focused on imaging how synaptic connections form, disappear and stabilize in the brain. By combining these strengths, I think we can ask questions that neither lab could address as effectively alone. DANDRITE also offers a highly collaborative environment, so spending an extended period in Aarhus gives us the opportunity to work side by side and build a real foundation for a long-term collaboration,” she says.

Research, collaboration and knowledge exchange

During her stay, Yi will contribute to data analysis, scientific discussions, lab meetings and experiments in the Sun Group. She will also give a seminar and help organise a scientific symposium, drawing on her network of collaborators in the US and elsewhere.

For DANDRITE's researchers and students, the visit also presents an opportunity to learn and to exchange knowledge. In her laboratory at the University of California, Santa Cruz, Yi uses mouse models to investigate how experiences such as stress influence brain connectivity, and how changes in neuronal connections and brain function affect behaviour. Her work focuses on understanding how neural circuits adapt to experiences throughout life.

Yi explains that a key goal during her time at DANDRITE is to establish an imaging approach "that allows us to follow protein degradation and structural changes at the same synapses in brain tissue. Once that platform is working, we can begin to ask how local protein turnover contributes to synapse stability and how processes such as chronic sleep loss may disrupt it,” she says.

“I am also looking forward to learning from Chao and his team about synaptic proteostasis and sleep biology, while sharing our experience in two-photon imaging and quantitative analysis. I hope the visit will lead not only to new science, but also to continued collaboration and exchange between our labs.” 

* Quick facts *

The Lundbeck Foundation Visiting Professorship provides up to DKK 500,000 for Danish research groups to host international guest researchers at the professor level for collaborative visits lasting 2 to 6 months, focusing primarily on neuroscience or fields that benefit brain research.