# Molecular and genetic analysis of the juvenile sleep state

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA · 2022 · $406,250

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
Sleep in early life is hypothesized to facilitate structural maturation of the brain. Childhood sleep disturbances
portend later neurocognitive deficits and are highly prevalent across neurobehavioral disorders; sleep
abnormalities during development may in fact contribute to aberrant neural circuit formation. Improving sleep
by targeting regulatory pathways may thus represent a new therapeutic avenue in neurodevelopmental
disease. However, the molecular and genetic factors controlling early life sleep remain largely unknown,
hindering design of sleep-related strategies. In fact, there have been no genes known to control developmental
changes to sleep. Using an RNAi-based genetic screen in Drosophila, we identified a transcription factor,
pdm3, that regulates the juvenile sleep state. The overall goal of this proposal is to characterize the genetic
and molecular pathways controlling the juvenile sleep state by investigating the function of PDM3 in
Drosophila. Specifically, we will define the cellular mechanisms through which PDM3 controls juvenile sleep
(Aim 1) and identify the molecular signals downstream of PDM3 that coordinate sleep ontogeny (Aim 2). We
will then manipulate pdm3 to investigate how loss of the juvenile sleep state affects brain and behavioral
maturation (Aim 3). Our proposal utilizes a diverse array of approaches, including behavioral, genetic, and
imaging. Dissecting the molecular genetic control of sleep ontogeny will yield new insights into the regulation of
early life sleep, deepening our understanding of the link between sleep ontogeny and neurobehavioral
pathology.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10494058
- **Project number:** 5R01NS120979-02
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA
- **Principal Investigator:** MATTHEW S KAYSER
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $406,250
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2021-09-29 → 2025-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10494058

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10494058, Molecular and genetic analysis of the juvenile sleep state (5R01NS120979-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-26 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10494058. Licensed CC0.

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