THE SLEEP-INDUCING LIPID OLEAMIDE DECONVOLUTES GAP JUNCTION COMMUNICATION AND CALCIUM WAVE TRANSMISSION IN GLIAL-CELLS

Oleamide is a sleep-inducing lipid originally isolated from the cerebr ospinal fluid of sleep-deprived cats. Oleamide was found to potently a nd selectively inactivate gap junction-mediated communication between rat glial cells. In contrast, oleamide had no effect on mechanically s timulated calcium wave transmission in this same cell type. Other chem ical compounds traditionally used as inhibitors of gap junctional comm unication, like heptanol and 18 beta-glycyrrhetinic acid, blocked not only gap junctional communication but also intercellular calcium signa ling. Given the central role fur intercellular small molecule and elec trical signaling in central nervous system function, oleamide-induced inactivation of glial cell gap junction channels may serve to regulate communication between brain cells, and in doing so, may influence hig her order neuronal events like sleep induction.