The interplay of sociability and social exposure on sleep rebound in Drosophila melanogaster

Sleeping and engaging in social interactions are widely conserved phenomena crucial to the well-being of all animals. Impairments in both these processes are associated with negative outcomes such as severe cognitive decline and shortened lifespan. Moreover, in species as distant as humans, mice, and Drosophila, both sleep and social interactions influence each other. For example, the frequency of social interactions dictates sleep need and conversely, sleep loss causes social withdrawal, indicating an ancient and fundamental link.
Interestingly, a number of studies have also revealed that humans might display differences in their intrinsic need to engage in social interactions, also known as sociability. This is relevant because the sociability of an individual might eventually determine the frequency of social interactions, thereby jointly influencing traits such as sleep. However, these studies remain correlational leading to the untested hypothesis that the sociability trait of an individual in conjunction with the amount of social exposure might determine the objective need for sleep and associated vulnerability to sleep loss.
The conservation of fundamental aspects of sociability and sleep allows the use of D. melanogaster to dissect the intimate connection between sociability and sleep. Recent studies in our lab have showed a wide spectrum of sociability in inbred lines, with some lines having high sociability and others having low sociability. In our present study, we therefore quantified sleep and determined whether prior exposure to a social interaction in high and low sociability flies influences sleep rebound differently. Using this approach, we attempt to discern the interplay of sociability and social exposure on sleep in fruit flies opening avenues to investigate this interaction at the molecular level and in higher organisms."