Uncovering the Link Between Diverging Circuits and Sleep Disorders

Objectives: To examine the current literature on diverging circuits’ effect on sleep disorders’ development in order to construct recommendations for future research. Background: A diverging circuit consists of a singular neuron simultaneously communicating with multiple others, which is essential for functions such as preventing arousal during sleep. However, sleep disorders are still common, which progress to co-morbid mental disorders like depression in 40-50% of those affected. Research on sleep disorders predominantly focuses on their effects rather than their causes. Thus, studying the intersection of diverging circuits and sleep disorders would facilitate new research on the causes of sleep disorders. Methods: To analyze the literature, we generated 468 preliminary articles by inputting the following search terms into the Web of Science Core Collection: diverging circuits, sleep disorders, neural circuits, and dysfunctional/damaged circuits. Subsequently, we excluded articles that addressed our topic within the context of anesthesia to ensure relevance. Of the articles that remained, we exported the bibliometric data of the 100 most cited options into Google Sheets for analysis. Results: After analyzing the 17 most frequently referenced keywords in the articles, two primary focuses in the literature emerged: neural structures/chemicals and neural functions. The first category included terms such as prefrontal cortex (7 references), GABAergic neurons (5 references), and orexin (5 references). The second category included terms such as arousal (6 references), REM sleep (5 references), and synaptic plasticity (5 references). Conclusions: Scientists could expand the literature on the potential role of diverging circuits in sleep disorders by rigorously examining the pre-existing topics in the two categories. Additionally, they could conduct exploratory research on new topics, such as the brainstem, that are aligned with those categories