OSCR

A male-biased hypothalamic circuit modulates postmating sleep suppression in mice.

Overview

Authors: Jin Zhao1,2, Linhao Jiang3, Qian Zhang1, Shajin Huang1, Xueping Gao4, Minghui Song4,5, Xue Lu3, Siwen Pan1,2, Xi Zha1, Lei Jin4, Xiaohong Xu6, Huateng Cao1,7, Qianzi Yang3, Zhe Zhang1
ORCID iDs: Jin Zhao, Linhao Jiang, Siwen Pan, Lei Jin, Xiaohong Xu, Huateng Cao, Qianzi Yang, Zhe Zhang
  1. Institute of Neuroscience, Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China
  2. University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China
  3. Department of Anesthesiology, Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai 200025, China
  4. Lingang Laboratory, Shanghai 200031, China
  5. School of Life Science and Technology, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
  6. State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology and MOE Frontiers Center for Brain Science, Institutes of Brain Science, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, China
  7. Yiwu Research Institute of Fudan University, Yiwu 322000, China
Institutions: Chinese Academy of Sciences (China); Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology (China); University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (China); Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China); Ruijin Hospital (China); ShanghaiTech University (China); Fudan University (China); State Key Laboratory of Medical Neurobiology; Frontiers Center for Brain Science of the Ministry of Education (China)
Journal: Science advances, volume 12, issue 36, article eaeb6839
Dates: received 22 August 2025; accepted 28 July 2026; published online 2 September 2026; in print September 2026
Type: Research article · Language: English
License: CC BY-NC
Identifiers: DOI 10.1126/sciadv.aeb6839 · PMID 42685204 · PMCID PMC13537264 · OpenAlex W7206203239
Open access: gold, a free copy (OpenAlex)
Status: data only
Categories: mouse (organism), systems (subfield)
Methods: Spectral & time-frequency, Connectivity, Smoothing, state filtering, decompositions, Preprocessing, Evoked potentials, Single-unit activity, calcium imaging, Physiology & signal measures
MeSH: Hypothalamus*, Sleep*, Animals, Female, gamma-Aminobutyric Acid, Male, Mice, Neurons, Optogenetics, Preoptic Area, Septal Nuclei, Sexual Behavior, Animal, Sleep Duration, Wakefulness (* major topic)
Topic: Sleep and Wakefulness Research (Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuroscience), according to OpenAlex
Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China (32100799, U23A20433, 82322021); China Postdoctoral Science Foundation (2020TQ0332, 2020M681415)
Citations: not cited yet (Europe PMC); 53 references in the paper

Abstract

Many species display mating-related sleep suppression to maximize reproductive success, yet the underlying neural mechanisms in mammals remain unclear. Here, we report that male mice exhibit delayed sleep onset and reduced sleep duration in periods following successful mating, while females are unaffected. Single-cell transcriptomics identifies a group of sleep-promoting Rxfp1-expressing neurons in the preoptic area of hypothalamus (POARxfp1 neurons), and fiber photometry reveals selective inhibition of them during and after mating in male mice. Lifting this inhibition via chemogenetic activation reverses sleep suppression in mated males. Monosynaptic retrograde tracing from these POARxfp1 neurons identifies male-biased γ-aminobutyric acid–releasing inputs from the principal nucleus of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BNSTpr). Notably, optogenetic activation of these neurons induces immediate wakefulness specifically in male mice, and BNSTpr → POARxfp1 neurons are hyperactive after mating. Together, these findings establish a BNSTpr → POARxfp1 circuit that integrates reproductive signals for male-specific sleep suppression in mice.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY-NC), from the paper cited above.

Code

The paper links to its data, not to its authors' code: see the Data section.

The paper's code and data availability statement is in the Data section.

Tracing map

A tracing map links a paper to the code its authors published: this paper has none, so it has no map.

Data

Datasets cited

Data, code, and materials availability

All data and code needed to evaluate and reproduce the results in the paper are present in the paper and/or the Supplemental Materials. This study did not generate new materials.

Reproduced under the paper's license (CC BY-NC), from the paper cited above.

Versions

The history of this record: each version stored by the harvester or made by a correction of its authors or of the maintainers of its code, and what changed in its facts. The texts of the paper (its abstract, its availability statements) are not part of it; versions that changed only those are not listed.

Version 3, 28 September 2026

  • Funding: added National Natural Science Foundation of China: 32100799, U23A20433, 82322021; China Postdoctoral Science Foundation: 2020TQ0332, 2020M681415

Version 1, 27 September 2026: the first record

Recorded: type, language, journal, volume, issue, pages, dates, 14 authors, 14 MeSH terms, 50 references.

Cite

This paper

Zhao, J., Jiang, L., Zhang, Q., Huang, S., Gao, X., Song, M., Lu, X., Pan, S., Zha, X., Jin, L., Xu, X., Cao, H., Yang, Q., & Zhang, Z. (2026). A male-biased hypothalamic circuit modulates postmating sleep suppression in mice. Science advances, 12(36), eaeb6839. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb6839

BibTeX

@article{zhao2026male,
author = {Zhao, Jin and Jiang, Linhao and Zhang, Qian and Huang, Shajin and Gao, Xueping and Song, Minghui and Lu, Xue and Pan, Siwen and Zha, Xi and Jin, Lei and Xu, Xiaohong and Cao, Huateng and Yang, Qianzi and Zhang, Zhe},
title = {{A male-biased hypothalamic circuit modulates postmating sleep suppression in mice}},
journal = {Science advances},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
volume = {12},
number = {36},
pages = {eaeb6839},
publisher = {American Association for the Advancement of Science},
issn = {2375-2548},
doi = {10.1126/sciadv.aeb6839},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb6839},
pmid = {42685204},
pmcid = {PMC13537264}
}

RIS

TY - JOUR
AU - Zhao, Jin
AU - Jiang, Linhao
AU - Zhang, Qian
AU - Huang, Shajin
AU - Gao, Xueping
AU - Song, Minghui
AU - Lu, Xue
AU - Pan, Siwen
AU - Zha, Xi
AU - Jin, Lei
AU - Xu, Xiaohong
AU - Cao, Huateng
AU - Yang, Qianzi
AU - Zhang, Zhe
TI - A male-biased hypothalamic circuit modulates postmating sleep suppression in mice
T2 - Science advances
J2 - Sci Adv
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/02
VL - 12
IS - 36
SP - eaeb6839
SN - 2375-2548
PB - American Association for the Advancement of Science
DO - 10.1126/sciadv.aeb6839
UR - https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb6839
LA - en
ER -

CSL-JSON

{
"id": "10.1126/sciadv.aeb6839",
"type": "article-journal",
"title": "A male-biased hypothalamic circuit modulates postmating sleep suppression in mice",
"container-title": "Science advances",
"author": [
{
"family": "Zhao",
"given": "Jin"
},
{
"family": "Jiang",
"given": "Linhao"
},
{
"family": "Zhang",
"given": "Qian"
},
{
"family": "Huang",
"given": "Shajin"
},
{
"family": "Gao",
"given": "Xueping"
},
{
"family": "Song",
"given": "Minghui"
},
{
"family": "Lu",
"given": "Xue"
},
{
"family": "Pan",
"given": "Siwen"
},
{
"family": "Zha",
"given": "Xi"
},
{
"family": "Jin",
"given": "Lei"
},
{
"family": "Xu",
"given": "Xiaohong"
},
{
"family": "Cao",
"given": "Huateng"
},
{
"family": "Yang",
"given": "Qianzi"
},
{
"family": "Zhang",
"given": "Zhe"
}
],
"container-title-short": "Sci Adv",
"volume": "12",
"issue": "36",
"page": "eaeb6839",
"DOI": "10.1126/sciadv.aeb6839",
"PMID": "42685204",
"PMCID": "PMC13537264",
"ISSN": "2375-2548",
"publisher": "American Association for the Advancement of Science",
"URL": "https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aeb6839",
"language": "en",
"issued": {
"date-parts": [
[
2026,
9,
2
]
]
}
}

Similar papers

The papers with a page that share the most with this one: the tools found in their code, their categories, datasets, cited references and authors, the rarest counting most.

[1] doi:10.1016/j.isci.2026.116477
Slow intrinsic oscillations in the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus.
Journal: iScience
In common: 5 references
[2] doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74768-5 [code]
Parallel cholinergic circuit in oculomotor nucleus to control eye movements and REM sleep.
Journal: Nature communications
In common: systems, mouse, 2 references
[3] doi:10.7554/elife.100880 [code]
An applicable and efficient retrograde monosynaptic circuit mapping tool for larval zebrafish.
Journal: eLife
In common: systems, 2 references
[4] doi:10.1016/j.isci.2026.115564 [code]
Octopamine regulates neural circuits in the mushroom body and central complex, influencing sleep and arousal.
Journal: iScience
In common: systems, 2 references
[5] doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74819-x
The role of supraoptic hypothalamic arginine vasopressin neurons in aging-associated water balance and thermoregulatory deficits in male mice.
Journal: Nature communications
In common: mouse, 2 references
[6] doi:10.1038/s41467-026-72222-0 [code]
Eye movement kinematics reveal novel circadian organization of sleep substates.
Journal: Nature communications
In common: systems, 2 references
[7] doi:10.1038/s41467-026-71666-8
Distinct distributed neural dynamics predict pallium-dependent social approach.
Journal: Nature communications
In common: systems, 2 references
[8] doi:10.7554/elife.106347 [code]
Esr1-dependent signaling and transcriptional maturation in the medial preoptic area of the hypothalamus shape the development of mating behavior during adolescence.
Journal: eLife
In common: mouse, 2 references
[9] doi:10.1523/eneuro.0121-26.2026 [code]
Hippocampal Gene Expression in Zebra Finches Reveals Sex- and Subregion-Specific Topographies.
Journal: eNeuro
In common: 2 references
[10] doi:10.1038/s41467-026-75792-1 [code]
Temporal drift of sleep-wake representations in hypothalamic neuronal ensembles.
Journal: Nature communications
In common: systems, mouse, 1 reference

Contribute

The authors of this paper can claim it, correct its record and validate its tracing map, and the maintainers of its code (its owner, or a public member of its organization) correct what it says of their repository; anyone signed in can ask for its removal. Every request goes to OSCR's own machine, which answers it; your account page follows them.

Sign in with ORCID to claim this paper as one of its authors, correct its record or validate its tracing map: when the paper's metadata lists your ORCID iD, you are recognized at once. Maintainers of its code: sign in with GitHub, then claim the repository on your account page.

Request its removal

To ask OSCR to remove this record, the copies of its authors' scripts or its tracing map, use the removal request page: signed in, you say who you are, what to remove and why, then review and confirm the request. Published rules decide every request (how).

Discussion, reproductions, activity

Discussion: questions and error reports about this paper and its code, from signed-in readers and its authors. It opens with sign-in.

Reproductions: reports from readers who ran the authors' code: what they reproduced, with which environment, commit and data. It opens with sign-in.

Activity: what happens around this paper: new versions of its record, its map's validation, discussions and reproductions. It opens with sign-in.