Role of myelin during sleep and energy supply during wakefulness
The researchers in this article discuss the role of myelin metabolism in sleep.
Myelin contains mitochondrial components that enable the production of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) via oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS). Myelin also generates from mitochondrial derived vesicles (MDVs) from the vesiculation of the mitochondrial membranes.
The authors hypothesize that myelin acts as a proton capacitor, accumulating energy in the form of protons during sleep and converting it to ATP via OXPHOS during wakefulness.
They discuss the evidence supporting the hypothesis, including data on myelin metabolic activity, MDVs, and allometric scaling between white matter volume and sleep duration in mammals.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0079610725000185
