Amita Sehgal wants to understand the molecular and cellular networks that drive rhythmic behaviors such as sleep. Sehgal and her team work primarily in the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, but also translate their findings to mammalian models, especially mice. Their major goals are to elucidate the mechanisms that confer a circadian (~24-hour) periodicity on much of behavior and physiology as well as to understand how and why the drive to sleep is generated. They have identified genes and circuits that underlie the homeostatic drive for sleep, and ongoing studies are revealing new mechanisms and cellular functions for sleep.
By probing the cellular and molecular processes that drive sleep, HHMI Investigator Amita Sehgal and her team are uncovering how snoozing helps ensure there’s a source of clean energy to power brain cells. Eight HHMI scientists are among 391 new Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. HHMI scientists are among 84 newly elected members and 21 foreign associates.