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Title: Scientists Identify New Mutation That Enables Three-Hour Sleepers

Link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/25/05/06/2...

Researchers have discovered a mutation in the SIK3 gene that enables some
people to function normally on just three to six hours of sleep. The finding,
published this week in PNAS, adds to a growing list of genetic variants
linked to naturally short sleepers. When University of California, San
Francisco scientists introduced the mutation to mice, the animals required 31
minutes less sleep daily. The modified enzyme showed highest activity in
brain synapses, suggesting it might support brain homeostasis -- the
resetting process thought to occur during sleep. "These people, all these
functions our bodies are doing while we are sleeping, they can just perform
at a higher level than we can," said Ying-Hui Fu, the study's co-author. This
marks the fifth mutation across four genes identified in naturally short
sleepers. Fu's team hopes these discoveries could eventually lead to
treatments for sleep disorders by revealing how sleep regulation functions in
humans.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

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