Research Symposium

BIO

Jesus Avila is from Lake Worth, FL and a second-year undergraduate at Florida State University. Jesus has expanded his research interests in many fields such as in neuroscience and public health. To be more specific, Jesus is interested in helping communities of color in accessing medical attention and educating them on illnesses that can be prevented. Therefore, Jesus hopes on going to medical school after his undergraduate career to become a doctor that helps underserved communities of color.

Effects of Sleep Fragmentation on Alcohol Response in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract

It is estimated that 50 to 70 million Americans suffer from sleep disturbances and circadian disorders, affecting everyday functioning and increasing the risk for drug abuse, cancers, metabolic disorders, and other diseases. Previous research has found an association between increased incidents of alcohol abuse and individuals who experience regular circadian rhythm or sleep disturbance, such as shift workers. Gaining a deeper understanding of the effect of circadian rhythm disruption on drug tolerance and recovery is a crucial first step in tackling the issue of increased alcohol toxicity and abuse in sleep fragmented populations. In this study, we investigated how sleep fragmentation affected alcohol neurobiology using Drosophila melanogaster as a model. The high degree of molecular conservation across species and the stereotypical alcohol behaviors from drosophila to humans make drosophila an ideal model organism for studying sleep and alcohol response. We studied two sleep fragmentation paradigms over four days of fragmentation in young adult flies (3-7 days old) to investigate alcohol sedation responses, alcohol toxicity, and the alcohol tolerance. Preliminary results suggest an association between increased sleep fragmentation and faster sedation responses, as well as increased mortality rates. Studies are ongoing, and the anticipated results will provide a foundation for future studies investigating the molecular pathways through which sleep disturbances affect alcohol responses.

Keywords: Drosophila, Alcohol Tolerance, and Circadian Rhythm