Modulation and Neural Correlates of Postmating Sleep Plasticity in Drosophila Females

Sleep is essential, but animals may forgo sleep to engage in other critical behaviors, such as feeding and reproduction. Previous studies have shown that female flies show decreased sleep after mating, but our understanding of the process is limited. Here, we report that postmating nighttime sleep loss is modulated by diet and sleep deprivation, demonstrating a complex interaction among sleep, reproduction, and diet. We also report that female-specific pC1 neurons and sleep-promoting dorsal fan-shaped body (dFB) neurons are required for postmating sleep plasticity. Activating pC1 neurons leads to sleep suppression on standard fly culture media but has little sleep effect on sucrose-only food. Published connectome data suggest indirect, inhibitory connections among pC1 subtypes. Using calcium imaging, we show that activating the pC1e subtype inhibits dFB neurons. We propose that pC1 and dFB neurons integrate the mating status, food context, and sleep drive to modulate postmating sleep plasticity. HighlightsO_LIDiet and sleep drive modulate female nighttime postmating sleep loss C_LIO_LIFemale-specific pC1 neurons are required for postmating sleep loss C_LIO_LISleep-promoting dFB-projecting neurons are required for postmating sleep loss C_LIO_LIActivating pC1 subtypes promotes wakefulness and inhibits dFB-projecting neurons C_LI eTOC blurbAnimals evaluate environmental conditions and internal states to make behavioral choices. Duhart et al. show that the decision to stay awake after mating in Drosophila females is modulated by food composition and sleep history and mediated by female-specific pC1 neurons acting upstream of the dFB sleep center.