D-030 | Innovative approaches to sleep analysis: assessing the impact of ethoscopes in studying DNA damage and sleep behavior in Drosophila melanogaster

Chronobiology
Author: Santiago Joaquin Sidoli Cano | Email: santisidoli@gmail.com

Santiago Sidoli-Cano^1°, Carolina Kung^1°, Canela Pedreira-González^1°,  Emiliano Kalesnik-Vissio^1°, Agustina Bruno-Vignolo^1°, Ivana Ducrey^1°, Marina Propato-Lots^1°,  Nara I. Muraro^1°

^1° Biomedicine Research Institute of Buenos Aires-CONICET-Partner Institute of the Max Planck Society. Godoy Cruz 2390, C1425FQD, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Sleep is a fundamental biological process that is conserved across species, though its function and underlying mechanisms remain unclear. In Drosophila melanogaster, sleep has primarily been studied using Drosophila Activity Monitors (DAMs), which, despite their usefulness, have limitations in both resolution and real-time monitoring capabilities. Recently, the ethoscope platform (Geissmann et al., 2017) has emerged as an innovative tool for detailed behavioral analysis. The ethoscope devices, equipped with 3D-printed components, Raspberry Pi microcomputers, and cameras, provide a cost-effective, reproducible, and scalable solution for real-time tracking through supervised machine learning. To explore new possibilities in sleep research and overcome the limitations of traditional DAMs, this project employs ethoscopes within a thermogenetic screen. Our goal is to compare the effectiveness of DAMs and ethoscopes in monitoring sleep behavior and to investigate the relationship between DNA damage and sleep. By leveraging the advanced features of ethoscopes, we aim to gain new insights into the molecular and cellular mechanisms that link DNA damage to sleep regulation. Ultimately, this work could contribute to a broader understanding of the evolutionary significance of sleep across species.