Motivation meets sleep: tuning arousal via nucleus accumbens and Basal Ganglia circuits

Traditionally linked to motor control and motivation, the basal ganglia, particularly the nucleus accumbens (NAc), are now recognized as central to sleep-wake regulation. Rodent studies highlight the NAc as a hub where motivation, arousal, and sleep homeostasis converge, mediated by D1- and D2-MSN activity. This review examines its organization and circuits, emphasizing roles in vigilance, valence, and associative learning, and exploring emerging hypotheses on its contribution to sleep-related cognition and disorders.