Effect of constant light on prolactin and corticosterone rhythms evaluated using a noninvasive urine sampling protocol in the rat.

Circadian prolactin and corticosterone rhythms are usually investigated in the rat by analysis of plasma hormone profiles. In order to develop a nonstressful methodology for long-term studies, we validated prolactin and corticosterone radioimmunoassays in rat urine samples. Among the criteria of validation, prolactin was identified in urine by Western blot whereas both prolactin and corticosterone levels were undetectable in the urine of hypophysectomized rats. The determination of prolactin and corticosterone levels on serial urine samples showed daily variations in male rats entrained by the light-dark cycle. The acrophases of the 24-hour prolactin and corticosterone profiles were located at 03:26 h and 23:32 h respectively, a delay of 3-4 hours compared with the values of the 24-hour plasma profiles reported in the literature. Corticosterone and prolactin rhythms were abolished or dramatically delayed after 3 weeks of constant illumination. As expected, constant light suppressed the rhythm of 6-sulfatoxymelatonin, the major hepatic metabolite of melatonin. The noninvasive and nonstressful methodology we developed could be of interest for studying the regulation of hormone rhythms and their mutual endocrine interactions in physiological conditions, especially their evolution in the aging process.

[The ontogeny and physiology confirms the dual nature of sleep states].

In the Jouvet's laboratory, as early as 1960 the study of the ontogenesis of paradoxical sleep (PS) named "sleep 'with jerks" began in the kitten and led to the first publication in 1961. Then, several species were studied, lamb, rat, human neonates, etc. These works showed that at birth sleep with jerks was preponderant in altricial (immature) species (cat, rat) and the first to appear during the second half of gestation in precocious species (guinea pig). For Jouvet, sleep with jerks is a immature form of PS. Why PS is so important at birth? The maturation of the central nervous system, based on the myelinization, starts in the spinal cord then forwards to the brainstem and forebrain. So, PS mechanisms located in the brainstem are the first to mature and the only one to function. Then the slow wave sleep (SWS) and waking structures become mature. Phylogenetic studies showed that in mammals and birds PS was present even in marsupials and monotremes. Until now only the one exception is the dolphin with a voluntary breathing. To sleep and breath, dolphin has developed an unilateral sleep without classical PS. In other animals, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, PS was not observed with the parameters used in mammals. The study at birth (not yet done) of reptiles would allow perhaps the observation of a temporary PS. Based on these findings, a schematic model of the sleep regulation can be elaborated. Haeckel's aphorism "Ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny" seems true for PS which appears in birds and mammals i.e. at the end of evolution as it appears at the end of gestation when PS cerebral structures are present and mature.

Disorders of consciousness: anatomical and physiological mechanisms.

The anatomical and physiological mechanisms of consciousness are reviewed, focussing on the wakefulness mechanisms, which are one aspect, albeit an indispensable one, of consciousness. In trying to understand disorders of consciousness, it must be remembered that wake physiology is linked to sleep physiology and a brief summary of the phenomenology and regulation of the wake sleep cycle is therefore presented. Wakefulness is produced and maintained by a complex neural network composed of at least ten groups of neurones, which spread out from the medulla oblongata to the telencephalic structures. Some of these elements (reticular formation and diffuse thalamic nuclei) contribute to the arousal and general activation of the brain, while others (aminergic and peptidergic neurones) contribute to the quality of wakefulness, as well as to general activation. Disorders of wakefulness may be due to dysfunction of one or several elements of the wake network or sleep disorders, as well as to sleep deprivation.

Effect of noradrenergic denervation of medial prefrontal cortex and dentate gyrus on recovery after sleep deprivation in the rat.

The noradrenergic-locus coeruleus (LC) system has a regulatory influence on forebrain neuronal networks. We have previously shown that the amygdala is strongly implicated in the mechanism of rebound seen after a 10 h sleep deprivation (SD). In the present study, our objective was to determine whether the medial prefrontal cortex and dentate gyrus (DG) which receive an important innervation from the LC, play a role in the rebound mechanisms. We found that microinjection of the specific noradrenergic neurotoxin, N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine, into these regions had no effect on the increase in paradoxical sleep duration seen after SD, suggesting that noradrenergic (NA) innervation of the prefrontal cortex and DG are not involved in sleep rebound regulation.

[Is a genetic approach to insomnia possible?]. / Une approche génétique de l'insomnie est-elle possible?

The genetic approach of the sleep-wake cycle allowed the identification of several genes involved in the paradoxical sleep regulation and in narcolepsy. Concerning insomnia, a genetic study is more complex. Insomnia is indeed a wakefulness disorder defined by non quantitative biological parameters. The genetic approach of insomnia needs a more precise definition.

Role of the lateral preoptic area in sleep-related erectile mechanisms and sleep generation in the rat.

Penile erections are a characteristic phenomenon of paradoxical sleep (PS), or rapid eye movement sleep. Although the neural mechanisms of PS-related erections are unknown, the forebrain likely plays a critical role (Schmidt et al., 1999). The preoptic area is implicated in both sleep generation and copulatory mechanisms, suggesting it may be a primary candidate in PS erectile control. Continuous recordings of penile erections, body temperature, and sleep-wake states were performed before and up to 3 weeks after ibotenic acid lesions of the preoptic forebrain in three groups of rats. Neurotoxic lesions involving the medial preoptic area (MPOA) and anterior hypothalamus (n = 5) had no significant effects on either erectile activity or sleep-wake architecture. In contrast, bilateral lesions of the lateral preoptic region, with (n = 4) or without (n = 5) MPOA involvement, resulted in a significant decrease in the number of erections per hour of PS, number of PS-related erections, and PS phases exhibiting an erection. Lesion analysis revealed that the candidate structures for PS erectile control include both the lateral preoptic area (LPOA) and ventral division of the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis; however, lesions of the LPOA were the most effective in disrupting PS erectile activity. LPOA lesioning also resulted in a long-lasting insomnia, characterized by the significant increase in wakefulness and decrease in slow wave sleep (SWS). PS architecture and waking-state erections remained unchanged after lesion in all groups. These data identify an essential role of the LPOA in both PS-related erectile mechanisms and SWS generation. Moreover, higher erectile mechanisms appear to be context-specific because LPOA lesioning selectively disrupted PS-related erections while leaving waking-state erections intact.

Effect of noradrenergic denervation of the amygdala upon recovery after sleep deprivation in the rat.

We previously showed that the noradrenergic locus coeruleus (NA-LC) was involved in the regulatory mechanisms of the paradoxical sleep rebound following a 10 h sleep deprivation by using a systemic injection of a specific neurotoxin, N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP-4). Given that rebound mechanisms are mainly located in the forebrain, we planned to study the role of the forebrain structures receiving LC afferences. In this study we evaluated the involvement of noradrenergic afferences to the central nucleus of the amygdala in the sleep rebound by DSP-4 microinjections into the central nucleus of the rat amygdala. The results showed that during the first recovery day, the paradoxical sleep rebound is lower in DSP-4 treated rats (-67.28%). These findings indicate that the amygdala, through its NA afferents, contributes to the sleep rebound mechanisms.

Hypoprolactinemic rats under conditions of constant darkness or constant light. Effects on the sleep-wake cycle, cerebral temperature and sulfatoxymelatonin levels.

In genetic hypoprolactinemic rats under light-dark (LD) conditions, the circadian rhythms of slow-wave (SWS) and paradoxical (PS) sleep display an alteration of their phase relationship. The aim of our study was to investigate the effects of constant darkness (DD) or constant light (LL) on the daily distribution and amounts of sleep-wake stages, cerebral temperature and concentrations of the urinary melatonin metabolite, 6-sulfatoxymelatonin, in prolactin-deficient rats. After 3 weeks of DD, the SWS period was 24 h 8+/-6 min and the acrophase occurred at 15:44+/-1:35, while for PS, the period was more stable than during LD (24 h 10+/-8 min vs. 24 h 55+/-43 min) and the acrophase occurred at 16:44+/-1:54. Under LL conditions, circadian sleep rhythms persisted during the first 3 days, then completely disappeared during the third week, to be replaced by ultradian rhythms (period of 4-6 h). Time-series analysis showed that the two sleep states became synchronous as early as the second day under constant conditions. The total amount of PS was increased under both conditions (LL and DD) at the expense of duration of waking. Under LD and constant conditions, the pattern of changes in cerebral temperature was similar to that for wakefulness (W). Sulfatoxymelatonin was rhythmically secreted under both LD and DD conditions, whereas, under LL conditions, its rhythm was abolished. The results show that, in IPL rats in the absence of a zeitgeber, the PS and SWS rhythms recover a synchronous phase relationship and PS amounts are increased.

Quantitative trait loci approach to the genetics of sleep in recombinant inbred mice.

Sleep is a complex trait controlled by many genes, the environment, and probably by gene-environment interactions. Among different approaches to the genetics of sleep, analysis of quantitative traits (QTL) has the advantage of being able to detect, along with major genes, minor and/or modifier genes influencing different quantitative aspects of sleep. We have used QTL analysis in two different sets of recombinant inbred (RI) strains and sought for confirmation of several localizations in eight histocompatibility congenic strains. Several QTLs were identified which influenced the amount of vigilance states. In a first RI series (seven strains) the only QTLs identified were those affecting paradoxical sleep (PS), whereas analysis in a second RI series (25 strains) revealed QTLs influencing PS, slow-wave sleep, and total sleep. Among these, a single QTL on chromosome 5 was associated with all vigilance states, suggesting the presence of a major gene influencing a basic aspect of sleep amount. Search for candidate genes around the identified QTLs indicated several immune related genes that have been implicated in sleep regulation. Transgenic animals carrying loss-of-function and/or gain-of-function mutations affecting these candidate genes should confirm these findings.

Human insulin gene insertion in mice. Effects on the sleep-wake cycle?

Recently, insulin synthesis and the presence of an insulin receptor have been demonstrated in the brain. Intracerebroventricular infusion of insulin causes a selective increase in the amount of slow-wave sleep. In the present study, the sleep-wake cycle of transgenic mice, with or without habenular neuronal expression of the human insulin gene, was studied to investigate the possible role of brain insulin as a sleep modulator. Slow-wave sleep duration was increased in those mice expressing human insulin in the habenula. However, it is possible that this effect was not due to expression of the insulin transgene, but to the genetic background of one of the parental strains (CBA) used for insertion of the transgene. Users of transgenic mice should be aware of this possibility and be cautious in interpreting results when hybrid embryos are used as transgene recipients.

The effects of spinal or mesencephalic transections on sleep-related erections and ex-copula penile reflexes in the rat.

The neural mechanisms of penile erections during paradoxical sleep (PS) remain unknown since it has yet to be the subject of neurophysiological investigation. Using a new experimental model for sleep-related erection research in freely behaving rats, neural transections were undertaken to definitively elucidate the effects of paraplegia on PS-related erections and to determine at which brain level the mechanisms underlying PS erectile activity are generated. Continuous polygraphic recordings, as well as ex-copula penile reflexes, were performed in male Sprague Dawley rats before and after spinal (n = 4) or mesencephalic (n = 6) transections. Spinal transections virtually eliminated PS-related erections. Following mesencephalic transections, PS remained qualitatively intact in all rats. PS erectile activity, however, was severely disrupted, as shown by a significant decrease in the total number of erections, the number of erections per hour, and the percentage of PS phases exhibiting an erectile event. Finally, spinal and mesencephalic transections had contrasting effects on ex-copula penile reflexes. Spinal transections significantly shortened the latency to reflex induction and increased the percentage of tests eliciting an erectile event, whereas mesencephalic transections significantly increased the latency to reflex induction without affecting the percentage of tests eliciting an erectile event. These data suggest that the brainstem is not sufficient for the generation of PS erectile activity even though it is sufficient for the generation of other classic PS phenomena. We conclude that neural structures rostral to the mesencephalopn (i.e., the forebrain) are essential for the maintenance and integrity of PS related-erections. The reflex erection data suggest that spinal transection removes a tonic descending inhibition of erections, whereas such an inhibition not only remains intact, but appears enhanced following mesencephalic transection. We hypothesize that the forebrain plays a facilitatory role in erectile control, at least in part, through disinhibition of brainstem tonic anti-erectile mechanisms.

Noradrenaline neurotoxin DSP-4 effects on sleep and brain temperature in the rat.

N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP-4) has a selective degenerative effect on noradrenergic fibers originating from locus coeruleus (LC) neurons. In the present study, we studied its effect on vigilance states and brain temperature by continuous recordings for periods of 1-5 days and 2-4 weeks following DSP-4 treatment. On the first day, paradoxical sleep duration was significantly decreased (-67%, P < 0.05), slow-wave sleep (SWS) duration increased (+16%, P < 0.05) up to 48 h after DSP-4 treatment (+8%, P < 0.05) and the wake period decreased (-8%, P < 0.05). The vigilance states returned to control values 4-5 days later. The brain temperature was decreased during the first night (-2 degrees C) and then recovered the control values. Two and 4 weeks after DSP-4 treatment, paradoxical sleep was still decreased (-18% and -23%, respectively, P < 0.05), while SWS was significantly increased only at night during the fourth week (+23%, P < 0.05). These results therefore provide evidence for a differential involvement of the noradrenergic LC system in sleep mechanisms depending on the light-dark cycle. Different hypotheses are proposed.

Involvement of stress in the sleep rebound mechanism induced by sleep deprivation in the rat: use of alpha-helical CRH (9-41).

A previous study demonstrated the efficacy of the corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) receptor antagonist, alpha-helical CRH (9-41), in blocking the paradoxical sleep increase induced by stress. In the present study, this peptide was used to evaluate the involvement of the stress component of the sleep deprivation, in the paradoxical sleep rebound. Rats were subjected for 10 h to the classical water-tank sleep-deprivation technique and were given, every 2 h throughout the sleep deprivation period, intracerebroventricular injections of either 100 microg/5 microl of alpha-helical CRH (9-41) or vehicle alone. Continuous recordings showed that antagonist treatment decreased the PS rebound, but not the SWS rebound, following sleep deprivation. These findings suggest that, in the water-tank sleep deprivation method, stress, acting via CRH activation, is the main factor inducing the paradoxical sleep rebound.

Effect of intracerebroventricular administration of alpha-helical CRH (9-41) on the sleep/waking cycle in rats under normal conditions or after subjection to an acute stressful stimulus.

It has been shown in a previous study that specific lesioning of the noradrenergic system of the locus coeruleus abolished the sleep increase induced by immobilization stress. Given the fact that brain corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) acts as a neurotransmitter in the locus coeruleus under stress conditions, the present study was designed to investigate the involvement of CRH in the sleep increase seen after immobilization stress and on the spontaneous wake/sleep cycle. One hundred micrograms of the specific CRH receptor antagonist alpha-helical CRH (9-41), or vehicle alone was injected into the right lateral ventricle 30 min either before subjecting the animals to immobilization stress or before the spontaneous sleep-waking recordings onset. A single intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of alpha-helical CRH (9-41) had no effect on spontaneous paradoxical sleep but abolished the stress-induced increase, while wakefulness and slow-wave sleep were unchanged under both normal and stressful conditions. We therefore report that the involvement of endogenous CRH in the paradoxical sleep mechanism is dependent on the environmental conditions and suggest that, while the paradoxical sleep increase induced by immobilization stress may be mediated by endogenous corticotropin-releasing hormone, other mechanisms, either CRH-independent or situated at a distance from antagonist activity, may be involved in spontaneous paradoxical sleep. These results show, for the first time, that endogenous CRH may be involved in sleep-waking mechanisms only under stressful conditions and, in particular, as a fundamental component of the paradoxical sleep increase.

Monoamine oxidase B (MAOB)-containing structures in MAOA-deficient transgenic mice.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO)-containing structures were studied for the first time in type A MAO (MAOA)-deficient transgenic mice (Tg8) derived from C3H strain, using MAO enzyme histochemistry. In this mutant line, MAOA activity was not detected in neurons of the locus coeruleus. In contrast, in their dorsal raphe neurons, we noted an intense activity of type B MAO (MAOB). Based on pharmacological MAOA suppression experiments employing a specific inhibitor (clorgyline), we confirmed that the localization of MAOB-positive structures are not different between Tg8 mutant and normal C3H line. Many of MAOB-positive structures which have not been described previously in the rat, cat and primates were described in this study. In the forebrain, MAOB-containing neurons were discriminated in the striatum, septal nuclei, major island of Calleja, diagonal band, medial forebrain bundle, ventral pallidum and amygdaloid nucleus. Stained neurons in the thalamus and hypothalamus were much more extensively distributed in the mouse than the rat. Pontine laterodorsal tegmental neurons showed MAOB activity. The present data suggest that serotonin, a preferential substrate for MAOA, can be oxidized by MAOB in MAOA-deficient Tg8 mice.

Electron-microscopic study of MAOB-containing structures in the nucleus accumbens shell: using MAOA-deficient transgenic mice.

MAOB-containing structures in the nucleus accumbens were ultrastructurally studied for the first time, using MAOA-deficient transgenic mice and MAO enzyme histochemistry. Among the striatal structures, the nucleus accumbens, and in particular its dorsal shell, showed the strongest MAOB activity. MAOB-active cell bodies were embedded in a dense MAOB-active fiber plexus. MAOB-positive terminals formed axo-dendritic synapses which were exclusively of the asymmetric type. It is suggested that dopamine in the nucleus accumbens shell is transported into MAOB-positive fibers where it is degraded by MAOB.

Localization of candidate genomic regions influencing paradoxical sleep in mice.

Quantitative trait loci (QTL) approach was used in CXB recombinant inbred mice for preliminary identification of candidate regions on the mouse genome that influence sleep. The only provisional QTLs identified were associated with paradoxical sleep (PS). PS during the light period was associated with markers on chromosome 7 between 7 and 20 centimorgan from the centromere. For PS during the dark period, a single QTL was identified on chromosome 5, near the Clock gene. The 24 h amount of PS was influenced by markers on chromosomes 2, 17, and 19. This first QTL mapping study strongly suggests that a complex behaviour like PS can be controlled by only a few genes.

[Mechanisms of dream-sleep-wakefulness cycle]. / Mécanismes du cycle veille-sommeil-rêve.

For the occurrence of each state of sleep (slow wave sleep, paradoxical sleep) there are two neuronal networks. The first one called executive is responsible for the sleep phenomenology; the second called permissive is for the triggering of sleep. Wakefulness depends on a very complex system (10 structures) including the permissive networks which inhibit sleep. Sleep onset is thought as a blockade of the waking state by an antiwake network synthesizing hypnogenic factors. Such a regulation allows to suggest that insomnia is a wake trouble depending on a revisited therapy.

Role of the locus coeruleus in the sleep rebound following two different sleep deprivation methods in the rat.

The aim of the present study was to assess the involvement of the locus coeruleus in the paradoxical sleep rebound following sleep deprivation in the rat. Animals were sleep-deprived for 10 h before, and after, specific N-(2-chloroethyl)-N-ethyl-2-bromobenzylamine (DSP-4) lesioning of the noradrenergic-locus coeruleus system. Sleep deprivation was produced using either an instrumental (water tank) or pharmacological (methylamphetamine) method. After lesioning, the rats submitted to the instrumental method showed a significant decrease in the paradoxical and slow-wave sleep rebounds (-54% and -78%, respectively), while animals receiving metamphetamine did not. Our results suggest that the noradrenergic system of the locus coeruleus is a relevant component of the sleep rebound mechanisms. However, the extent of involvement is dependent on the sleep deprivation method used.

Distribution of prolactin receptors in the rat forebrain. Immunohistochemical study.

The distribution of prolactin receptors (PRL-R) in the rat brain was investigated for the first time with the immunohistochemical technique using monoclonal antibodies raised against PRL-R purified from rat liver. Granular immunostaining was observed in neurons and along their dendritic processes and fibers. PRL-R like immunoreactive neurons were found in a number of brain areas. There was a very dense labelling in the cerebral cortex (pyramidal cell layer), septal nuclei, amygdaloid complex as well as in the hypothalamus (suprachiasmatic, supraoptic, paraventricular and dorsomedial nuclei). A dense staining was seen in the substantia nigra, habenula and in the paraventricular thalamic nucleus. Immunostaining was also found in the choroid plexus and in the subcommissural organ. Comparison between the present distribution and that of PRL-like immunoreactivity indicates that the density of PRL-R generally corresponds to that of the fibers. However, in some regions densely stained by PRL-R antibody, there are very few PRL-immunoreactive fibers. These results are suggestive of different modes of action of PRL in the brain.