Gene expression in the rat cerebral cortex: comparison of recovery sleep and hypnotic-induced sleep.

PubMed

Wisor, J P; Morairty, S R; Huynh, N T; Steininger, T L; Kilduff, T S

2006-08-11

Most hypnotic medications currently on the market target some aspect of GABAergic neurotransmission. Although all such compounds increase sleep, these drugs differentially affect the activity of the cerebral cortex as measured by the electroencephalogram. Whereas benzodiazepine medications such as triazolam tend to suppress slow wave activity in the cortex, the GABA(B) ligand gamma-hydroxybutyrate greatly enhances slow wave activity and the non-benzodiazepine, zolpidem, which binds to the omega1 site on the GABA(A) receptor/Cl(-) ionophore complex, is intermediate in this regard. Our previous studies have demonstrated that a small number of genes exhibit increased expression in the cerebral cortex of the mouse and rat during recovery sleep after sleep deprivation: egr-3, fra-2, grp78, grp94, ngfi-b, and nr4a3. Using these genes as a panel of biomarkers associated with sleep, we asked whether hypnotic medications induce similar molecular changes in the rat cerebral cortex to those observed when both sleep continuity and slow wave activity are enhanced during recovery sleep. We find that, although each drug increases the expression of a subset of genes in the panel of biomarkers, no drug fully replicates the molecular changes in the cortex associated with recovery sleep. Furthermore, high levels of slow wave activity in the cortex are correlated with increased expression of fra-2 whereas the expression of grp94 is correlated with body temperature. These results demonstrate that sleep-related changes in gene expression may be affected by physiological covariates of sleep and wakefulness rather than by vigilance state per se.

Oscillatory brain activity in spontaneous and induced sleep stages in flies.

PubMed

Yap, Melvyn H W; Grabowska, Martyna J; Rohrscheib, Chelsie; Jeans, Rhiannon; Troup, Michael; Paulk, Angelique C; van Alphen, Bart; Shaw, Paul J; van Swinderen, Bruno

2017-11-28

Sleep is a dynamic process comprising multiple stages, each associated with distinct electrophysiological properties and potentially serving different functions. While these phenomena are well described in vertebrates, it is unclear if invertebrates have distinct sleep stages. We perform local field potential (LFP) recordings on flies spontaneously sleeping, and compare their brain activity to flies induced to sleep using either genetic activation of sleep-promoting circuitry or the GABA A agonist Gaboxadol. We find a transitional sleep stage associated with a 7-10 Hz oscillation in the central brain during spontaneous sleep. Oscillatory activity is also evident when we acutely activate sleep-promoting neurons in the dorsal fan-shaped body (dFB) of Drosophila. In contrast, sleep following Gaboxadol exposure is characterized by low-amplitude LFPs, during which dFB-induced effects are suppressed. Sleep in flies thus appears to involve at least two distinct stages: increased oscillatory activity, particularly during sleep induction, followed by desynchronized or decreased brain activity.

Diurnal Emotional States Impact the Sleep Course

PubMed Central

Delannoy, Julien; Mandai, Osamu; Honoré, Jacques; Kobayashi, Toshinori; Sequeira, Henrique

2015-01-01

Background Diurnal emotional experiences seem to affect several characteristics of sleep architecture. However, this influence remains unclear, especially for positive emotions. In addition, electrodermal activity (EDA), a sympathetic robust indicator of emotional arousal, differs depending on the sleep stage. The present research has a double aim: to identify the specific effects of pre-sleep emotional states on the architecture of the subsequent sleep period; to relate such states to the sympathetic activation during the same sleep period. Methods Twelve healthy volunteers (20.1 ± 1.0 yo.) participated in the experiment and each one slept 9 nights at the laboratory, divided into 3 sessions, one per week. Each session was organized over three nights. A reference night, allowing baseline pre-sleep and sleep recordings, preceded an experimental night before which participants watched a negative, neutral, or positive movie. The third and last night was devoted to analyzing the potential recovery or persistence of emotional effects induced before the experimental night. Standard polysomnography and EDA were recorded during all the nights. Results Firstly, we found that experimental pre-sleep emotional induction increased the Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep rate following both negative and positive movies. While this increase was spread over the whole night for positive induction, it was limited to the second half of the sleep period for negative induction. Secondly, the valence of the pre-sleep movie also impacted the sympathetic activation during Non-REM stage 3 sleep, which increased after negative induction and decreased after positive induction. Conclusion Pre-sleep controlled emotional states impacted the subsequent REM sleep rate and modulated the sympathetic activity during the sleep period. The outcomes of this study offer interesting perspectives related to the effect of diurnal emotional influences on sleep regulation and open new avenues for potential practices designed to alleviate sleep disturbances. PMID:26606526

Neuronal machinery of sleep homeostasis in Drosophila.

PubMed

Donlea, Jeffrey M; Pimentel, Diogo; Miesenböck, Gero

2014-02-19

Sleep is under homeostatic control, but the mechanisms that sense sleep need and correct sleep deficits remain unknown. Here, we report that sleep-promoting neurons with projections to the dorsal fan-shaped body (FB) form the output arm of Drosophila's sleep homeostat. Homeostatic sleep control requires the Rho-GTPase-activating protein encoded by the crossveinless-c (cv-c) gene in order to transduce sleep pressure into increased electrical excitability of dorsal FB neurons. cv-c mutants exhibit decreased sleep time, diminished sleep rebound, and memory deficits comparable to those after sleep loss. Targeted ablation and rescue of Cv-c in sleep-control neurons of the dorsal FB impair and restore, respectively, normal sleep patterns. Sleep deprivation increases the excitability of dorsal FB neurons, but this homeostatic adjustment is disrupted in short-sleeping cv-c mutants. Sleep pressure thus shifts the input-output function of sleep-promoting neurons toward heightened activity by modulating ion channel function in a mechanism dependent on Cv-c. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fatigue, depression, sleep, and activity during chemotherapy: daily and intraday variation and relationships among symptom changes.

PubMed

Jim, Heather S L; Small, Brent; Faul, Leigh Anne; Franzen, Jamie; Apte, Sachin; Jacobsen, Paul B

2011-12-01

Previous research suggests that cancer patients frequently experience multiple symptoms during chemotherapy; however, relationships among symptom changes are largely unknown. The aim of the current study was to examine daily and intraday changes and interrelationships among fatigue, depression, and objectively measured disruptions in sleep and activity during chemotherapy. Participants were 78 women with gynecologic cancer. Fatigue, depression, sleep, and activity were assessed the week before and the week after the participants' first three infusions. Significant changes in fatigue, depression, sleep, and activity were observed over time. Before infusions, increases in fatigue were associated with increases in depression. After infusions, increases in fatigue were associated with increases in depression and minutes awake at night, as well as decreases in daytime activity and regularity of sleep/activity patterns (ps < .05). This study is among the first to track daily and intraday changes in symptoms and interrelationships during chemotherapy. Results indicate that symptoms are interrelated and return to baseline levels after infusions.

Insomnia, metabolic rate and sleep restoration.

PubMed

Bonnet, M H; Arand, D L

2003-07-01

Studies have shown occasional evidence of increased physiological activity in patients with primary insomnia. We hypothesized that metabolic rate, as measured by overall oxygen use (VO2), might be a more general index of increased physiological activity. An initial experiment found elevated VO2 both at night and during the day in patients with primary insomnia as compared with matched normal sleepers. A second experiment found significant but more modest increases in VO2 in patients with Sleep State Misperception Insomnia [who complain of poor sleep but who had normal sleep by electroencephalographic (EEG) criteria]. In a third experiment, normal young adults were given caffeine 400 mg three times per day (TID) for 1 week as a means of increasing VO2 and possibly producing other symptoms of insomnia. Participants developed many symptoms consistent with those seen in patients with primary insomnia (poor sleep, increased latency on the Multiple Sleep Latency Test, increasing fatigue despite physiological activation, and increased anxiety on the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)). In a final experiment, physiological arousal was again produced by caffeine to determine if sleep with elevated arousal would be less restorative. All subjects (Ss) slept for 3.5 h after being given 400 mg of caffeine. During 41 h of sleep deprivation that followed, there was no significant condition difference for the Multiple Sleep Latency Test or mood measures. The results provided only weak support for the idea that sleep is less restorative after physiological arousal.

During early and mid-adolescence, greater mental toughness is related to increased sleep quality and quality of life.

PubMed

Brand, Serge; Kalak, Nadeem; Gerber, Markus; Clough, Peter J; Lemola, Sakari; Pühse, Uwe; Holsboer-Trachsler, Edith

2016-06-01

The aim of this study was to explore the association between mental toughness, subjective sleep, physical activity, and quality of life during early and mid-adolescence. A total of 1475 participants (mean age = 13.4 years; range: 11-16 years) took part in the study. They completed questionnaires related to mental toughness, physical activity, subjective sleep, and quality of life. Greater mental toughness was related to more favorable quality of life and increased subjective sleep. Mental toughness was not related to physical activity. Increased mental toughness, favorable quality of life, and sleep are related during early and mid-adolescence. Against our expectations, mental toughness was not related to physical activity. © The Author(s) 2014.

Human amygdala activation during rapid eye movements of rapid eye movement sleep: an intracranial study.

PubMed

Corsi-Cabrera, María; Velasco, Francisco; Del Río-Portilla, Yolanda; Armony, Jorge L; Trejo-Martínez, David; Guevara, Miguel A; Velasco, Ana L

2016-10-01

The amygdaloid complex plays a crucial role in processing emotional signals and in the formation of emotional memories. Neuroimaging studies have shown human amygdala activation during rapid eye movement sleep (REM). Stereotactically implanted electrodes for presurgical evaluation in epileptic patients provide a unique opportunity to directly record amygdala activity. The present study analysed amygdala activity associated with REM sleep eye movements on the millisecond scale. We propose that phasic activation associated with rapid eye movements may provide the amygdala with endogenous excitation during REM sleep. Standard polysomnography and stereo-electroencephalograph (SEEG) were recorded simultaneously during spontaneous sleep in the left amygdala of four patients. Time-frequency analysis and absolute power of gamma activity were obtained for 250 ms time windows preceding and following eye movement onset in REM sleep, and in spontaneous waking eye movements in the dark. Absolute power of the 44-48 Hz band increased significantly during the 250 ms time window after REM sleep rapid eye movements onset, but not during waking eye movements. Transient activation of the amygdala provides physiological support for the proposed participation of the amygdala in emotional expression, in the emotional content of dreams and for the reactivation and consolidation of emotional memories during REM sleep, as well as for next-day emotional regulation, and its possible role in the bidirectional interaction between REM sleep and such sleep disorders as nightmares, anxiety and post-traumatic sleep disorder. These results provide unique, direct evidence of increased activation of the human amygdala time-locked to REM sleep rapid eye movements. © 2016 European Sleep Research Society.

Intermittent Short Sleep Results in Lasting Sleep Wake Disturbances and Degeneration of Locus Coeruleus and Orexinergic Neurons

PubMed Central

Zhu, Yan; Fenik, Polina; Zhan, Guanxia; Somach, Rebecca; Xin, Ryan; Veasey, Sigrid

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: Intermittent short sleep (ISS) is pervasive among students and workers in modern societies, yet the lasting consequences of repeated short sleep on behavior and brain health are largely unexplored. Wake-activated neurons may be at increased risk of metabolic injury across sustained wakefulness. Methods: To examine the effects of ISS on wake-activated neurons and wake behavior, wild-type mice were randomized to ISS (a repeated pattern of short sleep on 3 consecutive days followed by 4 days of recovery sleep for 4 weeks) or rested control conditions. Subsets of both groups were allowed a recovery period consisting of 4-week unperturbed activity in home cages with littermates. Mice were examined for immediate and delayed (following recovery) effects of ISS on wake neuron cell metabolics, cell counts, and sleep/wake patterns. Results: ISS resulted in sustained disruption of sleep/wake activity, with increased wakefulness during the lights-on period and reduced wake bout duration and wake time during the lights-off period. Noradrenergic locus coeruleus (LC) and orexinergic neurons showed persistent alterations in morphology, and reductions in both neuronal stereological cell counts and fronto-cortical projections. Surviving wake-activated neurons evidenced persistent reductions in sirtuins 1 and 3 and increased lipofuscin. In contrast, ISS resulted in no lasting injury to the sleep-activated melanin concentrating hormone neurons. Conclusions: Collectively these findings demonstrate for the first time that ISS imparts significant lasting disturbances in sleep/wake activity, degeneration of wake-activated LC and orexinergic neurons, and lasting metabolic changes in remaining neurons most consistent with premature senescence. Citation: Zhu Y, Fenik P, Zhan G, Somach R, Xin R, Veasey S. Intermittent short sleep results in lasting sleep wake disturbances and degeneration of locus coeruleus and orexinergic neurons. SLEEP 2016;39(8):1601–1611. PMID:27306266

Creatine supplementation reduces sleep need and homeostatic sleep pressure in rats.

PubMed

Dworak, Markus; Kim, Tae; Mccarley, Robert W; Basheer, Radhika

2017-06-01

Sleep has been postulated to promote brain energy restoration. It is as yet unknown if increasing the energy availability within the brain reduces sleep need. The guanidine amino acid creatine (Cr) is a well-known energy booster in cellular energy homeostasis. Oral Cr-monohydrate supplementation (CS) increases exercise performance and has been shown to have substantial effects on cognitive performance, neuroprotection and circadian rhythms. The effect of CS on cellular high-energy molecules and sleep-wake behaviour is unclear. Here, we examined the sleep-wake behaviour and brain energy metabolism before and after 4-week-long oral administration of CS in the rat. CS decreased total sleep time and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep significantly during the light (inactive) but not during the dark (active) period. NREM sleep and NREM delta activity were decreased significantly in CS rats after 6 h of sleep deprivation. Biochemical analysis of brain energy metabolites showed a tendency to increase in phosphocreatine after CS, while cellular adenosine triphosphate (ATP) level decreased. Microdialysis analysis showed that the sleep deprivation-induced increase in extracellular adenosine was attenuated after CS. These results suggest that CS reduces sleep need and homeostatic sleep pressure in rats, thereby indicating its potential in the treatment of sleep-related disorders. © 2017 European Sleep Research Society.

Differences in activity of cytochrome C oxidase in brain between sleep and wakefulness.

PubMed

Nikonova, Elena V; Vijayasarathy, Camasamudram; Zhang, Lin; Cater, Jacqueline R; Galante, Raymond J; Ward, Stephen E; Avadhani, Narayan G; Pack, Allan I

2005-01-01

Increased mRNA level of subunit 1 cytochrome c oxidase (COXI) during wakefulness and after short-term sleep deprivation has been described in brain. We hypothesized that this might contribute to increased activity of cytochrome oxidase (COX) enzyme during wakefulness, as part of the mechanisms to provide sufficient amounts of adenosine triphosphate to meet increased neuronal energy demands. COX activity was measured in isolated mitochondria from different brain regions in groups of rats with 3 hours of spontaneous sleep, 3 hours of spontaneous wake, and 3 hours of sleep deprivation. The group with 3 hours of spontaneous wake was added to delineate the circadian component of changes in the enzyme activity. Northern blot analysis was performed to examine the mRNA levels of 2 subunits of the enzyme COXI and COXIV, encoded by mitochondrial and nuclear DNA, respectively. Laboratory of Biochemistry, Department of Animal Biology, and Center for Sleep and Respiratory Neurobiology, University of Pennsylvania. 2-month-old male Fischer rats (N = 21) implanted for polygraphic recording. For COX activity, there was a main effect by analysis of variance of experimental group (P < .0001) with significant increases in COX activity in wake and sleep-deprived groups as compared to the sleep group. A main effect of brain region was also significant (P < .001). There was no difference between brain regions in the degree of increase in enzyme activity in wakefulness. Both COXI and COXIV mRNA were increased with wakefulness as compared to sleep. There is an increase in COX activity after both 3 hours of spontaneous wake and 3 hours of sleep deprivation as compared with 3 hours of spontaneous sleep in diverse brain regions, which could be, in part, explained by the increased levels of bigenomic transcripts of the enzyme. This likely contributes to increased adenosine triphosphate production during wakefulness. ADP, adenosine diphosphate; ATP, adenosine triphosphate; COXI, cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 mRNA; COX, cytochrome c oxidase (protein); CREB, cyclic AMP response element binding protein; DNA, deoxyribonucleic acid; EDTA, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid; EEG, electroencephalography; EMG, electromyography; GABP, GA binding protein; HEPES, 4-(2-hydroxyethyl)piperazine-1-ethanesulfonic acid; mRNA, messenger ribonucleic acid; NADH, nicotinamid adenine dinucleotide, reduced; NDII, NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 mRNA; NRF, nuclear respiratory factor.

The metabolic burden of sleep loss.

PubMed

Schmid, Sebastian M; Hallschmid, Manfred; Schultes, Bernd

2015-01-01

In parallel with the increasing prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes, sleep loss has become common in modern societies. An increasing number of epidemiological studies show an association between short sleep duration, sleep disturbances, and circadian desynchronisation of sleep with adverse metabolic traits, in particular obesity and type 2 diabetes. Furthermore, experimental studies point to distinct mechanisms by which insufficient sleep adversely affects metabolic health. Changes in the activity of neuroendocrine systems seem to be major mediators of the detrimental metabolic effects of insufficient sleep, through favouring neurobehavioural outcomes such as increased appetite, enhanced sensitivity to food stimuli, and, ultimately, a surplus in energy intake. The effect of curtailed sleep on physical activity and energy expenditure is less clear, but changes are unlikely to outweigh increases in food intake. Although long-term interventional studies proving a cause and effect association are still scarce, sleep loss seems to be an appealing target for the prevention, and probably treatment, of metabolic disease. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Why Does Sleep Slow-Wave Activity Increase After Extended Wake? Assessing the Effects of Increased Cortical Firing During Wake and Sleep

PubMed Central

Rodriguez, Alexander V.; Funk, Chadd M.; Vyazovskiy, Vladyslav V.; Nir, Yuval; Tononi, Giulio

2016-01-01

During non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, cortical neurons alternate between ON periods of firing and OFF periods of silence. This bi-stability, which is largely synchronous across neurons, is reflected in the EEG as slow waves. Slow-wave activity (SWA) increases with wake duration and declines homeostatically during sleep, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. One possibility is neuronal “fatigue”: high, sustained firing in wake would force neurons to recover with more frequent and longer OFF periods during sleep. Another possibility is net synaptic potentiation during wake: stronger coupling among neurons would lead to greater synchrony and therefore higher SWA. Here, we obtained a comparable increase in sustained firing (6 h) in cortex by: (1) keeping mice awake by exposure to novel objects to promote plasticity and (2) optogenetically activating a local population of cortical neurons at wake-like levels during sleep. Sleep after extended wake led to increased SWA, higher synchrony, and more time spent OFF, with a positive correlation between SWA, synchrony, and OFF periods. Moreover, time spent OFF was correlated with cortical firing during prior wake. After local optogenetic stimulation, SWA and cortical synchrony decreased locally, time spent OFF did not change, and local SWA was not correlated with either measure. Moreover, laser-induced cortical firing was not correlated with time spent OFF afterward. Overall, these results suggest that high sustained firing per se may not be the primary determinant of SWA increases observed after extended wake. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT A long-standing hypothesis is that neurons fire less during slow-wave sleep to recover from the “fatigue” accrued during wake, when overall synaptic activity is higher than in sleep. This idea, however, has rarely been tested and other factors, namely increased cortical synchrony, could explain why sleep slow-wave activity (SWA) is higher after extended wake. We forced neurons in the mouse cortex to fire at high levels for 6 h in 2 different conditions: during active wake with exploration and during sleep. We find that neurons need more time OFF only after sustained firing in wake, suggesting that fatigue due to sustained firing alone is unlikely to account for the increase in SWA that follows sleep deprivation. PMID:27927960

Why Does Sleep Slow-Wave Activity Increase After Extended Wake? Assessing the Effects of Increased Cortical Firing During Wake and Sleep.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Alexander V; Funk, Chadd M; Vyazovskiy, Vladyslav V; Nir, Yuval; Tononi, Giulio; Cirelli, Chiara

2016-12-07

During non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, cortical neurons alternate between ON periods of firing and OFF periods of silence. This bi-stability, which is largely synchronous across neurons, is reflected in the EEG as slow waves. Slow-wave activity (SWA) increases with wake duration and declines homeostatically during sleep, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. One possibility is neuronal "fatigue": high, sustained firing in wake would force neurons to recover with more frequent and longer OFF periods during sleep. Another possibility is net synaptic potentiation during wake: stronger coupling among neurons would lead to greater synchrony and therefore higher SWA. Here, we obtained a comparable increase in sustained firing (6 h) in cortex by: (1) keeping mice awake by exposure to novel objects to promote plasticity and (2) optogenetically activating a local population of cortical neurons at wake-like levels during sleep. Sleep after extended wake led to increased SWA, higher synchrony, and more time spent OFF, with a positive correlation between SWA, synchrony, and OFF periods. Moreover, time spent OFF was correlated with cortical firing during prior wake. After local optogenetic stimulation, SWA and cortical synchrony decreased locally, time spent OFF did not change, and local SWA was not correlated with either measure. Moreover, laser-induced cortical firing was not correlated with time spent OFF afterward. Overall, these results suggest that high sustained firing per se may not be the primary determinant of SWA increases observed after extended wake. A long-standing hypothesis is that neurons fire less during slow-wave sleep to recover from the "fatigue" accrued during wake, when overall synaptic activity is higher than in sleep. This idea, however, has rarely been tested and other factors, namely increased cortical synchrony, could explain why sleep slow-wave activity (SWA) is higher after extended wake. We forced neurons in the mouse cortex to fire at high levels for 6 h in 2 different conditions: during active wake with exploration and during sleep. We find that neurons need more time OFF only after sustained firing in wake, suggesting that fatigue due to sustained firing alone is unlikely to account for the increase in SWA that follows sleep deprivation. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/3612436-12$15.00/0.

Deep Sleep and Parietal Cortex Gene Expression Changes Are Related to Cognitive Deficits with Age

PubMed Central

Buechel, Heather M.; Popovic, Jelena; Searcy, James L.; Porter, Nada M.; Thibault, Olivier; Blalock, Eric M.

2011-01-01

Background Age-related cognitive deficits negatively affect quality of life and can presage serious neurodegenerative disorders. Despite sleep disruption's well-recognized negative influence on cognition, and its prevalence with age, surprisingly few studies have tested sleep's relationship to cognitive aging. Methodology We measured sleep stages in young adult and aged F344 rats during inactive (enhanced sleep) and active (enhanced wake) periods. Animals were behaviorally characterized on the Morris water maze and gene expression profiles of their parietal cortices were taken. Principal Findings Water maze performance was impaired, and inactive period deep sleep was decreased with age. However, increased deep sleep during the active period was most strongly correlated to maze performance. Transcriptional profiles were strongly associated with behavior and age, and were validated against prior studies. Bioinformatic analysis revealed increased translation and decreased myelin/neuronal pathways. Conclusions The F344 rat appears to serve as a reasonable model for some common sleep architecture and cognitive changes seen with age in humans, including the cognitively disrupting influence of active period deep sleep. Microarray analysis suggests that the processes engaged by this sleep are consistent with its function. Thus, active period deep sleep appears temporally misaligned but mechanistically intact, leading to the following: first, aged brain tissue appears capable of generating the slow waves necessary for deep sleep, albeit at a weaker intensity than in young. Second, this activity, presented during the active period, seems disruptive rather than beneficial to cognition. Third, this active period deep sleep may be a cognitively pathologic attempt to recover age-related loss of inactive period deep sleep. Finally, therapeutic strategies aimed at reducing active period deep sleep (e.g., by promoting active period wakefulness and/or inactive period deep sleep) may be highly relevant to cognitive function in the aging community. PMID:21483696

An Adenosine-Mediated Glial-Neuronal Circuit for Homeostatic Sleep.

PubMed

Bjorness, Theresa E; Dale, Nicholas; Mettlach, Gabriel; Sonneborn, Alex; Sahin, Bogachan; Fienberg, Allen A; Yanagisawa, Masashi; Bibb, James A; Greene, Robert W

2016-03-30

Sleep homeostasis reflects a centrally mediated drive for sleep, which increases during waking and resolves during subsequent sleep. Here we demonstrate that mice deficient for glial adenosine kinase (AdK), the primary metabolizing enzyme for adenosine (Ado), exhibit enhanced expression of this homeostatic drive by three independent measures: (1) increased rebound of slow-wave activity; (2) increased consolidation of slow-wave sleep; and (3) increased time constant of slow-wave activity decay during an average slow-wave sleep episode, proposed and validated here as a new index for homeostatic sleep drive. Conversely, mice deficient for the neuronal adenosine A1 receptor exhibit significantly decreased sleep drive as judged by these same indices. Neuronal knock-out of AdK did not influence homeostatic sleep need. Together, these findings implicate a glial-neuronal circuit mediated by intercellular Ado, controlling expression of homeostatic sleep drive. Because AdK is tightly regulated by glial metabolic state, our findings suggest a functional link between cellular metabolism and sleep homeostasis. The work presented here provides evidence for an adenosine-mediated regulation of sleep in response to waking (i.e., homeostatic sleep need), requiring activation of neuronal adenosine A1 receptors and controlled by glial adenosine kinase. Adenosine kinase acts as a highly sensitive and important metabolic sensor of the glial ATP/ADP and AMP ratio directly controlling intracellular adenosine concentration. Glial equilibrative adenosine transporters reflect the intracellular concentration to the extracellular milieu to activate neuronal adenosine receptors. Thus, adenosine mediates a glial-neuronal circuit linking glial metabolic state to neural-expressed sleep homeostasis. This indicates a metabolically related function(s) for this glial-neuronal circuit in the buildup and resolution of our need to sleep and suggests potential therapeutic targets more directly related to sleep function. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/363709-13$15.00/0.

Local sleep homeostasis in the avian brain: convergence of sleep function in mammals and birds?

PubMed

Lesku, John A; Vyssotski, Alexei L; Martinez-Gonzalez, Dolores; Wilzeck, Christiane; Rattenborg, Niels C

2011-08-22

The function of the brain activity that defines slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in mammals is unknown. During SWS, the level of electroencephalogram slow wave activity (SWA or 0.5-4.5 Hz power density) increases and decreases as a function of prior time spent awake and asleep, respectively. Such dynamics occur in response to waking brain use, as SWA increases locally in brain regions used more extensively during prior wakefulness. Thus, SWA is thought to reflect homeostatically regulated processes potentially tied to maintaining optimal brain functioning. Interestingly, birds also engage in SWS and REM sleep, a similarity that arose via convergent evolution, as sleeping reptiles and amphibians do not show similar brain activity. Although birds deprived of sleep show global increases in SWA during subsequent sleep, it is unclear whether avian sleep is likewise regulated locally. Here, we provide, to our knowledge, the first electrophysiological evidence for local sleep homeostasis in the avian brain. After staying awake watching David Attenborough's The Life of Birds with only one eye, SWA and the slope of slow waves (a purported marker of synaptic strength) increased only in the hyperpallium--a primary visual processing region--neurologically connected to the stimulated eye. Asymmetries were specific to the hyperpallium, as the non-visual mesopallium showed a symmetric increase in SWA and wave slope. Thus, hypotheses for the function of mammalian SWS that rely on local sleep homeostasis may apply also to birds.

The important role of sleep in metabolism.

PubMed

Copinschi, Georges; Leproult, Rachel; Spiegel, Karine

2014-01-01

Both reduction in total sleep duration with slow-wave sleep (SWS) largely preserved and alterations of sleep quality (especially marked reduction of SWS) with preservation of total sleep duration are associated with insulin resistance without compensatory increase in insulin secretion, resulting in impaired glucose tolerance and increased risk of type 2 diabetes. When performed under rigorously controlled conditions of energy intake and physical activity, sleep restriction is also associated with a decrease in circulating levels of leptin (an anorexigenic hormone) and an increase in circulating levels of ghrelin (an orexigenic hormone), hunger and appetite. Furthermore, sleep restriction is also associated with a stimulation of brain regions sensitive to food stimuli, indicating that sleep loss may lead to obesity through the selection of high-calorie food. There is also evidence that sleep restriction could provide a permissive environment for the activation of genes that promote obesity. Indeed, the heritability of body mass index is increased in short sleepers. Thus, chronic sleep curtailment, which is on the rise in modern society, including in children, is likely to contribute to the current epidemics of type 2 diabetes and obesity. © 2014 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Paradoxical (REM) sleep deprivation in mice using the small-platforms-over-water method: polysomnographic analyses and melanin-concentrating hormone and hypocretin/orexin neuronal activation before, during and after deprivation.

PubMed

Arthaud, Sebastien; Varin, Christophe; Gay, Nadine; Libourel, Paul-Antoine; Chauveau, Frederic; Fort, Patrice; Luppi, Pierre-Herve; Peyron, Christelle

2015-06-01

Studying paradoxical sleep homeostasis requires the specific and efficient deprivation of paradoxical sleep and the evaluation of the subsequent recovery period. With this aim, the small-platforms-over-water technique has been used extensively in rats, but only rare studies were conducted in mice, with no sleep data reported during deprivation. Mice are used increasingly with the emergence of transgenic mice and technologies such as optogenetics, raising the need for a reliable method to manipulate paradoxical sleep. To fulfil this need, we refined this deprivation method and analysed vigilance states thoroughly during the entire protocol. We also studied activation of hypocretin/orexin and melanin-concentrating hormone neurones using Fos immunohistochemistry to verify whether mechanisms regulating paradoxical sleep in mice are similar to those in rats. We showed that 48 h of deprivation was highly efficient, with a residual amount of paradoxical sleep of only 2.2%. Slow wave sleep and wake quantities were similar to baseline, except during the first 4 h of deprivation, where slow wave sleep was strongly reduced. After deprivation, we observed a 124% increase in paradoxical sleep quantities during the first hour of rebound. In addition, 34% of hypocretin/orexin neurones were activated during deprivation, whereas melanin-concentrated hormone neurones were activated only during paradoxical sleep rebound. Corticosterone level showed a twofold increase after deprivation and returned to baseline level after 4 h of recovery. In summary, a fairly selective deprivation and a significant rebound of paradoxical sleep can be obtained in mice using the small-platforms-over-water method. As in rats, rebound is accompanied by a selective activation of melanin-concentrating hormone neurones. © 2014 European Sleep Research Society.

Acute Sleep Deprivation Enhances Post-Infection Sleep and Promotes Survival during Bacterial Infection in Drosophila

PubMed Central

Kuo, Tzu-Hsing; Williams, Julie A.

2014-01-01

Study Objectives: Sleep is known to increase as an acute response to infection. However, the function of this behavioral response in host defense is not well understood. To address this problem, we evaluated the effect of acute sleep deprivation on post-infection sleep and immune function in Drosophila. Setting: Laboratory. Participants: Drosophila melanogaster. Methods and Results: Flies were subjected to sleep deprivation before (early DEP) or after (late DEP) bacterial infection. Relative to a non-deprived control, flies subjected to early DEP had enhanced sleep after infection as well as increased bacterial clearance and survival outcome. Flies subjected to late DEP experienced enhanced sleep following the deprivation period, and showed a modest improvement in survival outcome. Continuous DEP (early and late DEP) throughout infection also enhanced sleep later during infection and improved survival. However, improved survival in flies subjected to late or continuous DEP did not occur until after flies had experienced sleep. During infection, both early and late DEP enhanced NFκB transcriptional activity as measured by a luciferase reporter (κB-luc) in living flies. Early DEP also increased NFκB activity prior to infection. Flies that were deficient in expression of either the Relish or Dif NFκB transcription factors showed normal responses to early DEP. However, the effect of early DEP on post-infection sleep and survival was abolished in double mutants, which indicates that Relish and Dif have redundant roles in this process. Conclusions: Acute sleep deprivation elevated NFκB-dependent activity, increased post-infection sleep, and improved survival during bacterial infection. Citation: Kuo TH, Williams JA. Acute sleep deprivation enhances post-infection sleep and promotes survival during bacterial infection in Drosophila. SLEEP 2014;37(5):859-869. PMID:24790264

Homeostatic Changes in GABA and Acetylcholine Muscarinic Receptors on GABAergic Neurons in the Mesencephalic Reticular Formation following Sleep Deprivation

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Abstract We have examined whether GABAergic neurons in the mesencephalic reticular formation (RFMes), which are believed to inhibit the neurons in the pons that generate paradoxical sleep (PS or REMS), are submitted to homeostatic regulation under conditions of sleep deprivation (SD) by enforced waking during the day in mice. Using immunofluorescence, we investigated first, by staining for c-Fos, whether GABAergic RFMes neurons are active during SD and then, by staining for receptors, whether their activity is associated with homeostatic changes in GABAA or acetylcholine muscarinic type 2 (AChM2) receptors (Rs), which evoke inhibition. We found that a significantly greater proportion of the GABAergic neurons were positively stained for c-Fos after SD (∼27%) as compared to sleep control (SC; ∼1%) and sleep recovery (SR; ∼6%), suggesting that they were more active during waking with SD and less active or inactive during sleep with SC and SR. The density of GABAARs and AChM2Rs on the plasma membrane of the GABAergic neurons was significantly increased after SD and restored to control levels after SR. We conclude that the density of these receptors is increased on RFMes GABAergic neurons during presumed enhanced activity with SD and is restored to control levels during presumed lesser or inactivity with SR. Such increases in GABAAR and AChM2R with sleep deficits would be associated with increased susceptibility of the wake-active GABAergic neurons to inhibition from GABAergic and cholinergic sleep-active neurons and to thus permitting the onset of sleep and PS with muscle atonia. PMID:29302615

Homeostatic Changes in GABA and Acetylcholine Muscarinic Receptors on GABAergic Neurons in the Mesencephalic Reticular Formation following Sleep Deprivation.

PubMed

Toossi, Hanieh; Del Cid-Pellitero, Esther; Jones, Barbara E

2017-01-01

We have examined whether GABAergic neurons in the mesencephalic reticular formation (RFMes), which are believed to inhibit the neurons in the pons that generate paradoxical sleep (PS or REMS), are submitted to homeostatic regulation under conditions of sleep deprivation (SD) by enforced waking during the day in mice. Using immunofluorescence, we investigated first, by staining for c-Fos, whether GABAergic RFMes neurons are active during SD and then, by staining for receptors, whether their activity is associated with homeostatic changes in GABA A or acetylcholine muscarinic type 2 (AChM2) receptors (Rs), which evoke inhibition. We found that a significantly greater proportion of the GABAergic neurons were positively stained for c-Fos after SD (∼27%) as compared to sleep control (SC; ∼1%) and sleep recovery (SR; ∼6%), suggesting that they were more active during waking with SD and less active or inactive during sleep with SC and SR. The density of GABA A Rs and AChM2Rs on the plasma membrane of the GABAergic neurons was significantly increased after SD and restored to control levels after SR. We conclude that the density of these receptors is increased on RFMes GABAergic neurons during presumed enhanced activity with SD and is restored to control levels during presumed lesser or inactivity with SR. Such increases in GABA A R and AChM2R with sleep deficits would be associated with increased susceptibility of the wake-active GABAergic neurons to inhibition from GABAergic and cholinergic sleep-active neurons and to thus permitting the onset of sleep and PS with muscle atonia.

Increases in cAMP, MAPK Activity and CREB Phosphorylation during REM Sleep: Implications for REM Sleep and Memory Consolidation

PubMed Central

Luo, Jie; Phan, Trongha X.; Yang, Yimei; Garelick, Michael G.; Storm, Daniel R.

2013-01-01

The cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) transcriptional pathway is required for consolidation of hippocampus-dependent memory. In mice, this pathway undergoes a circadian oscillation required for memory persistence that reaches a peak during the daytime. Since mice exhibit polyphasic sleep patterns during the day, this suggested the interesting possibility that cAMP, MAPK activity and CREB phosphorylation may be elevated during sleep. Here, we report that cAMP, phospho-p44/42 MAPK and phospho-CREB are higher in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep compared to awake mice but are not elevated in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. This peak of activity during REM sleep does not occur in mice lacking calmodulin-stimulated adenylyl cyclases, a mouse strain that learns but cannot consolidate hippocampus-dependent memory. We conclude that a preferential increase in cAMP, MAPK activity and CREB phosphorylation during REM sleep may contribute to hippocampus-dependent memory consolidation. PMID:23575844

A longitudinal examination of sleep quality and physical activity in older adults.

PubMed

Holfeld, Brett; Ruthig, Joelle C

2014-10-01

The relationship between sleep quality and physical activity is bidirectional, yet prior research on older adults has mainly focused on investigating whether increasing levels of physical activity leads to improvements in sleep quality. The current longitudinal study examined both directional relationships by assessing sleep quality and physical activity twice over a two-year period among 426 community-dwelling older adults (ages 61-100). A cross-lagged panel analysis that included age, gender, perceived stress, functional ability, and severity of chronic health conditions as covariates, revealed that better initial sleep quality predicted higher levels of later physical activity beyond the effects of prior physical activity; whereas initial physical activity did not predict later sleep quality after accounting for prior sleep quality. These findings highlight sleep quality as an important contributor to a physically active lifestyle among older adults. © The Author(s) 2012.

Decreased alertness due to sleep loss increases pain sensitivity in mice

PubMed Central

Alexandre, Chloe; Latremoliere, Alban; Ferreira, Ashley; Miracca, Giulia; Yamamoto, Mihoko; Scammell, Thomas E; Woolf, Clifford J

2018-01-01

Extended daytime and nighttime activities are major contributors to the growing sleep deficiency epidemic1,2, as is the high prevalence of sleep disorders like insomnia. The consequences of chronic insufficient sleep for health remain uncertain3. Sleep quality and duration predict presence of pain the next day in healthy subjects4–7, suggesting that sleep disturbances alone may worsen pain, and experimental sleep deprivation in humans supports this claim8,9. We demonstrate that sleep loss, but not sleep fragmentation, in healthy mice increases sensitivity to noxious stimuli (referred to as ‘pain’) without general sensory hyper-responsiveness. Moderate daily repeated sleep loss leads to a progressive accumulation of sleep debt and also to exaggerated pain responses, both of which are rescued after restoration of normal sleep. Caffeine and modafinil, two wake-promoting agents that have no analgesic activity in rested mice, immediately normalize pain sensitivity in sleep-deprived animals, without affecting sleep debt. The reversibility of mild sleep-loss-induced pain by wake-promoting agents reveals an unsuspected role for alertness in setting pain sensitivity. Clinically, insufficient or poor-quality sleep may worsen pain and this enhanced pain may be reduced not by analgesics, whose effectiveness is reduced, but by increasing alertness or providing better sleep. PMID:28481358

Workplace bullying, sleep problems and leisure-time physical activity: a prospective cohort study.

PubMed

Hansen, Åse Marie; Gullander, Maria; Hogh, Annie; Persson, Roger; Kolstad, Henrik A; Willert, Morten Vejs; Bonde, Jens Peter; Kaerlev, Linda; Rugulies, Reiner; Grynderup, Matias Brødsgaard

2016-01-01

Workplace bullying is a potent stressor that may increase sleep problems. Since physical fitness improves resilience to stress, it seems plausible that recreational physical activities may moderate the association between bullying and sleep. The study aimed to examine prospectively whether (i) bullying increases the risk of sleep problems, and (ii) the association between bullying and sleep problems is moderated by leisure-time physical activity (LTPA). The study sample comprised a cohort of public and private sector employees, who were enrolled into the Work Bullying and Harassment (WBH) cohort (N=3278) or the Psychosocial Risk Factors for Stress and Mental Disease (PRISME) cohort (N=4455). We measured workplace bullying using one question that was preceded by a definition of bullying. We used the Karolinska sleep questionnaire to assess sleep problems. The number of hours per week spent on LTPA estimated the degree of physical activity. Workplace bullying at baseline (T1) was associated with awakening problems and lack of restful sleep at follow-up (T2) but not with overall sleep problems and disturbed sleep. T1-LTPA did not moderate the association between T1-workplace bullying and T2-sleep problems. We found support that workplace bullying is related to development of T2-sleep problems, but this association seems not to be modified by LTPA.

A new model to study sleep deprivation-induced seizure.

PubMed

Lucey, Brendan P; Leahy, Averi; Rosas, Regine; Shaw, Paul J

2015-05-01

A relationship between sleep and seizures is well-described in both humans and rodent animal models; however, the mechanism underlying this relationship is unknown. Using Drosophila melanogaster mutants with seizure phenotypes, we demonstrate that seizure activity can be modified by sleep deprivation. Seizure activity was evaluated in an adult bang-sensitive seizure mutant, stress sensitive B (sesB(9ed4)), and in an adult temperature sensitive seizure mutant seizure (sei(ts1)) under baseline and following 12 h of sleep deprivation. The long-term effect of sleep deprivation on young, immature sesB(9ed4) flies was also assessed. Laboratory. Drosophila melanogaster. Sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation increased seizure susceptibility in adult sesB(9ed4)/+ and sei(ts1) mutant flies. Sleep deprivation also increased seizure susceptibility when sesB was disrupted using RNAi. The effect of sleep deprivation on seizure activity was reduced when sesB(9ed4)/+ flies were given the anti-seizure drug, valproic acid. In contrast to adult flies, sleep deprivation during early fly development resulted in chronic seizure susceptibility when sesB(9ed4)/+ became adults. These findings show that Drosophila is a model organism for investigating the relationship between sleep and seizure activity. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Makino Preparation promotes sleep by increasing REM sleep.

PubMed

Lin, Sisi; Nie, Bo; Yao, Guihong; Yang, Hui; Ye, Ren; Yuan, Zhengzhong

2018-05-15

Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Makino Preparation (PTP) is widely used to treat insomnia in traditional Chinese medicine; however, its specific role is not clear. In this study, PTP was prepared at three concentrations. For locomotor activity tests, mice were treated with PTP and evaluated for 14 days. For polygraph recordings, mice were treated for 14 days and recorded after treatment. The main chemical constituents in PTP were identified by Ultra performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS). The results showed that 0.9 g/mL PTP significantly reduced locomotor activity. The effect was related to the time of treatment. PTP reduced wakefulness and increased sleep in mice. Furthermore, PTP promoted sleep by increasing the number of REM sleep episodes with a duration of 64-128s and increasing the number of transitions from NREM sleep to REM sleep and from REM sleep to wakefulness. A total of 17 compounds were identified.

Network-dependent modulation of brain activity during sleep.

PubMed

Watanabe, Takamitsu; Kan, Shigeyuki; Koike, Takahiko; Misaki, Masaya; Konishi, Seiki; Miyauchi, Satoru; Miyahsita, Yasushi; Masuda, Naoki

2014-09-01

Brain activity dynamically changes even during sleep. A line of neuroimaging studies has reported changes in functional connectivity and regional activity across different sleep stages such as slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. However, it remains unclear whether and how the large-scale network activity of human brains changes within a given sleep stage. Here, we investigated modulation of network activity within sleep stages by applying the pairwise maximum entropy model to brain activity obtained by functional magnetic resonance imaging from sleeping healthy subjects. We found that the brain activity of individual brain regions and functional interactions between pairs of regions significantly increased in the default-mode network during SWS and decreased during REM sleep. In contrast, the network activity of the fronto-parietal and sensory-motor networks showed the opposite pattern. Furthermore, in the three networks, the amount of the activity changes throughout REM sleep was negatively correlated with that throughout SWS. The present findings suggest that the brain activity is dynamically modulated even in a sleep stage and that the pattern of modulation depends on the type of the large-scale brain networks. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Protective Effect of Aerobic Physical Activity on Sleep Behavior in Breast Cancer Survivors.

PubMed

Roveda, Eliana; Vitale, Jacopo A; Bruno, Eleonora; Montaruli, Angela; Pasanisi, Patrizia; Villarini, Anna; Gargano, Giuliana; Galasso, Letizia; Berrino, Franco; Caumo, Andrea; Carandente, Franca

2017-03-01

Sleep disorders are associated with an increased risk of cancer, including breast cancer (BC). Physical activity (PA) can produce beneficial effects on sleep. We designed a randomized controlled trial to test the effect of 3 months of physical activity on sleep and circadian rhythm activity level evaluated by actigraphy. 40 BC women, aged 35-70 years, were randomized into an intervention (IG) and a control group (CG). IG performed a 3 month of aerobic exercise. At baseline and after 3 months, the following parameters were evaluated both for IG and CG: anthropometric and body composition measurements, energy expenditure and motion level; sleep parameters (Actual Sleep Time-AST, Actual Wake Time-AWT, Sleep Efficiency-SE, Sleep Latency-SL, Mean Activity Score-MAS, Movement and Fragmentation Index-MFI and Immobility Time-IT) and activity level circadian rhythm using the Actigraph Actiwatch. The CG showed a deterioration of sleep, whereas the IG showed a stable pattern. In the CG the SE, AST and IT decreased and the AWT, SL, MAS and MFI increased. In the IG, the SE, IT, AWT, SL, and MAS showed no changes and AST and MFI showed a less pronounced change in the IG than in the CG. The rhythmometric analysis revealed a significant circadian rhythm in two groups. After 3 months of PA, IG showed reduced fat mass %, while CG had improved weight and BMI. Physical activity may be beneficial against sleep disruption. Indeed, PA prevented sleep worsening in IG. PA can represent an integrative intervention therapy able to modify sleep behaviour.

Sleep less and bite more: sleep disorders associated with occlusal loads during sleep.

PubMed

Kato, Takafumi; Yamaguchi, Taihiko; Okura, Kazuo; Abe, Susumu; Lavigne, Gilles J

2013-04-01

Occlusal overload during sleep is a significant clinical issue that has negative impacts on the maintenance of teeth and the longevity of dental prostheses. Sleep is usually viewed as an 'out-of-functional' mode for masticatory muscles. However, orodental structures and prostheses are not free from occlusal loads during sleep since masticatory muscles can be activated at a low level within normal sleep continuity. Thus, an increase in masticatory muscle contractions, by whatever the cause, can be associated with a risk of increased occlusal loads during sleep. Among such conditions, sleep bruxism (SB) is a type of sleep-related movement disorders with potential load challenge to the tooth and orofacial structures. Patients with SB usually report frequent tooth grinding noises during sleep and there is a consecutive increase in number and strength of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity (RMMA). Other types of masticatory muscle contractions can be non-specifically activated during sleep, such as brief contractions with tooth tapping, sleep talking, non-rhythmic contractions related to non-specific body movements, etc.; these occur more frequently in sleep disorders. Studies have shown that clinical signs and symptoms of SB can be found in patients with sleep disorders. In addition, sleep becomes compromised with aging process, and a prevalence of most sleep disorders is high in the elderly populations, in which prosthodontic rehabilitations are more required. Therefore, the recognition and understanding of the role of sleep disorders can provide a comprehensive vision for prosthodontic rehabilitations when prosthodontists manage complex orodental cases needing interdisciplinary collaborations between dentistry and sleep medicine. Copyright © 2013 Japan Prosthodontic Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Acute sleep deprivation enhances post-infection sleep and promotes survival during bacterial infection in Drosophila.

PubMed

Kuo, Tzu-Hsing; Williams, Julie A

2014-05-01

Sleep is known to increase as an acute response to infection. However, the function of this behavioral response in host defense is not well understood. To address this problem, we evaluated the effect of acute sleep deprivation on post-infection sleep and immune function in Drosophila. Laboratory. Drosophila melanogaster. Flies were subjected to sleep deprivation before (early DEP) or after (late DEP) bacterial infection. Relative to a non-deprived control, flies subjected to early DEP had enhanced sleep after infection as well as increased bacterial clearance and survival outcome. Flies subjected to late DEP experienced enhanced sleep following the deprivation period, and showed a modest improvement in survival outcome. Continuous DEP (early and late DEP) throughout infection also enhanced sleep later during infection and improved survival. However, improved survival in flies subjected to late or continuous DEP did not occur until after flies had experienced sleep. During infection, both early and late DEP enhanced NFκB transcriptional activity as measured by a luciferase reporter (κB-luc) in living flies. Early DEP also increased NFκB activity prior to infection. Flies that were deficient in expression of either the Relish or Dif NFκB transcription factors showed normal responses to early DEP. However, the effect of early DEP on post-infection sleep and survival was abolished in double mutants, which indicates that Relish and Dif have redundant roles in this process. Acute sleep deprivation elevated NFκB-dependent activity, increased post-infection sleep, and improved survival during bacterial infection.

Sleep duration modifies effects of free ad libitum school meals on adiposity and blood pressure.

PubMed

Hjorth, Mads F; Sjödin, Anders; Dalskov, Stine-Mathilde; Damsgaard, Camilla Trab; Michaelsen, Kim F; Biltoft-Jensen, Anja; Andersen, Rikke; Ritz, Christian; Chaput, Jean-Philippe; Astrup, Arne

2016-01-01

Insufficient sleep can potentially affect both energy intake and energy expenditure, resulting in obesity and reduced cardiometabolic health. The objective of the study was to investigate if habitual sleep duration of 8- to 11-year-olds modifies the effect of free ad libitum school meals on cardiometabolic markers, body composition, dietary intake, and physical activity. For 2 consecutive 3-month periods, this cluster-randomized, controlled, cross-over trial provided 530 children with school meals or usual lunch brought from home. Dietary intake, activity, and sleep were measured simultaneously for 7 consecutive days using dietary records and accelerometers. Short- and long-sleeping children were defined as lower and upper tertile of sleep duration. Body composition, blood pressure, blood lipids, and homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMAIR) were measured/calculated. Overall, school meals compared with lunch from home had positive effects on physical activity and blood pressure in long-sleeping children and negative effects on body fat in short-sleeping children. Short-sleeping children increased fat mass compared with long-sleeping children by 0.21 (95% confidence interval 0.03-0.38) kg, android fat mass by 0.02 (0.001-0.04) kg, waist circumference by 0.73 (0.23-1.24) cm, blood pressure by 1.5 (0.4-2.6) mm Hg, fat intake by 1.1 (0.2-2.0) percentage of energy, and decreased total physical activity by 7.2 (1.6-12.7) % (all P ≤ 0.04), while HOMAIR and blood lipids were not modified by sleep duration (all P ≥ 0.32). In conclusion, the susceptibility to increase abdominal adiposity and blood pressure when exposed to dietary changes can potentially be explained by too little sleep, which results in increased caloric intake and reduced physical activity.

Functional role of diverse changes in sympathetic nerve activity in regulating arterial pressure during REM sleep.

PubMed

Yoshimoto, Misa; Yoshida, Ikue; Miki, Kenju

2011-08-01

This study aimed to investigate whether REM sleep evoked diverse changes in sympathetic outflows and, if so, to elucidate why REM sleep evokes diverse changes in sympathetic outflows. Male Wistar rats were chronically implanted with electrodes to measure renal (RSNA) and lumbar sympathetic nerve activity (LSNA), electroencephalogram, electromyogram, and electrocardiogram, and catheters to measure systemic arterial and central venous pressure; these parameters were measured simultaneously and continuously during the sleep-awake cycle in the same rat. REM sleep resulted in a step reduction in RNSA by 36.1% ± 2.7% (P < 0.05), while LSNA increased in a step manner by 15.3% ± 2% (P < 0.05) relative to the NREM level. Systemic arterial pressure increased gradually (P < 0.05), while heart rate decreased in a step manner (P < 0.05) during REM sleep. In contrast to REM sleep, RSNA, LSNA, systemic arterial pressure, and heart rate increased in a unidirectional manner associated with increases in physical activity levels in the order from NREM sleep, quiet awake, moving, and grooming state. Thus, the relationship between RSNA vs. LSNA and systemic arterial pressure vs. heart rate observed during REM sleep was dissociated compared with that obtained during the other behavioral states. It is suggested that the diverse changes in sympathetic outflows during REM sleep may be needed to increase systemic arterial pressure by balancing vascular resistance between muscles and vegetative organs without depending on the heart.

Stimulation of the brain with radiofrequency electromagnetic field pulses affects sleep-dependent performance improvement.

PubMed

Lustenberger, Caroline; Murbach, Manuel; Dürr, Roland; Schmid, Marc Ralph; Kuster, Niels; Achermann, Peter; Huber, Reto

2013-09-01

Sleep-dependent performance improvements seem to be closely related to sleep spindles (12-15 Hz) and sleep slow-wave activity (SWA, 0.75-4.5 Hz). Pulse-modulated radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF EMF, carrier frequency 900 MHz) are capable to modulate these electroencephalographic (EEG) characteristics of sleep. The aim of our study was to explore possible mechanisms how RF EMF affect cortical activity during sleep and to test whether such effects on cortical activity during sleep interact with sleep-dependent performance changes. Sixteen male subjects underwent 2 experimental nights, one of them with all-night 0.25-0.8 Hz pulsed RF EMF exposure. All-night EEG was recorded. To investigate RF EMF induced changes in overnight performance improvement, subjects were trained for both nights on a motor task in the evening and the morning. We obtained good sleep quality in all subjects under both conditions (mean sleep efficiency > 90%). After pulsed RF EMF we found increased SWA during exposure to pulse-modulated RF EMF compared to sham exposure (P < 0.05) toward the end of the sleep period. Spindle activity was not affected. Moreover, subjects showed an increased RF EMF burst-related response in the SWA range, indicated by an increase in event-related EEG spectral power and phase changes in the SWA range. Notably, during exposure, sleep-dependent performance improvement in the motor sequence task was reduced compared to the sham condition (-20.1%, P = 0.03). The changes in the time course of SWA during the exposure night may reflect an interaction of RF EMF with the renormalization of cortical excitability during sleep, with a negative impact on sleep-dependent performance improvement. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Bedtime activities, sleep environment, and sleep/wake patterns of Japanese elementary school children.

PubMed

Oka, Yasunori; Suzuki, Shuhei; Inoue, Yuich

2008-01-01

Bedtime activities, sleep environment, and their impact on sleep/wake patterns were assessed in 509 elementary school children (6-12 years of age; 252 males and 257 females). Television viewing, playing video games, and surfing the Internet had negative impact on sleep/wake parameters. Moreover, presence of a television set or video game in the child's bedroom increased their activity before bedtime. Time to return home later than 8 p.m. from after-school activity also had a negative impact on sleep/wake patterns. Health care practitioners should be aware of the potential negative impact of television, video games, and the Internet before bedtime, and also the possibility that late after-school activity can disturb sleep/wake patterns.

Effect of bright light on EEG activities and subjective sleepiness to mental task during nocturnal sleep deprivation.

PubMed

Yokoi, Mari; Aoki, Ken; Shimomura, Yoshihiro; Iwanaga, Koichi; Katsuura, Tetsuo; Shiomura, Yoshihiro

2003-11-01

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the exposure to bright light on EEG activity and subjective sleepiness at rest and at the mental task during nocturnal sleep deprivation. Eight male subjects lay awake in semi-supine in a reclining seat from 21:00 to 04:30 under the bright (BL; >2500 lux) or the dim (DL; <150 lux) light conditions. During the sleep deprivation, the mental task (Stroop color-word conflict test: CWT) was performed each 15 min in one hour. EEG, subjective sleepiness, rectal and mean skin temperatures and urinary melatonin concentrations were measured. The subjective sleepiness increased with time of sleep deprivation during both rest and CWT under the DL condition. The exposure to bright light delayed for 2 hours the increase in subjective sleepiness at rest and suppressed the increase in that during CWT. The bright light exposure also delayed the increase in the theta and alpha wave activities in EEG at rest. In contrast, the effect of the bright light exposure on the theta and alpha wave activities disappeared by CWT. Additionally, under the BL condition, the entire theta activity during CWT throughout nocturnal sleep deprivation increased significantly from that in a rest condition. Our results suggest that the exposure to bright light throughout nocturnal sleep deprivation influences the subjective sleepiness during the mental task and the EEG activity, as well as the subjective sleepiness at rest. However, the effect of the bright light exposure on the EEG activity at the mental task diminishes throughout nocturnal sleep deprivation.

Acute enhancement of non-rapid eye movement sleep in rats after drinking water contaminated with cadmium chloride.

PubMed

Unno, Katsuya; Yamoto, Kurumi; Takeuchi, Kouhei; Kataoka, Aya; Ozaki, Tomoya; Mochizuki, Takatoshi; Honda, Kazuki; Miura, Nobuhiko; Ikeda, Masayuki

2014-02-01

Cadmium (Cd) is a heavy metal widely used or effused by industries. Serious environmental Cd pollution has been reported over the past two centuries, whereas the mechanisms underlying Cd-mediated diseases are not fully understood. Interestingly, an increase in reactive oxygen species (ROS) after Cd exposure has been shown. Our group has demonstrated that sleep is triggered via accumulation of ROS during neuronal activities, and we thus hypothesize the involvement of Cd poisoning in sleep-wake irregularities. In the present study, we analyzed the effects of Cd intake (1-100 ppm CdCl₂ in drinking water) on rats by monitoring sleep encephalograms and locomotor activities. The results demonstrated that 100 ppm CdCl₂ administration for 28 h was sufficient to increase non-rapid-eye-movement (non-REM) sleep and reduce locomotor activities during the night (the rat active phase). In contrast, free-running locomotor rhythms under constant dim red light and their re-entrainment to 12:12-h light/dark cycles were intact under chronic (1 month) 100 ppm CdCl₂ administrations, suggesting a limited influence on circadian clock movements at this dosage. The relative amount of oxidized glutathione increased in the brain after the 28-h 100 ppm CdCl₂ administrations similar to the levels in cultured astrocytes receiving H₂O₂ or CdCl₂ in culture medium. Therefore, we propose Cd-induced sleep as a consequence of oxidative stress. As oxidized glutathione is an endogenous sleep substance, we suggest that Cd rapidly induces sleepiness and influences activity performance by occupying intrinsic sleep-inducing mechanisms. In conclusion, we propose increased non-REM sleep during the active phase as an index of acute Cd exposure. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Comparison of Motor Activity and Sleep in Patients with Complex Partial Seizures on Levetiracetam Treatment and a Group of Healthy Subjects

PubMed Central

Yilmaz, Hikmet

2007-01-01

Purpose: Levetiracetam-treated patients commonly report daytime drowsiness, fatique, asthenia and decreasing of motor activity. However the origin of these reported side effects are still debated, we aimed to clarify effect of levetiracetam on sleep. Therefore this prospective study was conducted to evaluate the effects of levetiracetam on motor activity, amount and continuity of sleep and napping. Methods: Various tests were performed on twenty two patients treated with levetiracetam (10 monotherapy, 12 add-on therapy) at least three days before the initiation of treatment, and consecutively for five to eight days at the third week of treatment. These tests included sleep logs, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Modified Maintenance of Wakefulness Test and actimetric measurements. In order to evaluate the sleep behavior of these patients the following sleep parameters were estimated: bedtime, wake-up time, sleep-onset time, sleep-offset time, sleep latency, total sleep time, wake time after sleep onset, fragmentation index, total activity score, nap episodes, total nap duration and sleep efficiency. Twenty members of staff from our hospital (Doctor, nurse, secretary, civil servant etc.) were evaluated as control subjects in the study. Results: After three-week treatment with levetiracetam (in particular with add-on therapy), Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores, napping episodes and total nap durations increased and sleep latencies decreased. While durations of Modified Maintenance of Wakefulness Test and total activity scores decreased. However the total sleep time and the sleep efficiency did not show any difference from the pre-treatment values. Conclusions: Our results suggest that levetiracetam leads to drowsiness by decreasing the daily motor activity and increasing the naps; however this agent does not have any major effects on total sleep time and sleep efficiency during night. Actimetric analyses give information about continuity of sleep and sleep/wake states however does not give satisfactory information about architecture of sleep. In order to determine the effects of levetiracetam on the sleep architecture we need similiar protocol studies by full night polysomnography. PMID:17726245

Effects of Serotonergic Activation by 5-Hydroxytryptophan on Sleep and Body Temperature of C57BL/6J and Interleukin-6-Deficient Mice are Dose and Time Related

PubMed Central

Morrow, Jonathan D.; Vikraman, Sundeep; Imeri, Luca; Opp, Mark R.

2008-01-01

Study Objectives: Extensive data implicate serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) in the regulation of sleep. Jouvet has hypothesized that 5-HT promotes wakefulness, yet is necessary for subsequent non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, actions he proposes to be mediated by sleep factors. Studies in rat support this dual role for 5-HT. The objectives of this study were to (1) determine effects of serotonergic activation on sleep of mice and (2) elucidate a potential role for the cytokine interleukin-6 as a sleep factor mediating serotonergic effects on sleep. Design: C57BL/6J and B6.129S6-Il6tm1Kopf (interleukin-6 knockout [IL-6 KO]) mice were purchased from the Jackson Laboratory and instrumented for recording the electroencephalogram and body temperature. After recovery, separate groups of mice were injected intraperitoneally at either light or dark onset with vehicle or with the 5-HT precursor 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP). Sleep-wake behavior was determined and body temperature recorded for 24 hours after injections. Results: 5-HTP induced hypothermia in both mouse strains. When injected at dark onset, the highest dose of 5-HTP (200 mg/kg) increased NREM sleep. Light onset administration initially increased wakefulness, with increases in NREM sleep apparent only during the subsequent dark period. For most parameters, there were no differences in responses between strains. However IL-6 KO mice at some doses exhibited a greater increase in NREM sleep. Conclusions: 5-HTP alters sleep-wake behavior and body temperature of mice in a manner similar to that of rats. Increases in NREM sleep after 5-HTP are apparent only during the dark period, which may represent a fundamental property of the serotonergic system. These results suggest that 5-HT should not be considered either wake promoting or NREM sleep promoting. Rather, the role of 5-HT in the regulation of sleep-wake behavior must be considered within the context of the degree to which the system is activated and the time at which the activation occurs. Citation: Morrow JD; Vikraman S; Imeri L; Opp MR. Effects of serotonergic activation by 5-hydroxytryptophan on sleep and body temperature of C57BL/6J and interleukin-6-deficient mice are dose and time related. SLEEP 2008;31(1):21-33. PMID:18220075

Consistently high sports/exercise activity is associated with better sleep quality, continuity and depth in midlife women: the SWAN sleep study.

PubMed

Kline, Christopher E; Irish, Leah A; Krafty, Robert T; Sternfeld, Barbara; Kravitz, Howard M; Buysse, Daniel J; Bromberger, Joyce T; Dugan, Sheila A; Hall, Martica H

2013-09-01

To examine relationships between different physical activity (PA) domains and sleep, and the influence of consistent PA on sleep, in midlife women. Cross-sectional. Community-based. 339 women in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation Sleep Study (52.1 ± 2.1 y). None. Sleep was examined using questionnaires, diaries and in-home polysomnography (PSG). PA was assessed in three domains (Active Living, Household/Caregiving, Sports/Exercise) using the Kaiser Physical Activity Survey (KPAS) up to 4 times over 6 years preceding the sleep assessments. The association between recent PA and sleep was evaluated using KPAS scores immediately preceding the sleep assessments. The association between the historical PA pattern and sleep was examined by categorizing PA in each KPAS domain according to its pattern over the 6 years preceding sleep assessments (consistently low, inconsistent/consistently moderate, or consistently high). Greater recent Sports/Exercise activity was associated with better sleep quality (diary "restedness" [P < 0.01]), greater sleep continuity (diary sleep efficiency [SE; P = 0.02]) and depth (higher NREM delta electroencephalographic [EEG] power [P = 0.04], lower NREM beta EEG power [P < 0.05]), and lower odds of insomnia diagnosis (P < 0.05). Consistently high Sports/Exercise activity was also associated with better Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores (P = 0.02) and higher PSG-assessed SE (P < 0.01). Few associations between sleep and Active Living or Household/Caregiving activity (either recent or historical pattern) were noted. Consistently high levels of recreational physical activity, but not lifestyle- or household-related activity, are associated with better sleep in midlife women. Increasing recreational physical activity early in midlife may protect against sleep disturbance in this population.

Sleep and dreaming are for important matters

PubMed Central

Perogamvros, L.; Dang-Vu, T. T.; Desseilles, M.; Schwartz, S.

2013-01-01

Recent studies in sleep and dreaming have described an activation of emotional and reward systems, as well as the processing of internal information during these states. Specifically, increased activity in the amygdala and across mesolimbic dopaminergic regions during REM sleep is likely to promote the consolidation of memory traces with high emotional/motivational value. Moreover, coordinated hippocampal-striatal replay during NREM sleep may contribute to the selective strengthening of memories for important events. In this review, we suggest that, via the activation of emotional/motivational circuits, sleep and dreaming may offer a neurobehavioral substrate for the offline reprocessing of emotions, associative learning, and exploratory behaviors, resulting in improved memory organization, waking emotion regulation, social skills, and creativity. Dysregulation of such motivational/emotional processes due to sleep disturbances (e.g., insomnia, sleep deprivation) would predispose to reward-related disorders, such as mood disorders, increased risk-taking and compulsive behaviors, and may have major health implications, especially in vulnerable populations. PMID:23898315

Lowered Insulin Signalling Ameliorates Age-Related Sleep Fragmentation in Drosophila

PubMed Central

Hendrich, Oliver; Hinze, Yvonne; Birras, Ulrike; Partridge, Linda

2014-01-01

Sleep fragmentation, particularly reduced and interrupted night sleep, impairs the quality of life of older people. Strikingly similar declines in sleep quality are seen during ageing in laboratory animals, including the fruit fly Drosophila. We investigated whether reduced activity of the nutrient- and stress-sensing insulin/insulin-like growth factor (IIS)/TOR signalling network, which ameliorates ageing in diverse organisms, could rescue the sleep fragmentation of ageing Drosophila. Lowered IIS/TOR network activity improved sleep quality, with increased night sleep and day activity and reduced sleep fragmentation. Reduced TOR activity, even when started for the first time late in life, improved sleep quality. The effects of reduced IIS/TOR network activity on day and night phenotypes were mediated through distinct mechanisms: Day activity was induced by adipokinetic hormone, dFOXO, and enhanced octopaminergic signalling. In contrast, night sleep duration and consolidation were dependent on reduced S6K and dopaminergic signalling. Our findings highlight the importance of different IIS/TOR components as potential therapeutic targets for pharmacological treatment of age-related sleep fragmentation in humans. PMID:24690889

Increased Motor Activity During REM Sleep Is Linked with Dopamine Function in Idiopathic REM Sleep Behavior Disorder and Parkinson Disease.

PubMed

Zoetmulder, Marielle; Nikolic, Miki; Biernat, Heidi; Korbo, Lise; Friberg, Lars; Jennum, Poul

2016-06-15

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia characterized by impaired motor inhibition during REM sleep, and dream-enacting behavior. RBD is especially associated with α-synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson disease (PD). Follow-up studies have shown that patients with idiopathic RBD (iRBD) have an increased risk of developing an α-synucleinopathy in later life. Although abundant studies have shown that degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system is associated with daytime motor function in Parkinson disease, only few studies have investigated the relation between this system and electromyographic (EMG) activity during sleep. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the nigrostriatal dopamine system and muscle activity during sleep in iRBD and PD. 10 iRBD patients, 10 PD patients with PD, 10 PD patients without RBD, and 10 healthy controls were included and assessed with (123)I-N-omega-fluoropropyl-2-beta-carboxymethoxy-3beta-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane ((123)I-FP-CIT) Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanning ((123)I-FP-CIT SPECT), neurological examination, and polysomnography. iRBD patients and PD patients with RBD had increased EMG-activity compared to healthy controls. (123)I-FP-CIT uptake in the putamen-region was highest in controls, followed by iRBD patients, and lowest in PD patients. In iRBD patients, EMG-activity in the mentalis muscle was correlated to (123)I-FP-CIT uptake in the putamen. In PD patients, EMG-activity was correlated to anti-Parkinson medication. Our results support the hypothesis that increased EMG-activity during REM sleep is at least partly linked to the nigrostriatal dopamine system in iRBD, and with dopamine function in PD. © 2016 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Exploratory behavior, cortical BDNF expression, and sleep homeostasis.

PubMed

Huber, Reto; Tononi, Giulio; Cirelli, Chiara

2007-02-01

Slow-wave activity (SWA; 0.5-4.0 Hz) during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep is a reliable indicator of sleep need, as it increases with the duration of prior wakefulness and decreases during sleep. However, which biologic process occurring during wakefulness is responsible for the increase of sleep SWA remains unknown. The aim of the study was to determine whether neuronal plasticity underlies the link between waking activities and the SWA response. We manipulated, in rats, the amount of exploratory activity while maintaining the total duration of waking constant. We then measured the extent to which exploration increases cortical expression of plasticity-related genes (BDNF, Arc, Homer, NGFI-A), and the SWA response once the animals were allowed to sleep. Basic neurophysiology and molecular laboratory. Male Wistar Kyoto rats (250-300 g; 2-3 month old). None. We found that, within the same animal, the amount of exploratory behavior during wakefulness could predict the extent to which BDNF was induced, as well as the extent of the homeostatic SWA response during subsequent sleep. This study suggests a direct link between the synaptic plasticity triggered by waking activities and the homeostatic sleep response and identifies BDNF as a major mediator of this link at the molecular level.

High-density EEG characterization of brain responses to auditory rhythmic stimuli during wakefulness and NREM sleep.

PubMed

Lustenberger, Caroline; Patel, Yogi A; Alagapan, Sankaraleengam; Page, Jessica M; Price, Betsy; Boyle, Michael R; Fröhlich, Flavio

2018-04-01

Auditory rhythmic sensory stimulation modulates brain oscillations by increasing phase-locking to the temporal structure of the stimuli and by increasing the power of specific frequency bands, resulting in Auditory Steady State Responses (ASSR). The ASSR is altered in different diseases of the central nervous system such as schizophrenia. However, in order to use the ASSR as biological markers for disease states, it needs to be understood how different vigilance states and underlying brain activity affect the ASSR. Here, we compared the effects of auditory rhythmic stimuli on EEG brain activity during wake and NREM sleep, investigated the influence of the presence of dominant sleep rhythms on the ASSR, and delineated the topographical distribution of these modulations. Participants (14 healthy males, 20-33 years) completed on the same day a 60 min nap session and two 30 min wakefulness sessions (before and after the nap). During these sessions, amplitude modulated (AM) white noise auditory stimuli at different frequencies were applied. High-density EEG was continuously recorded and time-frequency analyses were performed to assess ASSR during wakefulness and NREM periods. Our analysis revealed that depending on the electrode location, stimulation frequency applied and window/frequencies analysed the ASSR was significantly modulated by sleep pressure (before and after sleep), vigilance state (wake vs. NREM sleep), and the presence of slow wave activity and sleep spindles. Furthermore, AM stimuli increased spindle activity during NREM sleep but not during wakefulness. Thus, (1) electrode location, sleep history, vigilance state and ongoing brain activity needs to be carefully considered when investigating ASSR and (2) auditory rhythmic stimuli during sleep might represent a powerful tool to boost sleep spindles. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Functional neuroimaging insights into the physiology of human sleep.

PubMed

Dang-Vu, Thien Thanh; Schabus, Manuel; Desseilles, Martin; Sterpenich, Virginie; Bonjean, Maxime; Maquet, Pierre

2010-12-01

Functional brain imaging has been used in humans to noninvasively investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the generation of sleep stages. On the one hand, REM sleep has been associated with the activation of the pons, thalamus, limbic areas, and temporo-occipital cortices, and the deactivation of prefrontal areas, in line with theories of REM sleep generation and dreaming properties. On the other hand, during non-REM (NREM) sleep, decreases in brain activity have been consistently found in the brainstem, thalamus, and in several cortical areas including the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), in agreement with a homeostatic need for brain energy recovery. Benefiting from a better temporal resolution, more recent studies have characterized the brain activations related to phasic events within specific sleep stages. In particular, they have demonstrated that NREM sleep oscillations (spindles and slow waves) are indeed associated with increases in brain activity in specific subcortical and cortical areas involved in the generation or modulation of these waves. These data highlight that, even during NREM sleep, brain activity is increased, yet regionally specific and transient. Besides refining the understanding of sleep mechanisms, functional brain imaging has also advanced the description of the functional properties of sleep. For instance, it has been shown that the sleeping brain is still able to process external information and even detect the pertinence of its content. The relationship between sleep and memory has also been refined using neuroimaging, demonstrating post-learning reactivation during sleep, as well as the reorganization of memory representation on the systems level, sometimes with long-lasting effects on subsequent memory performance. Further imaging studies should focus on clarifying the role of specific sleep patterns for the processing of external stimuli, as well as the consolidation of freshly encoded information during sleep.

Association between Sleep Disturbances and Leisure Activities in the Elderly: A Comparison between Men and Women

PubMed Central

Hellström, Amanda; Hellström, Patrik; Fagerström, Cecilia

2014-01-01

It has been suggested that physical or social activity is associated with fewer sleep disturbances among elderly people. Women report more sleep disturbances than men, which could indicate a variation in activity patterns between the genders. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between sleep disturbances and leisure activities in men and women (n = 945) aged ≥60 years in a Swedish population. Sleep disturbances were measured using eight dichotomous questions and seventeen variables, covering a wide range of leisure activities. Few leisure activities were found to be associated with sleep disturbances and their importance decreased when the models were adjusted for confounders and gender interactions. After clustering the leisure activities and investigating individual activities, sociointellectual activities were shown to be significant for sleep. However, following adjustment for confounders and gender interactions, home maintenance was the only activity significant for sleep. Being a female increased the effect of home maintenance. Besides those leisure activities, poor/fair self-rated health (OR 7.50, CI: 4.27–11.81) and being female (OR 4.86, CI: 2.75–8.61) were found to have the highest association with poor sleep. Leisure activities pursued by elderly people should focus on activities of a sociointellectual nature, especially among women, to promote sleep. PMID:24575303

Association between Sleep Disturbances and Leisure Activities in the Elderly: A Comparison between Men and Women.

PubMed

Hellström, Amanda; Hellström, Patrik; Willman, Ania; Fagerström, Cecilia

2014-01-01

It has been suggested that physical or social activity is associated with fewer sleep disturbances among elderly people. Women report more sleep disturbances than men, which could indicate a variation in activity patterns between the genders. The aim of this study was to investigate associations between sleep disturbances and leisure activities in men and women (n = 945) aged ≥60 years in a Swedish population. Sleep disturbances were measured using eight dichotomous questions and seventeen variables, covering a wide range of leisure activities. Few leisure activities were found to be associated with sleep disturbances and their importance decreased when the models were adjusted for confounders and gender interactions. After clustering the leisure activities and investigating individual activities, sociointellectual activities were shown to be significant for sleep. However, following adjustment for confounders and gender interactions, home maintenance was the only activity significant for sleep. Being a female increased the effect of home maintenance. Besides those leisure activities, poor/fair self-rated health (OR 7.50, CI: 4.27-11.81) and being female (OR 4.86, CI: 2.75-8.61) were found to have the highest association with poor sleep. Leisure activities pursued by elderly people should focus on activities of a sociointellectual nature, especially among women, to promote sleep.

An intensive longitudinal examination of daily physical activity and sleep in midlife women.

PubMed

Kishida, Moé; Elavsky, Steriani

2016-03-01

Previous research examining physical activity (PA) and sleep link has largely ignored the day-to-day variability that is present in these 2 health behaviors, and few studies have addressed this relation using objective assessments of PA and sleep. Through an intensive longitudinal design, the present study aimed: (1) to elucidate the reciprocal associations between PA and sleep; and (2) to better understand the role of body mass index (BMI) in these 2 health behaviors. Community-dwelling midlife women (N = 103; M = 53, age range= 40-60 years) wore an accelerometer for the objective assessment of PA and sleep for 21 days. A series of multilevel models were estimated to test concurrent and lagged associations between PA (activity counts, moderate-to-vigorous PA) and sleep (total sleep time [TST], sleep efficiency, sleep fragmentation indices). In concurrent, same-day analyses, a positive association emerged between PA and sleep such that as activity counts increased during the day, TST at night also increased (P < .05). In lagged analyses examining next-day effect of sleep on PA, a negative association was found such that greater TST on a given night was associated with less moderate-to-vigorous PA the subsequent day (P < .05). A moderation effect by BMI was also observed such that women with a high BMI engaging in overall lower levels of PA demonstrated poorer-quality sleep. The data suggest that leading a physically active lifestyle may have protective effects on sleep, particularly for overweight and obese women. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Extracellular levels of lactate, but not oxygen, reflect sleep homeostasis in the rat cerebral cortex.

PubMed

Dash, Michael B; Tononi, Giulio; Cirelli, Chiara

2012-07-01

It is well established that brain metabolism is higher during wake and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep than in nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Most of the brain's energy is used to maintain neuronal firing and glutamatergic transmission. Recent evidence shows that cortical firing rates, extracellular glutamate levels, and markers of excitatory synaptic strength increase with time spent awake and decline throughout NREM sleep. These data imply that the metabolic cost of each behavioral state is not fixed but may reflect sleep-wake history, a possibility that is investigated in the current report. Chronic (4d) electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings in the rat cerebral cortex were coupled with fixed-potential amperometry to monitor the extracellular concentration of oxygen ([oxy]) and lactate ([lac]) on a second-by-second basis across the spontaneous sleep-wake cycle and in response to sleep deprivation. Basic sleep research laboratory. Wistar Kyoto (WKY) adult male rats. N/A. Within 30-60 sec [lac] and [oxy] progressively increased during wake and REM sleep and declined during NREM sleep (n = 10 rats/metabolite), but with several differences. [Oxy], but not [lac], increased more during wake with high motor activity and/or elevated EEG high-frequency power. Meanwhile, only the NREM decline of [lac] reflected sleep pressure as measured by slow-wave activity, mirroring previous results for cortical glutamate. The observed state-dependent changes in cortical [lac] and [oxy] are consistent with higher brain metabolism during waking and REM sleep in comparison with NREM sleep. Moreover, these data suggest that glycolytic activity, most likely through its link with glutamatergic transmission, reflects sleep homeostasis.

Modulation of genioglossus muscle activity across sleep-wake states by histamine at the hypoglossal motor pool.

PubMed

Bastedo, Timothy; Chan, Erin; Park, Eileen; Liu, Hattie; Horner, Richard L

2009-10-01

Histamine neurons comprise a major component of the aminergic arousal system and significantly influence sleep-wake states, with antihistamines widely used as sedative hypnotics. Unlike the serotonergic and noradrenergic components of this arousal system, however, the role of histamine in the central control of respiratory motor activity has not been determined. The aims of this study were to characterize the effects of histamine receptor agonists and antagonists at the hypoglossal motor pool on genioglossus muscle activity across sleep and awake states, and also determine if histamine contributes an endogenous excitatory drive to modulate hypoglossal motor outflow to genioglossus muscle. Thirty-three rats were implanted with electroencephalogram and neck electrodes to record sleep-wake states, and genioglossus and diaphragm electrodes for respiratory muscle recordings. Microdialysis probes were inserted into the hypoglossal motor nucleus. Histamine at the hypoglossal motor nucleus significantly increased tonic genioglossus muscle activity in wakefulness, non-REM sleep and REM sleep. The activating effects of histamine on genioglossus muscle activity also occurred with a histamine type-1 (H1) but not H2 receptor agonist. However, H1 receptor antagonism at the hypoglossal motor nucleus did not decrease genioglossus muscle activity in wakefulness or sleep. The results suggest that histamine at the hypoglossal motor pool increases genioglossus muscle activity in freely behaving rats in wakefulness, non-REM, and REM sleep via an H1 receptor mechanism.

Interleukin 1 receptor contributes to methamphetamine- and sleep deprivation-induced hypersomnolence

PubMed Central

Schmidt, Michelle A.; Wisor, Jonathan P.

2014-01-01

Methamphetamine-induced wakefulness is dependent on monoamine transporter blockade. Subsequent to methamphetamine-induced wakefulness, the amount of time spent asleep and the depth of sleep are increased relative to baseline sleep. The mechanisms that drive methamphetamine-induced hypersomnolence are not fully understood. We recently observed that methamphetamine exposure elevates the expression of the sleep-promoting cytokine, interleukin-1 β in CD11b-positive monocytes within the brain. Here, we sought to determine whether activation of the interleukin 1 receptor (IL1R) drives the increase in the depth and amount of sleep that occurs subsequent to methamphetamine-induced wakefulness. IL1R-deficient mice and wild type control mice were subjected to systemic methamphetamine (1 and 2mg/kg) and saline treatments. The wake-promoting effect of methamphetamine was modestly potentiated by IL1R-deficiency. Additionally, the increase in time spent in NREMS subsequent to methamphetamine-induced wakefulness in wild type mice was abolished in IL1R-deficient mice. The increase in time spent asleep after 3 h of behaviorally enforced wakefulness was also abolished in IL1R-deficient mice. Increases in EEG slow wave activity triggered by methamphetamine and sleep deprivation were of equal magnitude in IL1R-deficient and wild type mice. These data demonstrate that IL1R activation contributes to hypersomnolence that occurs after sleep loss, whether that sleep loss is triggered pharmacologically by methamphetamine or through behavioral sleep deprivation. PMID:22387068

Increased objectively assessed vigorous-intensity exercise is associated with reduced stress, increased mental health and good objective and subjective sleep in young adults.

PubMed

Gerber, Markus; Brand, Serge; Herrmann, Christian; Colledge, Flora; Holsboer-Trachsler, Edith; Pühse, Uwe

2014-08-01

The role of physical activity as a factor that protects against stress-related mental disorders is well documented. Nevertheless, there is still a dearth of research using objective measures of physical activity. The present study examines whether objectively assessed vigorous physical activity (VPA) is associated with mental health benefits beyond moderate physical activity (MPA). Particularly, this study examines whether young adults who accomplish the American College of Sports Medicine's (ACSM) vigorous-intensity exercise recommendations differ from peers below these standards with regard to their level of perceived stress, depressive symptoms, perceived pain, and subjective and objective sleep. A total of 42 undergraduate students (22 women, 20 men; M=21.24years, SD=2.20) volunteered to take part in the study. Stress, pain, depressive symptoms, and subjective sleep were assessed via questionnaire, objective sleep via sleep-EEG assessment, and VPA via actigraphy. Meeting VPA recommendations had mental health benefits beyond MPA. VPA was associated with less stress, pain, subjective sleep complaints and depressive symptoms. Moreover, vigorous exercisers had more favorable objective sleep pattern. Especially, they had increased total sleep time, more stage 4 and REM sleep, more slow wave sleep and a lower percentage of light sleep. Vigorous exercisers also reported fewer mental health problems if exposed to high stress. This study provides evidence that meeting the VPA standards of the ACSM is associated with improved mental health and more successful coping among young people, even compared to those who are meeting or exceeding the requirements for MPA. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Overnight changes in the slope of sleep slow waves during infancy.

PubMed

Fattinger, Sara; Jenni, Oskar G; Schmitt, Bernhard; Achermann, Peter; Huber, Reto

2014-02-01

Slow wave activity (SWA, 0.5-4.5 Hz) is a well-established marker for sleep pressure in adults. Recent studies have shown that increasing sleep pressure is reflected by an increased synchronized firing pattern of cortical neurons, which can be measured by the slope of sleep slow waves. Thus we aimed at investigating whether the slope of sleep slow waves might provide an alternative marker to study the homeostatic regulation of sleep during early human development. All-night sleep electroencephalography (EEG) was recorded longitudinally at 2, 4, 6, and 9 months after birth. Home recording. 11 healthy full-term infants (5 male, 6 female). None. The slope of sleep slow waves increased with age. At all ages the slope decreased from the first to the last hour of non rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep, even when controlling for amplitude differences (P < 0.002). The decrease of the slope was also present in the cycle-by-cycle time course across the night (P < 0.001) at the age of 6 months when the alternating pattern of low-delta activity (0.75-1.75 Hz) is most prominent. Moreover, we found distinct topographical differences exhibiting the steepest slope over the occipital cortex. The results suggest an age-dependent increase in synchronization of cortical activity during infancy, which might be due to increasing synaptogenesis. Previous studies have shown that during early postnatal development synaptogenesis is most pronounced over the occipital cortex, which could explain why the steepest slope was found in the occipital derivation. Our results provide evidence that the homeostatic regulation of sleep develops early in human infants.

Sleep and morningness-eveningness in the 'middle' years of life (20-59 y)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carrier, J.; Monk, T. H.; Buysse, D. J.; Kupfer, D. J.

1997-01-01

The following four issues were assessed in a group of 110 adults between the age of 20 and 59y: (1) the effect of age (regarded as a continuous variable) on polysomnographic sleep characteristics, habitual sleep-diary patterns, and subjective sleep quality; (2) the effects of age on morningness-eveningness; (3) the effects of morningness-eveningness on sleep, after controlling for the effects of age; and (4) the role of morningness-eveningness as a mediator of the age and sleep relationship. Increasing age was related to earlier habitual waketime, earlier bedtime, less time in bed and better mood and alertness at waketime. In the laboratory, increasing age was associated with less time asleep, increased number of awakenings, decreased sleep efficiency, lower percentages of slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, higher percentages of Stage 1 and 2, shorter REM latency and reduced REM activity and density. Increasing age was also associated with higher morningness scores. After controlling for the effects of age, morningness was associated with earlier waketime, earlier bedtime, less time in bed, better alertness at waketime, less time spent asleep, more wake in the last 2 h of sleep, decreased REM activity, less stage REM (min and percentage), more Stage 1 (min and percentage) and fewer minutes of Stage 2. For one set of variables (night time in bed, waketime, total sleep time, wake in the last 2 h of sleep and minutes of REM and REM activity), morningness-eveningness accounted for about half of the relationship between age and sleep. For another set of variables (bedtime, alertness at waketime, percentages of REM and Stage 1), morningness-eveningness accounted for the entire relationship between age and sleep. In conclusion, age and morningness were both important predictors of the habitual sleep patterns and polysomnographic sleep characteristics of people in the middle years of life (20-59 y).

Sleep patterns during rearing under different environmental conditions in juvenile rats.

PubMed

Mirmiran, M; van den Dungen, H; Uylings, H B

1982-02-11

Male Wistar rats were chronically implanted at weaning with electrodes for recording EEG amd EMG. From one month of age, they were randomly assigned to either 24 h or 2 h daily 'enriched' (EC), 'standard' (SC) or 'isolated' (IC) rearing conditions. The 24 h-EC group showed the following changes with respect to both the SC and the IC groups: (a) more quiet sleep time; (b) more active sleep time, and (c) shorter active sleep latency. These differences were evident by the third week of environmental conditioning, became statistically significant by 4 weeks, and continued to increase throughout the rest of the enrichment period. None of the sleep parameters showed any significant differences between the SC and the IC groups. The 2 h-EC rats showed an increase in both quiet sleep and active sleep time during the experimental period, whereas the controls showed the expected decline. Morphological investigations at 3 months of age revealed a significant weight increase in the cerebral cortex, and even more so in the hypothalamus as compared with the control group in the 2 h-EC rats.

A New Model to Study Sleep Deprivation-Induced Seizure

PubMed Central

Lucey, Brendan P.; Leahy, Averi; Rosas, Regine; Shaw, Paul J.

2015-01-01

Background and Study Objectives: A relationship between sleep and seizures is well-described in both humans and rodent animal models; however, the mechanism underlying this relationship is unknown. Using Drosophila melanogaster mutants with seizure phenotypes, we demonstrate that seizure activity can be modified by sleep deprivation. Design: Seizure activity was evaluated in an adult bang-sensitive seizure mutant, stress sensitive B (sesB9ed4), and in an adult temperature sensitive seizure mutant seizure (seits1) under baseline and following 12 h of sleep deprivation. The long-term effect of sleep deprivation on young, immature sesB9ed4 flies was also assessed. Setting: Laboratory. Participants: Drosophila melanogaster. Interventions: Sleep deprivation. Measurements and Results: Sleep deprivation increased seizure susceptibility in adult sesB9ed4/+ and seits1 mutant flies. Sleep deprivation also increased seizure susceptibility when sesB was disrupted using RNAi. The effect of sleep deprivation on seizure activity was reduced when sesB9ed4/+ flies were given the anti-seizure drug, valproic acid. In contrast to adult flies, sleep deprivation during early fly development resulted in chronic seizure susceptibility when sesB9ed4/+ became adults. Conclusions: These findings show that Drosophila is a model organism for investigating the relationship between sleep and seizure activity. Citation: Lucey BP, Leahy A, Rosas R, Shaw PJ. A new model to study sleep deprivation-induced seizure. SLEEP 2015;38(5):777–785. PMID:25515102

Sleep, health-related quality of life, and functional outcomes in adults with diabetes.

PubMed

Chasens, Eileen R; Sereika, Susan M; Burke, Lora E; Strollo, Patrick J; Korytkowski, Mary

2014-11-01

This study explored the association of sleep quality with physical and mental health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and functional outcomes in 116 participants with type 2 diabetes. The study is a secondary analysis of baseline data from a clinical trial that examined treatment of obstructive sleep apnea on physical activity and glucose control. Instruments included the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Medical Outcomes Short-Form Physical Component and Mental Component Scores, and Functional Outcomes of Sleep Questionnaire. Higher physical HRQoL was significantly associated with better sleep quality and improved functional outcomes of increased activity and productivity. Higher mental HRQoL was associated with improved sleep quality and improved functional outcomes of increased activity, social interactions, vigilance, and productivity. Poor sleep quality was a predictor of decreased functional outcomes while controlling for age, race, education, BMI, marital status and physical and mental HRQoL. Poor sleep quality is associated with negative physical, mental, and functional outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Restricting Time in Bed in Early Adolescence Reduces Both NREM and REM Sleep but Does Not Increase Slow Wave EEG

PubMed Central

Campbell, Ian G.; Kraus, Amanda M.; Burright, Christopher S.; Feinberg, Irwin

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: School night total sleep time decreases across adolescence (9–18 years) by 10 min/year. This decline is comprised entirely of a selective decrease in NREM sleep; REM sleep actually increases slightly. Decreasing sleep duration across adolescence is often attributed to insufficient time in bed. Here we tested whether sleep restriction in early adolescence produces the same sleep stage changes observed on school nights across adolescence. Methods: All-night sleep EEG was recorded in 76 children ranging in age from 9.9 to 14.0 years. Each participant kept 3 different sleep schedules that consisted of 3 nights of 8.5 h in bed followed by 4 nights of either 7, 8.5, or 10 h in bed. Sleep stage durations and NREM delta EEG activity were compared across the 3 time in bed conditions. Results: Shortening time in bed from 10 to 7 hours reduced sleep duration by approximately 2 hours, roughly equal to the decrease in sleep duration we recorded longitudinally across adolescence. However, sleep restriction significantly reduced both NREM (by 83 min) and REM (by 47 min) sleep. Sleep restriction did not affect NREM delta EEG activity. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the selective NREM reduction and the small increase in REM we observed longitudinally across 9–18 years are not produced by sleep restriction. We hypothesize that the selective NREM decline reflects adolescent brain maturation (synaptic elimination) that reduces the need for the restorative processes of NREM sleep. Citation: Campbell IG, Kraus AM, Burright CS, Feinberg I. Restricting time in bed in early adolescence reduces both NREM and REM sleep but does not increase slow wave EEG. SLEEP 2016;39(9):1663–1670. PMID:27397569

Glucose Induces Slow-Wave Sleep by Exciting the Sleep-Promoting Neurons in the Ventrolateral Preoptic Nucleus: A New Link between Sleep and Metabolism.

PubMed

Varin, Christophe; Rancillac, Armelle; Geoffroy, Hélène; Arthaud, Sébastien; Fort, Patrice; Gallopin, Thierry

2015-07-08

Sleep-active neurons located in the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO) play a crucial role in the induction and maintenance of slow-wave sleep (SWS). However, the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for their activation at sleep onset remain poorly understood. Here, we test the hypothesis that a rise in extracellular glucose concentration in the VLPO can promote sleep by increasing the activity of sleep-promoting VLPO neurons. We find that infusion of a glucose concentration into the VLPO of mice promotes SWS and increases the density of c-Fos-labeled neurons selectively in the VLPO. Moreover, we show in patch-clamp recordings from brain slices that VLPO neurons exhibiting properties of sleep-promoting neurons are selectively excited by glucose within physiological range. This glucose-induced excitation implies the catabolism of glucose, leading to a closure of ATP-sensitive potassium (KATP) channels. The extracellular glucose concentration monitors the gating of KATP channels of sleep-promoting neurons, highlighting that these neurons can adapt their excitability according to the extracellular energy status. Together, these results provide evidence that glucose may participate in the mechanisms of SWS promotion and/or consolidation. Although the brain circuitry underlying vigilance states is well described, the molecular mechanisms responsible for sleep onset remain largely unknown. Combining in vitro and in vivo experiments, we demonstrate that glucose likely contributes to sleep onset facilitation by increasing the excitability of sleep-promoting neurons in the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO). We find here that these neurons integrate energetic signals such as ambient glucose directly to regulate vigilance states accordingly. Glucose-induced excitation of sleep-promoting VLPO neurons should therefore be involved in the drowsiness that one feels after a high-sugar meal. This novel mechanism regulating the activity of VLPO neurons reinforces the fundamental and intimate link between sleep and metabolism. Copyright © 2015 the authors 0270-6474/15/359900-12$15.00/0.

Temporal and bi-directional associations between sleep duration and physical activity/sedentary time in children: An international comparison.

PubMed

Lin, Yingyi; Tremblay, Mark S; Katzmarzyk, Peter T; Fogelholm, Mikael; Hu, Gang; Lambert, Estelle V; Maher, Carol; Maia, Jose; Olds, Timothy; Sarmiento, Olga L; Standage, Martyn; Tudor-Locke, Catrine; Chaput, Jean-Philippe

2018-06-01

The purpose of this multinational and cross-sectional study was to investigate whether nighttime sleep duration was associated with physical activity (PA) and sedentary time (SED) the following day, whether daytime PA/SED were associated with sleep duration the subsequent night, and whether the associations were modified by sex and study sites. Data from 5779 children aged 9-11years were analyzed. A waist-worn Actigraph GT3X+ accelerometer was used to assess children's 24-h movement behaviours for 7days, i.e. sleep duration, total SED, light-intensity physical activity (LPA), and moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity (MVPA). Multilevel linear regression models were used to account for the repeated measures nested within participants (there were up to 7 sleep→PA/SED and PA/SED→sleep pairings per participant) and schools, and adjusted for covariates. To facilitate interpretation, all sleep and PA/SED variables were standardized. Results showed that the relationship between sleep and PA/SED is bi-directional in this international sample of children. Specifically, for each one standard deviation (SD) unit increase in sleep duration, SED the following day decreased by 0.04 SD units, while LPA and MVPA increased by 0.04 and 0.02 SD units, respectively. Sleep duration decreased by 0.02 SD units and increased by 0.04 SD units for each one SD unit increase in SED and MVPA, respectively. Sleep duration was not affected by changes in LPA. These associations differed across sex and study sites in both directions. However, since the observed effect sizes are subtle, public health initiatives should consider the clinical and practical relevance of these findings. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A mechanism for upper airway stability during slow wave sleep.

PubMed

McSharry, David G; Saboisky, Julian P; Deyoung, Pam; Matteis, Paul; Jordan, Amy S; Trinder, John; Smales, Erik; Hess, Lauren; Guo, Mengshuang; Malhotra, Atul

2013-04-01

The severity of obstructive sleep apnea is diminished (sometimes markedly) during slow wave sleep (SWS). We sought to understand why SWS stabilizes the upper airway. Increased single motor unit (SMU) activity of the major upper airway dilating muscle (genioglossus) should improve upper airway stability. Therefore, we hypothesized that genioglossus SMUs would increase their activity during SWS in comparison with Stage N2 sleep. The activity of genioglossus SMUs was studied on both sides of the transition between Stage N2 sleep and SWS. Sleep laboratory. Twenty-nine subjects (age 38 ± 13 yr, 17 males) were studied. SWS. Subjects slept overnight with fine-wire electrodes in their genioglossus muscles and with full polysomnographic and end tidal carbon dioxide monitors. Fifteen inspiratory phasic (IP) and 11 inspiratory tonic (IT) units were identified from seven subjects and these units exhibited significantly increased inspiratory discharge frequencies during SWS compared with Stage N2 sleep. The peak discharge frequency of the inspiratory units (IP and IT) was 22.7 ± 4.1 Hz in SWS versus 20.3 ± 4.5 Hz in Stage N2 (P < 0.001). The IP units also fired for a longer duration (expressed as a percentage of inspiratory time) during SWS (104.6 ± 39.5 %TI) versus Stage N2 sleep (82.6 ± 39.5 %TI, P < 0.001). The IT units fired faster during expiration in SWS (14.2 ± 1.8 Hz) versus Stage N2 sleep (12.6 ± 3.1 Hz, P = 0.035). There was minimal recruitment or derecruitment of units between SWS and Stage N2 sleep. Increased genioglossus SMU activity likely makes the airway more stable and resistant to collapse throughout the respiratory cycle during SWS.

Partial Sleep Deprivation Reduces the Efficacy of Orexin-A to Stimulate Physical Activity and Energy Expenditure.

PubMed

DePorter, Danielle P; Coborn, Jamie E; Teske, Jennifer A

2017-10-01

Sufficient sleep is required for weight maintenance. Sleep deprivation due to noise exposure stimulates weight gain by increasing hyperphagia and reducing energy expenditure (EE). Yet the mechanistic basis underlying the weight gain response is unclear. Orexin-A promotes arousal and negative energy balance, and orexin terminals project to the ventrolateral preoptic area (VLPO), which is involved in sleep-to-wake transitions. To determine whether sleep deprivation reduces orexin function in VLPO and to test the hypothesis that sleep deprivation would attenuate the orexin-A-stimulated increase in arousal, physical activity (PA), and EE. Electroencephalogram, electromyogram, distance traveled, and EE were determined in male Sprague-Dawley rats following orexin-A injections into VLPO both before and after acute (12-h) and chronic (8 h/d, 9 d) sleep deprivation by noise exposure. Orexin-A in the VLPO significantly increased arousal, PA, total EE, and PA-related EE and reduced sleep and respiratory quotient before sleep deprivation. In contrast to after acute sleep deprivation in which orexin-A failed to stimulate EE during PA only, orexin-A failed to significantly increase arousal, PA, fat oxidation, total EE, and PA-related EE after chronic sleep deprivation. Sleep deprivation may reduce sensitivity to endogenous stimuli that enhance EE due to PA and thus stimulate weight gain. © 2017 The Obesity Society.

Sleep deprivation and activation of morning levels of cellular and genomic markers of inflammation.

PubMed

Irwin, Michael R; Wang, Minge; Campomayor, Capella O; Collado-Hidalgo, Alicia; Cole, Steve

2006-09-18

Inflammation is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disorders, arthritis, diabetes mellitus, and mortality. The effects of sleep loss on the cellular and genomic mechanisms that contribute to inflammatory cytokine activity are not known. In 30 healthy adults, monocyte intracellular proinflammatory cytokine production was repeatedly assessed during the day across 3 baseline periods and after partial sleep deprivation (awake from 11 pm to 3 am). We analyzed the impact of sleep loss on transcription of proinflammatory cytokine genes and used DNA microarray analyses to characterize candidate transcription-control pathways that might mediate the effects of sleep loss on leukocyte gene expression. In the morning after a night of sleep loss, monocyte production of interleukin 6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha was significantly greater compared with morning levels following uninterrupted sleep. In addition, sleep loss induced a more than 3-fold increase in transcription of interleukin 6 messenger RNA and a 2-fold increase in tumor necrosis factor alpha messenger RNA. Bioinformatics analyses suggested that the inflammatory response was mediated by the nuclear factor kappaB inflammatory signaling system as well as through classic hormone and growth factor response pathways. Sleep loss induces a functional alteration of the monocyte proinflammatory cytokine response. A modest amount of sleep loss also alters molecular processes that drive cellular immune activation and induce inflammatory cytokines; mapping the dynamics of sleep loss on molecular signaling pathways has implications for understanding the role of sleep in altering immune cell physiologic characteristics. Interventions that target sleep might constitute new strategies to constrain inflammation with effects on inflammatory disease risk.

A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of an amino acid preparation on timing and quality of sleep.

PubMed

Shell, William; Bullias, Debbie; Charuvastra, Elizabeth; May, Lawrence A; Silver, David S

2010-01-01

This study was an outpatient, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of a combination amino acid formula (Gabadone) in patients with sleep disorders. Eighteen patients with sleep disorders were randomized to either placebo or active treatment group. Sleep latency and duration of sleep were measured by daily questionnaires. Sleep quality was measured using a visual analog scale. Autonomic nervous system function was measured by heart rate variability analysis using 24-hour electrocardiographic recordings. In the active group, the baseline time to fall asleep was 32.3 minutes, which was reduced to 19.1 after Gabadone administration (P = 0.01, n = 9). In the placebo group, the baseline latency time was 34.8 minutes compared with 33.1 minutes after placebo (P = nonsignificant, n = 9). The difference was statistically significant (P = 0.02). In the active group, the baseline duration of sleep was 5.0 hours (mean), whereas after Gabadone, the duration of sleep increased to 6.83 (P = 0.01, n = 9). In the placebo group, the baseline sleep duration was 7.17 +/- 7.6 compared with 7.11 +/- 3.67 after placebo (P = nonsignificant, n = 9). The difference between the active and placebo groups was significant (P = 0.01). Ease of falling asleep, awakenings, and am grogginess improved. Objective measurement of parasympathetic function as measured by 24-hour heart rate variability improved in the active group compared with placebo. An amino acid preparation containing both GABA and 5-hydroxytryptophan reduced time to fall asleep, decreased sleep latency, increased the duration of sleep, and improved quality of sleep.

Childhood obesity and sleep: relatives, partners, or both?--a critical perspective on the evidence.

PubMed

Gozal, David; Kheirandish-Gozal, Leila

2012-08-01

In modern life, children are unlikely to obtain sufficient or regular sleep and waking schedules. Inadequate sleep affects the regulation of homeostatic and hormonal systems underlying somatic growth, maturation, and bioenergetics. Therefore, assessments of the obesogenic lifestyle, including as dietary and physical activity, need to be coupled with accurate evaluation of sleep quality and quantity, and coexistence of sleep apnea. Inclusion of sleep as an integral component of research studies on childhood obesity should be done as part of the study planning process. Although parents and health professionals have quantified normal patterns of activities in children, sleep has been almost completely overlooked. As sleep duration in children appears to have declined, reciprocal obesity rates have increased. Also, increases in pediatric obesity rates have markedly increased the risk of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children. Obesity and OSAS share common pathways underlying end-organ morbidity, potentially leading to reciprocal amplificatory effects. The relative paucity of data on the topics covered in the perspective below should serve as a major incentive toward future research on these critically important concepts. © 2012 New York Academy of Sciences.

Metabolic effects of sleep disruption, links to obesity and diabetes.

PubMed

Nedeltcheva, Arlet V; Scheer, Frank A J L

2014-08-01

To highlight the adverse metabolic effects of sleep disruption and to open ground for research aimed at preventive measures. This area of research is especially relevant given the increasing prevalence of voluntary sleep curtailment, sleep disorders, diabetes, and obesity. Epidemiological studies have established an association between decreased self-reported sleep duration and an increased incidence of type 2 diabetes (T2D), obesity, and cardiovascular disease. Experimental laboratory studies have demonstrated that decreasing either the amount or quality of sleep decreases insulin sensitivity and decreases glucose tolerance. Experimental sleep restriction also causes physiological and behavioral changes that promote a positive energy balance. Although sleep restriction increases energy expenditure because of increased wakefulness, it can lead to a disproportionate increase in food intake, decrease in physical activity, and weight gain. Sleep disruption has detrimental effects on metabolic health. These insights may help in the development of new preventive and therapeutic approaches against obesity and T2D based on increasing the quality and/or quantity of sleep.

Functional Neuroimaging Insights into the Physiology of Human Sleep

PubMed Central

Dang-Vu, Thien Thanh; Schabus, Manuel; Desseilles, Martin; Sterpenich, Virginie; Bonjean, Maxime; Maquet, Pierre

2010-01-01

Functional brain imaging has been used in humans to noninvasively investigate the neural mechanisms underlying the generation of sleep stages. On the one hand, REM sleep has been associated with the activation of the pons, thalamus, limbic areas, and temporo-occipital cortices, and the deactivation of prefrontal areas, in line with theories of REM sleep generation and dreaming properties. On the other hand, during non-REM (NREM) sleep, decreases in brain activity have been consistently found in the brainstem, thalamus, and in several cortical areas including the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), in agreement with a homeostatic need for brain energy recovery. Benefiting from a better temporal resolution, more recent studies have characterized the brain activations related to phasic events within specific sleep stages. In particular, they have demonstrated that NREM sleep oscillations (spindles and slow waves) are indeed associated with increases in brain activity in specific subcortical and cortical areas involved in the generation or modulation of these waves. These data highlight that, even during NREM sleep, brain activity is increased, yet regionally specific and transient. Besides refining the understanding of sleep mechanisms, functional brain imaging has also advanced the description of the functional properties of sleep. For instance, it has been shown that the sleeping brain is still able to process external information and even detect the pertinence of its content. The relationship between sleep and memory has also been refined using neuroimaging, demonstrating post-learning reactivation during sleep, as well as the reorganization of memory representation on the systems level, sometimes with long-lasting effects on subsequent memory performance. Further imaging studies should focus on clarifying the role of specific sleep patterns for the processing of external stimuli, as well as the consolidation of freshly encoded information during sleep. Citation: Dang-Vu TT; Schabus M; Desseilles M; Sterpenich V; Bonjean M; Maquet P. Functional neuroimaging insights into the physiology of human sleep. SLEEP 2010;33(12):1589-1603. PMID:21120121

Long-term changes in sleep duration, energy balance and risk of type 2 diabetes

PubMed Central

Cespedes, Elizabeth M.; Bhupathiraju, Shilpa N.; Li, Yanping; Rosner, Bernard; Redline, Susan; Hu, Frank B.

2015-01-01

Aims/hypothesis Baseline sleep duration has a U-shaped relationship with type 2 diabetes, but little research examines the associated changes. We examined long-term changes in sleep duration and concomitant changes in diet, physical activity, weight and subsequent diabetes. Methods The cohort includes 59,031 women aged 55–83 years in the Nurses’ Health Study without diabetes in 2000. Change in sleep duration is the difference between self-reported 24 h sleep duration in 1986 and 2000. Diet, physical activity and covariates were updated every 2–4 years. Self-reported diabetes was confirmed via validated questionnaires. Cox regression models were adjusted for 1986 sleep duration and 1986 values of diabetes risk factors, including BMI, and subsequently for change in covariates from 1986 to 2000. Results We documented 3,513 incident diabetes cases through to 2012. Compared with no change, decreases in sleep duration were adversely associated with changes in diet quality and physical activity, while increases were associated with greater weight gain. After adjustment for 1986 covariates, HRs (95% CI) for <−2, −1, +1 or >+2 h/day changes in sleep duration (vs no change) were 1.09 (0.93, 1.28), 1.10 (1.001, 1.12), 1.09 (1.00, 1.18) and 1.30 (1.14, 1.46), respectively. Additional adjustment for diet and physical activity did not appreciably alter the results. Increases in sleep duration >2 h/day remained adversely associated with diabetes (HR [95%CI]: 1.15 [1.01, 1.30]) after adjustment for change in covariates, including BMI. Conclusions/interpretation Increases in sleep duration among middle-aged and older women were modestly associated with risk of diabetes; changes in diet, physical activity and BMI did not explain associations. PMID:26522276

Sleep and EEG Spectra in Rats Recorded via Telemetry during Surgical Recovery

PubMed Central

Tang, Xiangdong; Yang, Linghui; Sanford, Larry D.

2007-01-01

Study Objective: To determine sleep and EEG spectra in rats during surgical recovery. Design: Sleep, activity, and EEG spectral power were examined in rats via telemetry on days 1, 2, 3, 7, 14, and 15 after implantation surgery. Results: NREM sleep and total sleep were increased on days 1 and 2 compared to later days. REM sleep was decreased on days 2 and 3 compared to days 14 and 15, and activity was decreased on days 1 and 2 compared to later days. EEG power (0.5–5 Hz for NREM and wakefulness, and 5.5–10 Hz for REM and wakefulness) was increased on days 1–3 compared to days 7, 14, and 15. Conclusion: The results are discussed in terms of their implications for post-surgery stabilization of sleep and potential relevance for sleep after injury. Citation: Tang X; Yang L; Sanford LD. Sleep and EEG spectra in rats recorded via telemetry during surgical recovery. SLEEP 2007;30(8):1057-1061. PMID:17702276

Disinhibition of perifornical hypothalamic neurones activates noradrenergic neurones and blocks pontine carbachol-induced REM sleep-like episodes in rats

PubMed Central

Lu, Jackie W; Fenik, Victor B; Branconi, Jennifer L; Mann, Graziella L; Rukhadze, Irma; Kubin, Leszek

2007-01-01

Studies in behaving animals suggest that neurones located in the perifornical (PF) region of the posterior hypothalamus promote wakefulness and suppress sleep. Among such cells are those that synthesize the excitatory peptides, orexins (ORX). Lack of ORX, or their receptors, is associated with narcolepsy/cataplexy, a disorder characterized by an increased pressure for rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We used anaesthetized rats in which pontine microinjections of a cholinergic agonist, carbachol, can repeatedly elicit REM sleep-like episodes to test whether activation of PF cells induced by antagonism of endogenous, GABAA receptor-mediated, inhibition suppresses the ability of the brainstem to generate REM sleep-like state. Microinjections of the GABAA receptor antagonist, bicuculline (20 nl, 1 mm), into the PF region elicited cortical and hippocampal activation, increased the respiratory rate and hypoglossal nerve activity, induced c-fos expression in ORX and other PF neurones, and increased c-fos expression in pontine A7 and other noradrenergic neurones. The ability of pontine carbachol to elicit any cortical, hippocampal or brainstem component of the REM sleep-like response was abolished during the period of bicuculline-induced activation. The activating and REM sleep-suppressing effect of PF bicuculline was not attenuated by systemic administration of the ORX type 1 receptor antagonist, SB334867. Thus, activation of PF neurones that are endogenously inhibited by GABAA receptors is sufficient to turn off the brainstem REM sleep-generating network; the effect is, at least in part, due to activation of pontine noradrenergic neurones, but is not mediated by ORX type 1 receptors. A malfunction of the pathway that originates in GABAA receptor-expressing PF neurones may cause narcolepsy/cataplexy. PMID:17495048

Melatonin and bright-light treatment for rest-activity disruption in institutionalized patients with Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Dowling, Glenna A; Burr, Robert L; Van Someren, Eus J W; Hubbard, Erin M; Luxenberg, Jay S; Mastick, Judy; Cooper, Bruce A

2008-02-01

To test whether the addition of melatonin to bright-light therapy enhances the efficacy in treating rest-activity (circadian) disruption in institutionalized patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Randomized, controlled trial. Two nursing homes in San Francisco, California. Fifty subjects (mean age 86) with AD. Experimental subjects received 1 hour of morning light exposure (> or = 2,500 lux in gaze direction) Monday to Friday for 10 weeks and 5 mg melatonin (LM, n=16) or placebo (LP, n=17) in the evening. Control subjects (n=17) received usual indoor light (150-200 lux). Nighttime sleep variables, day sleep time, day activity, day:night sleep ratio, and rest-activity parameters were determined using actigraphy. Linear mixed models were employed to test the primary study hypotheses. No significant differences in nighttime sleep variables were found between groups. At the end of the intervention, the LM group showed significant improvement in daytime somnolence as indicated by a reduction in the duration of daytime sleep, an increase in daytime activity, and an improvement in day:night sleep ratio. The LM group also evidenced a significant increase in rest-activity rhythm amplitude and goodness of fit to the cosinor model. Light treatment alone did not improve nighttime sleep, daytime wake, or rest-activity rhythm. Light treatment plus melatonin increased daytime wake time and activity levels and strengthened the rest-activity rhythm. Future studies should resolve the question of whether these improvements can be attributed to melatonin or whether the two zeitgebers interact to amplify efficacy.

Melatonin and Bright-Light Treatment for Rest–Activity Disruption in Institutionalized Patients with Alzheimer’s Disease

PubMed Central

Dowling, Glenna A.; Burr, Robert L.; Van Someren, Eus J. W.; Hubbard, Erin M.; Luxenberg, Jay S.; Mastick, Judy; Cooper, Bruce A.

2008-01-01

OBJECTIVES To test whether the addition of melatonin to bright-light therapy enhances the efficacy in treating rest–activity (circadian) disruption in institutionalized patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). DESIGN Randomized, controlled trial. SETTING Two nursing homes in San Francisco, California. PARTICIPANTS Fifty subjects (mean age 86) with AD. INTERVENTION Experimental subjects received 1 hour of morning light exposure (≥2,500 lux in gaze direction) Monday to Friday for 10 weeks and 5 mg melatonin (LM, n = 16) or placebo (LP, n = 17) in the evening. Control subjects (n = 17) received usual indoor light (150–200 lux). MEASUREMENTS Nighttime sleep variables, day sleep time, day activity, day:night sleep ratio, and rest–activity parameters were determined using actigraphy. RESULTS Linear mixed models were employed to test the primary study hypotheses. No significant differences in nighttime sleep variables were found between groups. At the end of the intervention, the LM group showed significant improvement in daytime somnolence as indicated by a reduction in the duration of daytime sleep, an increase in daytime activity, and an improvement in day:night sleep ratio. The LM group also evidenced a significant increase in rest–activity rhythm amplitude and goodness of fit to the cosinor model. CONCLUSION Light treatment alone did not improve nighttime sleep, daytime wake, or rest–activity rhythm. Light treatment plus melatonin increased daytime wake time and activity levels and strengthened the rest–activity rhythm. Future studies should resolve the question of whether these improvements can be attributed to melatonin or whether the two zeitgebers interact to amplify efficacy. PMID:18070004

Cortical firing and sleep homeostasis.

PubMed

Vyazovskiy, Vladyslav V; Olcese, Umberto; Lazimy, Yaniv M; Faraguna, Ugo; Esser, Steve K; Williams, Justin C; Cirelli, Chiara; Tononi, Giulio

2009-09-24

The need to sleep grows with the duration of wakefulness and dissipates with time spent asleep, a process called sleep homeostasis. What are the consequences of staying awake on brain cells, and why is sleep needed? Surprisingly, we do not know whether the firing of cortical neurons is affected by how long an animal has been awake or asleep. Here, we found that after sustained wakefulness cortical neurons fire at higher frequencies in all behavioral states. During early NREM sleep after sustained wakefulness, periods of population activity (ON) are short, frequent, and associated with synchronous firing, while periods of neuronal silence are long and frequent. After sustained sleep, firing rates and synchrony decrease, while the duration of ON periods increases. Changes in firing patterns in NREM sleep correlate with changes in slow-wave activity, a marker of sleep homeostasis. Thus, the systematic increase of firing during wakefulness is counterbalanced by staying asleep.

Consistently High Sports/Exercise Activity Is Associated with Better Sleep Quality, Continuity and Depth in Midlife Women: The SWAN Sleep Study

PubMed Central

Kline, Christopher E.; Irish, Leah A.; Krafty, Robert T.; Sternfeld, Barbara; Kravitz, Howard M.; Buysse, Daniel J.; Bromberger, Joyce T.; Dugan, Sheila A.; Hall, Martica H.

2013-01-01

Study Objectives: To examine relationships between different physical activity (PA) domains and sleep, and the influence of consistent PA on sleep, in midlife women. Design: Cross-sectional. Setting: Community-based. Participants: 339 women in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation Sleep Study (52.1 ± 2.1 y). Interventions: None. Measurements and Results: Sleep was examined using questionnaires, diaries and in-home polysomnography (PSG). PA was assessed in three domains (Active Living, Household/Caregiving, Sports/Exercise) using the Kaiser Physical Activity Survey (KPAS) up to 4 times over 6 years preceding the sleep assessments. The association between recent PA and sleep was evaluated using KPAS scores immediately preceding the sleep assessments. The association between the historical PA pattern and sleep was examined by categorizing PA in each KPAS domain according to its pattern over the 6 years preceding sleep assessments (consistently low, inconsistent/consistently moderate, or consistently high). Greater recent Sports/Exercise activity was associated with better sleep quality (diary “restedness” [P < 0.01]), greater sleep continuity (diary sleep efficiency [SE; P = 0.02]) and depth (higher NREM delta electroencephalographic [EEG] power [P = 0.04], lower NREM beta EEG power [P < 0.05]), and lower odds of insomnia diagnosis (P < 0.05). Consistently high Sports/Exercise activity was also associated with better Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores (P = 0.02) and higher PSG-assessed SE (P < 0.01). Few associations between sleep and Active Living or Household/Caregiving activity (either recent or historical pattern) were noted. Conclusion: Consistently high levels of recreational physical activity, but not lifestyle- or household-related activity, are associated with better sleep in midlife women. Increasing recreational physical activity early in midlife may protect against sleep disturbance in this population. Citation: Kline CE; Irish LA; Krafty RT; Sternfeld B; Kravitz HM; Buysse DJ; Bromberger JT; Dugan SA; Hall MH. Consistently high sports/exercise activity is associated with better sleep quality, continuity and depth in midlife women: the SWAN Sleep Study. SLEEP 2013;36(9):1279-1288. PMID:23997360

Fear Extinction Memory Consolidation Requires Potentiation of Pontine-Wave Activity during REM Sleep

PubMed Central

Datta, Subimal; O'Malley, Matthew W .

2013-01-01

Sleep plays an important role in memory consolidation within multiple memory systems including contextual fear extinction memory, but little is known about the mechanisms that underlie this process. Here, we show that fear extinction training in rats, which extinguished conditioned fear, increased both slow-wave sleep and rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep. Surprisingly, 24 h later, during memory testing, only 57% of the fear-extinguished animals retained fear extinction memory. We found that these animals exhibited an increase in phasic pontine-wave (P-wave) activity during post-training REM sleep, which was absent in the 43% of animals that failed to retain fear extinction memory. The results of this study provide evidence that brainstem activation, specifically potentiation of phasic P-wave activity, during post-training REM sleep is critical for consolidation of fear extinction memory. The results of this study also suggest that, contrary to the popular hypothesis of sleep and memory, increased sleep after training alone does not guarantee consolidation and/or retention of fear extinction memory. Rather, the potentiation of specific sleep-dependent physiological events may be a more accurate predictor for successful consolidation of fear extinction memory. Identification of this unique mechanism will significantly improve our present understanding of the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie the sleep-dependent regulation of emotional memory. Additionally, this discovery may also initiate development of a new, more targeted treatment method for clinical disorders of fear and anxiety in humans that is more efficacious than existing methods such as exposure therapy that incorporate only fear extinction. PMID:23467372

Spindle Oscillations in Sleep Disorders: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Weiner, Oren M.

2016-01-01

Measurement of sleep microarchitecture and neural oscillations is an increasingly popular technique for quantifying EEG sleep activity. Many studies have examined sleep spindle oscillations in sleep-disordered adults; however reviews of this literature are scarce. As such, our overarching aim was to critically review experimental studies examining sleep spindle activity between adults with and without different sleep disorders. Articles were obtained using a systematic methodology with a priori criteria. Thirty-seven studies meeting final inclusion criteria were reviewed, with studies grouped across three categories: insomnia, hypersomnias, and sleep-related movement disorders (including parasomnias). Studies of patients with insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing were more abundant relative to other diagnoses. All studies were cross-sectional. Studies were largely inconsistent regarding spindle activity differences between clinical and nonclinical groups, with some reporting greater or less activity, while many others reported no group differences. Stark inconsistencies in sample characteristics (e.g., age range and diagnostic criteria) and methods of analysis (e.g., spindle bandwidth selection, visual detection versus digital filtering, absolute versus relative spectral power, and NREM2 versus NREM3) suggest a need for greater use of event-based detection methods and increased research standardization. Hypotheses regarding the clinical and empirical implications of these findings, and suggestions for potential future studies, are also discussed. PMID:27034850

Changes in Drosophila melanogaster Sleep-Wake Behavior Due to Lotus (Nelumbo nucifera) Seed and Hwang Jeong (Polygonatum sibiricum) Extracts

PubMed Central

Jo, Kyungae; Jeon, SangDuk; Ahn, Chang-Won; Han, Sung Hee; Suh, Hyung Joo

2017-01-01

We evaluated the sleep enhancement activity of the medicinal herbs valerian (Valeriana officinalis), jujube (Ziziphus jujube), lotus seed (Nelumbo nucifera), Gastrodia elata, Polygonatum sibiricum, and baekbokryung (Poria cocos), which can relieve insomnia in a Drosophila model. Locomotor activity was measured in the Drosophila model to evaluate the sleep activity of Korean medicinal herbs traditionally used as sleep aids. The group treated with lotus seed extract showed less nocturnal activity. Treatment with 10 or 20 mg/mL of P. sibiricum significantly reduced nocturnal activity compared to the control group (P<0.05). The activity and sleep bouts of fruit flies were significantly decreased by a high-dose treatment (10 mg/mL) of lotus or P. sibiricum extracts at night. Caffeine-treated Drosophila showed increased nocturnal activity and decreased total sleep time (P<0.05). Flies receiving the 10 mg-doses of lotus seed or P. sibiricum extract showed significantly different nocturnal locomotor activity and total sleep time compared to caffeine-treated Drosophila. Lotus seed and P. sibiricum extracts are attractive and valuable sleep-potentiating nutraceuticals. PMID:29333381

A new strategy to analyze possible association structures between dynamic nocturnal hormone activities and sleep alterations in humans.

PubMed

Kalus, Stefanie; Kneib, Thomas; Steiger, Axel; Holsboer, Florian; Yassouridis, Alexander

2009-04-01

The human sleep process shows dynamic alterations during the night. Methods are needed to examine whether and to what extent such alterations are affected by internal, possibly time-dependent, factors, such as endocrine activity. In an observational study, we examined simultaneously sleep EEG and nocturnal levels of renin, growth hormone (GH), and cortisol (between 2300 and 0700) in 47 healthy volunteers comprising 24 women (41.67 +/- 2.93 yr of age) and 23 men (37.26 +/- 2.85 yr of age). Hormone concentrations were measured every 20 min. Conventional sleep stage scoring at 30-s intervals was applied. Semiparametric multinomial logit models are used to study and quantify possible time-dependent hormone effects on sleep stage transition courses. Results show that increased cortisol levels decrease the probability of transition from rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep to wakefulness (WAKE) and increase the probability of transition from REM to non-REM (NREM) sleep, irrespective of the time in the night. Via the model selection criterion Akaike's information criterion, it was found that all considered hormone effects on transition probabilities with the initial state WAKE change with time. Similarly, transition from slow-wave sleep (SWS) to light sleep (LS) is affected by a "hormone-time" interaction for cortisol and renin, but not GH. For example, there is a considerable increase in the probability of SWS-LS transition toward the end of the night, when cortisol concentrations are very high. In summary, alterations in human sleep possess dynamic forms and are partially influenced by the endocrine activity of certain hormones. Statistical methods, such as semiparametric multinomial and time-dependent logit regression, can offer ambitious ways to investigate and estimate the association intensities between the nonstationary sleep changes and the time-dependent endocrine activities.

Update on energy homeostasis and insufficient sleep.

PubMed

Penev, Plamen D

2012-06-01

Driven by the demands and opportunities of modern life, many people habitually sleep less than 6 h a night. In the sleep clinic, chronic sleep restriction is recognized by the diagnosis of insufficient sleep syndrome (ICSD-9, 307.49-4), which is receiving increased scrutiny as a potential risk to metabolic health. Its relevance for the practicing endocrinologist is highlighted by a stream of epidemiological data that show an association of insufficient sleep with increased incidence of obesity and related morbidities. A central theme of this update is the notion that sleep loss incurs additional metabolic cost, which triggers a set of neuroendocrine, metabolic, and behavioral adaptations aimed at increasing food intake and conserving energy. Although this coordinated response may have evolved to offset the metabolic demands of extended wakefulness in natural habitats with limited food availability, it can be maladaptive in the context of a modern environment that allows many to overeat while maintaining a sedentary lifestyle without sufficient sleep. Importantly, such sleep loss-related metabolic adaptation may undermine the success of behavioral interventions based on reduced caloric intake and increased physical activity to lower metabolic risk in obesity-prone individuals. This emerging perspective is based on data from recently published human interventional studies and requires further experimental support. Nevertheless, it now seems prudent to recommend that overweight and obese individuals attempting to reduce their caloric intake and maintain increased physical activity should obtain adequate sleep and, if needed, seek effective treatment for any coexisting sleep disorders.

Different Effects of Sleep Deprivation and Torpor on EEG Slow-Wave Characteristics in Djungarian Hamsters

PubMed Central

Palchykova, S.; Achermann, P.; Tobler, I.; Deboer, T.

2017-01-01

Abstract It has been shown previously in Djungarian hamsters that the initial electroencephalography (EEG) slow-wave activity (power in the 0.5–4.0 Hz band; SWA) in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep following an episode of daily torpor is consistently enhanced, similar to the SWA increase after sleep deprivation (SD). However, it is unknown whether the network mechanisms underlying the SWA increase after torpor and SD are similar. EEG slow waves recorded in the neocortex during sleep reflect synchronized transitions between periods of activity and silence among large neuronal populations. We therefore set out to investigate characteristics of individual cortical EEG slow waves recorded during NREM sleep after 4 h SD and during sleep after emergence from an episode of daily torpor in adult male Djungarian hamsters. We found that during the first hour after both SD and torpor, the SWA increase was associated with an increase in slow-wave incidence and amplitude. However, the slopes of single slow waves during NREM sleep were steeper in the first hour after SD but not after torpor, and, in contrast to sleep after SD, the magnitude of change in slopes after torpor was unrelated to the changes in SWA. Furthermore, slow-wave slopes decreased progressively within the first 2 h after SD, while a progressive increase in slow-wave slopes was apparent during the first 2 h after torpor. The data suggest that prolonged waking and torpor have different effects on cortical network activity underlying slow-wave characteristics, while resulting in a similar homeostatic sleep response of SWA. We suggest that sleep plays an important role in network homeostasis after both waking and torpor, consistent with a recovery function for both states. PMID:28168294

Do all sedentary activities lead to weight gain: sleep does not.

PubMed

Chaput, Jean-Philippe; Klingenberg, Lars; Sjödin, Anders

2010-11-01

To discuss the benefits of having a good night's sleep for body weight stability. Experimental studies have shown that short-term partial sleep restriction decreases glucose tolerance, increases sympathetic tone, elevates cortisol concentrations, decreases the satiety hormone leptin, increases the appetite-stimulating hormone ghrelin, and increases hunger and appetite. Short sleep duration might increase the risk of becoming obese, because it does not allow the recovery of a hormonal profile facilitating appetite control. Lack of sleep could also lead to weight gain and obesity by increasing the time available for eating and by making the maintenance of a healthy lifestyle more difficult. Furthermore, the increased fatigue and tiredness associated with sleeping too little could lessen one's resolve to follow exercise regimens. Short sleep duration appears to be a novel and independent risk factor for obesity. With the growing prevalence of chronic sleep restriction, any causal association between reduced sleep and obesity would have substantial importance from a public health standpoint. Future research is needed to determine whether sleep extension in sleep-deprived obese individuals will influence appetite control and/or reduce the amount of body fat.

Genetic ablation of hypocretin neurons alters behavioral state transitions in zebrafish.

PubMed

Elbaz, Idan; Yelin-Bekerman, Laura; Nicenboim, Julian; Vatine, Gad; Appelbaum, Lior

2012-09-12

Sleep is an essential biological need of all animals studied to date. The sleep disorder narcolepsy is characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness, fragmentation of nighttime sleep, and cataplexy. Narcolepsy is caused by selective degeneration of hypothalamic hypocretin/orexin (HCRT) neurons. In mammals, HCRT neurons primarily regulate the sleep/wake cycle, feeding, reward-seeking, and addiction. The role of HCRT neurons in zebrafish is implicated in both sleep and wake regulation. We established a transgenic zebrafish model enabling inducible ablation of HCRT neurons and used these animals to understand the function of HCRT neurons and narcolepsy. Loss of HCRT neurons increased the expression of the HCRT receptor (hcrtr). Behavioral assays revealed that HCRT neuron-ablated larvae had normal locomotor activity, but demonstrated an increase in sleep time during the day and an increased number of sleep/wake transitions during both day and night. Mild sleep disturbance reduced sleep and increased c-fos expression in HCRT neuron-ablated larvae. Furthermore, ablation of HCRT neurons altered the behavioral response to external stimuli. Exposure to light during the night decreased locomotor activity of wild-type siblings, but induced an opposite response in HCRT neuron-ablated larvae. Sound stimulus during the day reduced the locomotor activity of wild-type sibling larvae, while HCRT neuron-ablated larvae demonstrated a hyposensitive response. This study establishes zebrafish as a model for narcolepsy, and indicating a role of HCRT neurons in regulation of sleep/wake transitions during both day and night. Our results further suggest a key role of HCRT neurons in mediating behavioral state transitions in response to external stimuli.

Restricting Time in Bed in Early Adolescence Reduces Both NREM and REM Sleep but Does Not Increase Slow Wave EEG.

PubMed

Campbell, Ian G; Kraus, Amanda M; Burright, Christopher S; Feinberg, Irwin

2016-09-01

School night total sleep time decreases across adolescence (9-18 years) by 10 min/year. This decline is comprised entirely of a selective decrease in NREM sleep; REM sleep actually increases slightly. Decreasing sleep duration across adolescence is often attributed to insufficient time in bed. Here we tested whether sleep restriction in early adolescence produces the same sleep stage changes observed on school nights across adolescence. All-night sleep EEG was recorded in 76 children ranging in age from 9.9 to 14.0 years. Each participant kept 3 different sleep schedules that consisted of 3 nights of 8.5 h in bed followed by 4 nights of either 7, 8.5, or 10 h in bed. Sleep stage durations and NREM delta EEG activity were compared across the 3 time in bed conditions. Shortening time in bed from 10 to 7 hours reduced sleep duration by approximately 2 hours, roughly equal to the decrease in sleep duration we recorded longitudinally across adolescence. However, sleep restriction significantly reduced both NREM (by 83 min) and REM (by 47 min) sleep. Sleep restriction did not affect NREM delta EEG activity. Our findings suggest that the selective NREM reduction and the small increase in REM we observed longitudinally across 9-18 years are not produced by sleep restriction. We hypothesize that the selective NREM decline reflects adolescent brain maturation (synaptic elimination) that reduces the need for the restorative processes of NREM sleep. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Involvement of the α1-adrenoceptor in sleep-waking and sleep loss-induced anxiety behavior in zebrafish.

PubMed

Singh, A; Subhashini, N; Sharma, S; Mallick, B N

2013-08-15

Sleep is a universal phenomenon in vertebrates, and its loss affects various behaviors. Independent studies have reported that sleep loss increases anxiety; however, the detailed mechanism is unknown. Because sleep deprivation increases noradrenalin (NA), which modulates many behaviors and induces patho-physiological changes, this study utilized zebrafish as a model to investigate whether sleep loss-induced increased anxiety is modulated by NA. Continuous behavioral quiescence for at least 6s was considered to represent sleep in zebrafish; although some authors termed it as a sleep-like state, in this study we have termed it as sleep. The activity of fish that signified sleep-waking was recorded in light-dark, during continuous dark and light; the latter induced sleep loss in fish. The latency, number of entries, time spent and distance travelled in the light chamber were assessed in a light-dark box test to estimate the anxiety behavior of normal, sleep-deprived and prazosin (PRZ)-treated fish. Zebrafish showed increased waking during light and complete loss of sleep upon continuous exposure to light for 24h. PRZ significantly increased sleep in normal fish. Sleep-deprived fish showed an increased preference for dark (expression of increased anxiety), and this effect was prevented by PRZ, which increased sleep as well. Our findings suggest that sleep loss-induced anxiety-like behavior in zebrafish is likely to be mediated by NA's action on the α1-adrenoceptor. Copyright © 2013 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Cognitive Activity on Sleep Maintenance in a Subsequent Daytime Nap.

PubMed

Arzilli, Cinzia; Cerasuolo, Mariangela; Conte, Francesca; Bittoni, Valentina; Gatteschi, Claudia; Albinni, Benedetta; Giganti, Fiorenza; Ficca, Gianluca

2018-01-25

The aim of this study is to assess the effects of a learning task on the characteristics of a subsequent daytime nap. Thirty-eight subjects were administered a control nap (C) and one preceded by a cognitive training session (TR). Relative to C, TR naps showed significantly increased sleep duration with decreased sleep latency, as well as significantly increased sleep efficiency due to reduced awakening frequency. Meaningful trends were also found toward an increase of Stage 2 sleep proportion and a reduction of Stage 1 sleep, percentage of wake after sleep onset (WASO), and frequency of state transitions. Our results indicate that presleep learning favors sleep propensity and maintenance, offering the possibility to explore planned cognitive training as a low-cost treatment for sleep impairments.

Decreases in self-reported sleep duration among U.S. adolescents 2009-2015 and association with new media screen time.

PubMed

Twenge, Jean M; Krizan, Zlatan; Hisler, Garrett

2017-11-01

Insufficient sleep among adolescents carries significant health risks, making it important to determine social factors that change sleep duration. We sought to determine whether the self-reported sleep duration of U.S. adolescents changed between 2009 and 2015 and examine whether new media screen time (relative to other factors) might be responsible for changes in sleep. We drew from yearly, nationally representative surveys of sleep duration and time use among adolescents conducted since 1991 (Monitoring the Future) and 2007 (Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System of the Centers for Disease Control; total N = 369,595). Compared to 2009, adolescents in 2015 were 16%-17% more likely to report sleeping less than 7 h a night on most nights, with an increase in short sleep duration after 2011-2013. New media screen time (electronic device use, social media, and reading news online) increased over this time period and was associated with increased odds of short sleep duration, with a clear exposure-response relationship for electronic devices after 2 or more hours of use per day. Other activities associated with short sleep duration, such as homework time, working for pay, and TV watching, were relatively stable or reduced over this time period, making it unlikely that these activities caused the sudden increase in short sleep duration. Increased new media screen time may be involved in the recent increases (from 35% to 41% and from 37% to 43%) in short sleep among adolescents. Public health interventions should consider electronic device use as a target of intervention to improve adolescent health. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The rostromedial tegmental nucleus is essential for non-rapid eye movement sleep.

PubMed

Yang, Su-Rong; Hu, Zhen-Zhen; Luo, Yan-Jia; Zhao, Ya-Nan; Sun, Huan-Xin; Yin, Dou; Wang, Chen-Yao; Yan, Yu-Dong; Wang, Dian-Ru; Yuan, Xiang-Shan; Ye, Chen-Bo; Guo, Wei; Qu, Wei-Min; Cherasse, Yoan; Lazarus, Michael; Ding, Yu-Qiang; Huang, Zhi-Li

2018-04-01

The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), also called the GABAergic tail of the ventral tegmental area, projects to the midbrain dopaminergic system, dorsal raphe nucleus, locus coeruleus, and other regions. Whether the RMTg is involved in sleep-wake regulation is unknown. In the present study, pharmacogenetic activation of rat RMTg neurons promoted non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep with increased slow-wave activity (SWA). Conversely, rats after neurotoxic lesions of 8 or 16 days showed decreased NREM sleep with reduced SWA at lights on. The reduced SWA persisted at least 25 days after lesions. Similarly, pharmacological and pharmacogenetic inactivation of rat RMTg neurons decreased NREM sleep. Electrophysiological experiments combined with optogenetics showed a direct inhibitory connection between the terminals of RMTg neurons and midbrain dopaminergic neurons. The bidirectional effects of the RMTg on the sleep-wake cycle were mimicked by the modulation of ventral tegmental area (VTA)/substantia nigra compacta (SNc) dopaminergic neuronal activity using a pharmacogenetic approach. Furthermore, during the 2-hour recovery period following 6-hour sleep deprivation, the amount of NREM sleep in both the lesion and control rats was significantly increased compared with baseline levels; however, only the control rats showed a significant increase in SWA compared with baseline levels. Collectively, our findings reveal an essential role of the RMTg in the promotion of NREM sleep and homeostatic regulation.

Modulation of the Muscle Activity During Sleep in Cervical Dystonia.

PubMed

Antelmi, Elena; Ferri, Raffaele; Provini, Federica; Scaglione, Cesa M L; Mignani, Francesco; Rundo, Francesco; Vandi, Stefano; Fabbri, Margherita; Pizza, Fabio; Plazzi, Giuseppe; Martinelli, Paolo; Liguori, Rocco

2017-07-01

Impaired sleep has been reported as an important nonmotor feature in dystonia, but so far, self-reported complaints have never been compared with nocturnal video-polysomnographic (PSG) recording, which is the gold standard to assess sleep-related disorders. Twenty patients with idiopathic isolated cervical dystonia and 22 healthy controls (HC) underwent extensive clinical investigations, neurological examination, and questionnaire screening for excessive daytime sleepiness and sleep-related disorders. A full-night video PSG was performed in both patients and HC. An ad hoc montage, adding electromyographic leads over the muscle affected with dystonia, was used. When compared to controls, patients showed significantly increased pathological values on the scale assessing self-reported complaints of impaired nocturnal sleep. Higher scores of impaired nocturnal sleep did not correlate with any clinical descriptors but for a weak correlation with higher scores on the scale for depression. On video-PSG, patients had significantly affected sleep architecture (with decreased sleep efficiency and increased sleep latency). Activity over cervical muscles disappears during all the sleep stages, reaching significantly decreased values when compared to controls both in nonrapid eye movements and rapid eye movements sleep. Patients with cervical dystonia reported poor sleep quality and showed impaired sleep architecture. These features however cannot be related to the persistence of muscle activity over the cervical muscles, which disappears in all the sleep stages, reaching significantly decreased values when compared to HC. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

A Biphasic Change of Regional Blood Volume in the Frontal Cortex during Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study.

PubMed

Zhang, Zhongxing; Khatami, Ramin

2015-08-01

Current knowledge on hemodynamics in sleep is limited because available techniques do not allow continuous recordings and mainly focus on cerebral blood flow while neglecting other important parameters, such as blood volume (BV) and vasomotor activity. Observational study. Continuous measures of hemodynamics over the left forehead and biceps were performed using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) during nocturnal polysomnography in 16 healthy participants in sleep laboratory. Temporal dynamics and mean values of cerebral and muscular oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2), deoxygenated hemoglobin (HHb), and BV during different sleep stages were compared. A biphasic change of cerebral BV was observed which contrasted a monotonic increase of muscular BV during non-rapid eye movement sleep. A significant decrement in cerebral HbO2 and BV accompanied by an increase of HHb was recorded at sleep onset (Phase I). Prior to slow wave sleep (SWS) HbO2 and BV turned to increase whereas HHb began to decrease in subsequent Phase II suggested increased brain perfusion during SWS. The cerebral HbO2 slope correlated to BV slope in Phase I and II, but it only correlated to HHb slope in Phase II. The occurrence time of inflection points correlated to SWS latencies. Initial decrease of brain perfusion with decreased blood volume (BV) and oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO2) together with increasing muscular BV fit thermoregulation process at sleep onset. The uncorrelated and correlated slopes of HbO2 and deoxygenated hemoglobin indicate different mechanisms underlying the biphasic hemodynamic process in light sleep and slow wave sleep (SWS). In SWS, changes in vasomotor activity (i.e., increased vasodilatation) may mediate increasing cerebral and muscular BV. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Chronic Sleep Fragmentation During the Sleep Period Induces Hypothalamic Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress and PTP1b-Mediated Leptin Resistance in Male Mice

PubMed Central

Hakim, Fahed; Wang, Yang; Carreras, Alba; Hirotsu, Camila; Zhang, Jing; Peris, Eduard; Gozal, David

2015-01-01

Background: Sleep fragmentation (SF) is highly prevalent and may constitute an important contributing factor to excessive weight gain and the metabolic syndrome. Increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) leading to the attenuation of leptin receptor signaling in the hypothalamus leads to obesity and metabolic dysfunction. Methods: Mice were exposed to SF and sleep control (SC) for varying periods of time during which ingestive behaviors were monitored. UPR pathways and leptin receptor signaling were assessed in hypothalami. To further examine the mechanistic role of ER stress, changes in leptin receptor (ObR) signaling were also examined in wild-type mice treated with the ER chaperone tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), as well as in CHOP −/+ transgenic mice. Results: Fragmented sleep in male mice induced increased food intake starting day 3 and thereafter, which was preceded by increases in ER stress and activation of all three UPR pathways in the hypothalamus. Although ObR expression was unchanged, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation was decreased, suggesting reduced ObR signaling. Unchanged suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS3) expression and increases in protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) expression and activity emerged with SF, along with reduced p-STAT3 responses to exogenous leptin. SF-induced effects were reversed following TUDCA treatment and were absent in CHOP −/+ mice. Conclusions: Sleep fragmentation (SF) induces hyperphagic behaviors and reduced leptin signaling in hypothalamus that are mediated by activation of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and ultimately lead to increased PTP1B activity. ER stress pathways are therefore potentially implicated in SF-induced weight gain and metabolic dysfunction, and may represent a viable therapeutic target. Citation: Hakim F, Wang Y, Carreras A, Hirotsu C, Zhang J, Peris E, Gozal D. Chronic sleep fragmentation during the sleep period induces hypothalamic endoplasmic reticulum stress and ptp1b-mediated leptin resistance in male Mice. SLEEP 2015;38(1):31–40. PMID:25325461

Beta EEG reflects sensory processing in active wakefulness and homeostatic sleep drive in quiet wakefulness.

PubMed

Grønli, Janne; Rempe, Michael J; Clegern, William C; Schmidt, Michelle; Wisor, Jonathan P

2016-06-01

Markers of sleep drive (<10 Hz; slow-wave activity and theta) have been identified in the course of slow-wave sleep and wakefulness. So far, higher frequencies in the waking electroencephalogram have not been examined thoroughly as a function of sleep drive. Here, electroencephalogram dynamics were measured in epochs of active wake (wake characterized by high muscle tone) or quiet wake (wake characterized by low muscle tone). It was hypothesized that the higher beta oscillations (15-35 Hz, measured by local field potential and electroencephalography) represent fundamentally different processes in active wake and quiet wake. In active wake, sensory stimulation elevated beta activity in parallel with gamma (80-90 Hz) activity, indicative of cognitive processing. In quiet wake, beta activity paralleled slow-wave activity (1-4 Hz) and theta (5-8 Hz) in tracking sleep need. Cerebral lactate concentration, a measure of cerebral glucose utilization, increased during active wake whereas it declined during quiet wake. Mathematical modelling of state-dependent dynamics of cortical lactate concentration was more precisely predictive when quiet wake and active wake were included as two distinct substates rather than a uniform state of wakefulness. The extent to which lactate concentration declined in quiet wake and increased in active wake was proportionate to the amount of beta activity. These data distinguish quiet wake from active wake. Quiet wake, particularly when characterized by beta activity, is permissive to metabolic and electrophysiological changes that occur in slow-wave sleep. These data urge further studies on state-dependent beta oscillations across species. © 2016 European Sleep Research Society.

Differential Effects of a Dual Orexin Receptor Antagonist (SB-649868) and Zolpidem on Sleep Initiation and Consolidation, SWS, REM Sleep, and EEG Power Spectra in a Model of Situational Insomnia

PubMed Central

Bettica, Paolo; Squassante, Lisa; Groeger, John A; Gennery, Brian; Winsky-Sommerer, Raphaelle; Dijk, Derk-Jan

2012-01-01

Orexins have a role in sleep regulation, and orexin receptor antagonists are under development for the treatment of insomnia. We conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, four-period crossover study to investigate the effect of single doses of the dual orexin receptor antagonist SB-649868 (10 or 30 mg) and a positive control zolpidem (10 mg), an allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors. Objective and subjective sleep parameters and next-day performance were assessed in 51 healthy male volunteers in a traffic noise model of situational insomnia. Compared with placebo, SB-649868 10 and 30 mg increased total sleep time (TST) by 17 and 31 min (p<0.001), whereas after zolpidem TST was increased by 11.0 min (p=0.012). Wake after sleep onset was reduced significantly by 14.7 min for the SB–6489698 30 mg dose (p<0.001). Latency to persistent sleep was significantly reduced after both doses of SB–6489698 (p=0.003), but not after zolpidem. Slow wave sleep (SWS) and electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectra in non-REM sleep were not affected by either dose of SB-640868, whereas SWS (p< 0.001) and low delta activity (<=1.0 Hz) were increased, and 2.25–11.0 Hz activity decreased after zolpidem. REM sleep duration was increased after SB-649868 30 mg (p=0.002) and reduced after zolpidem (p=0.049). Latency to REM sleep was reduced by 20.1 (p=0.034) and 34.0 min (p<0.001) after 10 and 30 mg of SB-649868. Sleep-onset REM episodes were observed. SB-649868 was well tolerated. This dual orexin receptor antagonist exerts hypnotic activity, with effects on sleep structure and the EEG that are different from those of zolpidem. PMID:22237311

Increased Carbonic Anhydrase Activity is Associated with Sleep Apnea Severity and Related Hypoxemia

PubMed Central

Wang, Tengyu; Eskandari, Davoud; Zou, Ding; Grote, Ludger; Hedner, Jan

2015-01-01

Study Objectives: The catalytic function of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA) plays a fundamental role in carbon dioxide (CO2), proton (H+), and bicarbonate (HCO3-) homeostasis. Hypoxia and tissue acidosis have been proposed to increase physiological CA activity in various compartments of the body. We hypothesized that CA activity in blood is upregulated in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Design: Cross-sectional analysis of a sleep clinic cohort. Settings: Sleep laboratory at a university hospital. Participants: Seventy referred patients with suspected OSA (48 males, age 54 ± 13 y, apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) median [interquartile range] 21 [8–41] n/h). Interventions: N/A. Measurements and Results: In-laboratory cardiorespiratory polygraphy was used to assess OSA. CA activity was determined by an in vitro assay that quantifies the pH change reflecting the conversion of CO2 and H2O to HCO3- and H+. CA activity was positively associated with AHI and 4% oxygen desaturation index (ODI4) (Spearman correlation r = 0.44 and 0.47, both P < 0.001). The associations (CA activity versus logAHI and CA versus logODI4) were independent of sex, age, body mass index, presleep oxygen saturation, nocturnal oxygen saturation, hypertension status, and use of diuretic medication in two generalized linear models (P = 0.007 and 0.011, respectively). Sitting diastolic blood pressure was associated with CA activity after adjustment of sex, age, body mass index, mean oxygen saturation, and AHI (P = 0.046). Conclusions: Carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity increased with apnea-hypopnea index and related nocturnal hypoxemia measures in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Altered CA activity may constitute a component that modulates respiratory control and hemodynamic regulation in patients with OSA. Citation: Wang T, Eskandari D, Zou D, Grote L, Hedner J. Increased carbonic anhydrase activity is associated with sleep apnea severity and related hypoxemia. SLEEP 2015;38(7):1067–1073. PMID:25845687

The Impact of Subthalamic Deep Brain Stimulation on Sleep-Wake Behavior: A Prospective Electrophysiological Study in 50 Parkinson Patients.

PubMed

Baumann-Vogel, Heide; Imbach, Lukas L; Sürücü, Oguzkan; Stieglitz, Lennart; Waldvogel, Daniel; Baumann, Christian R; Werth, Esther

2017-05-01

This prospective observational study was designed to systematically examine the effect of subthalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) on subjective and objective sleep-wake parameters in Parkinson patients. In 50 consecutive Parkinson patients undergoing subthalamic DBS, we assessed motor symptoms, medication, the position of DBS electrodes within the subthalamic nucleus (STN), subjective sleep-wake parameters, 2-week actigraphy, video-polysomnography studies, and sleep electroencepahalogram frequency and dynamics analyses before and 6 months after surgery. Subthalamic DBS improved not only motor symptoms and reduced daily intake of dopaminergic agents but also enhanced subjective sleep quality and reduced sleepiness (Epworth Sleepiness Scale: -2.1 ± 3.8, p < .001). Actigraphy recordings revealed longer bedtimes (+1:06 ± 0:51 hours, p < .001) without shifting of circadian timing. Upon polysomnography, we observed an increase in sleep efficiency (+5.2 ± 17.6%, p = .005) and deep sleep (+11.2 ± 32.2 min, p = .017) and increased accumulation of slow-wave activity over the night (+41.0 ± 80.0%, p = .005). Rapid eye movement sleep features were refractory to subthalamic DBS, and the dynamics of sleep as assessed by state space analyses did not normalize. Increased sleep efficiency was associated with active electrode contact localization more distant from the ventral margin of the left subthalamic nucleus. Subthalamic DBS deepens and consolidates nocturnal sleep and improves daytime wakefulness in Parkinson patients, but several outcomes suggest that it does not normalize sleep. It remains elusive whether modulated activity in the STN directly contributes to changes in sleep-wake behavior, but dorsal positioning of electrodes within the STN is linked to improved sleep-wake outcomes. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Effects of some antipsychotics and a benzodiazepine hypnotic on the sleep-wake pattern in an animal model of schizophrenia.

PubMed

Ishida, Takayuki; Obara, Yoshihito; Kamei, Chiaki

2009-09-01

We studied the effects of antipsychotics and a hypnotic on sleep disturbance in schizophrenia using an animal model of the disease. Electrodes for the electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram (EMG) were chronically implanted into the cortex and the dorsal neck muscle of rats. EEG and EMG were recorded with an electroencephalograph for 6 h (10:00 - 16:00). SleepSign ver. 2.0 was used for EEG and EMG analysis. Haloperidol and olanzapine had an antagonizing effect on the increases in sleep latency and total awake time and the decrease in total non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep time induced by MK-801. Olanzapine also antagonized the decrease in total rapid eye movement (REM) sleep time induced by MK-801. Aripiprazole antagonized only the increase in sleep latency induced by MK-801, whereas, risperidone, quetiapine, and flunitrazepam had no effect in the changes of sleep-wake pattern induced by MK-801. Olanzapine increased delta activity and decreased beta activity during NREM sleep. In contrast, flunitrazepam had an opposite effect. It was clarified that haloperidol and olanzapine were effective for decrease of sleep time in this animal model of schizophrenia. In addition, aripiprazole showed a sleep-inducing effect in schizophrenia model rat. On the other hand, flunitrazepam showed no beneficial effect on sleep disturbance in schizophrenia model rat.

Bezafibrate, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors agonist, decreases body temperature and enhances electroencephalogram delta-oscillation during sleep in mice.

PubMed

Chikahisa, Sachiko; Tominaga, Kumiko; Kawai, Tomoko; Kitaoka, Kazuyoshi; Oishi, Katsutaka; Ishida, Norio; Rokutan, Kazuhito; Séi, Hiroyoshi

2008-10-01

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated transcription factors belonging to the nuclear receptor family. PPARs play a critical role in lipid and glucose metabolism. We examined whether chronic treatment with bezafibrate, a PPAR agonist, would alter sleep and body temperature (BT). Mice fed with a control diet were monitored for BT, electroencephalogram (EEG), and electromyogram for 48 h under light-dark conditions. After obtaining the baseline recording, the mice were provided with bezafibrate-supplemented food for 2 wk, after which the same recordings were performed. Two-week feeding of bezafibrate decreased BT, especially during the latter half of the dark period. BT rhythm and sleep/wake rhythm were phase advanced about 2-3 h by bezafibrate treatment. Bezafibrate treatment also increased the EEG delta-power in nonrapid eye movement sleep compared with the control diet attenuating its daily amplitude. Furthermore, bezafibrate-treated mice showed no rebound of EEG delta-power in nonrapid eye movement sleep after 6 h sleep deprivation, whereas values in control mice largely increased relative to baseline. DNA microarray, and real-time RT-PCR analysis showed that bezafibrate treatment increased levels of Neuropeptide Y mRNA in the hypothalamus at both Zeitgeber time (ZT) 10 and ZT22, and decreased proopiomelanocortin-alpha mRNA in the hypothalamus at ZT10. These findings demonstrate that PPARs participate in the control of both BT and sleep regulation, which accompanied changes in gene expression in the hypothalamus. Activation of PPARs may enhance deep sleep and improve resistance to sleep loss.

Leukocytosis and natural killer cell function parallel neurobehavioral fatigue induced by 64 hours of sleep deprivation.

PubMed

Dinges, D F; Douglas, S D; Zaugg, L; Campbell, D E; McMann, J M; Whitehouse, W G; Orne, E C; Kapoor, S C; Icaza, E; Orne, M T

1994-05-01

The hypothesis that sleep deprivation depresses immune function was tested in 20 adults, selected on the basis of their normal blood chemistry, monitored in a laboratory for 7 d, and kept awake for 64 h. At 2200 h each day measurements were taken of total leukocytes (WBC), monocytes, granulocytes, lymphocytes, eosinophils, erythrocytes (RBC), B and T lymphocyte subsets, activated T cells, and natural killer (NK) subpopulations (CD56/CD8 dual-positive cells, CD16-positive cells, CD57-positive cells). Functional tests included NK cytotoxicity, lymphocyte stimulation with mitogens, and DNA analysis of cell cycle. Sleep loss was associated with leukocytosis and increased NK cell activity. At the maximum sleep deprivation, increases were observed in counts of WBC, granulocytes, monocytes, NK activity, and the proportion of lymphocytes in the S phase of the cell cycle. Changes in monocyte counts correlated with changes in other immune parameters. Counts of CD4, CD16, CD56, and CD57 lymphocytes declined after one night without sleep, whereas CD56 and CD57 counts increased after two nights. No changes were observed in other lymphocyte counts, in proliferative responses to mitogens, or in plasma levels of cortisol or adrenocorticotropin hormone. The physiologic leukocytosis and NK activity increases during deprivation were eliminated by recovery sleep in a manner parallel to neurobehavioral function, suggesting that the immune alterations may be associated with biological pressure for sleep.

Leukocytosis and natural killer cell function parallel neurobehavioral fatigue induced by 64 hours of sleep deprivation.

PubMed Central

Dinges, D F; Douglas, S D; Zaugg, L; Campbell, D E; McMann, J M; Whitehouse, W G; Orne, E C; Kapoor, S C; Icaza, E; Orne, M T

1994-01-01

The hypothesis that sleep deprivation depresses immune function was tested in 20 adults, selected on the basis of their normal blood chemistry, monitored in a laboratory for 7 d, and kept awake for 64 h. At 2200 h each day measurements were taken of total leukocytes (WBC), monocytes, granulocytes, lymphocytes, eosinophils, erythrocytes (RBC), B and T lymphocyte subsets, activated T cells, and natural killer (NK) subpopulations (CD56/CD8 dual-positive cells, CD16-positive cells, CD57-positive cells). Functional tests included NK cytotoxicity, lymphocyte stimulation with mitogens, and DNA analysis of cell cycle. Sleep loss was associated with leukocytosis and increased NK cell activity. At the maximum sleep deprivation, increases were observed in counts of WBC, granulocytes, monocytes, NK activity, and the proportion of lymphocytes in the S phase of the cell cycle. Changes in monocyte counts correlated with changes in other immune parameters. Counts of CD4, CD16, CD56, and CD57 lymphocytes declined after one night without sleep, whereas CD56 and CD57 counts increased after two nights. No changes were observed in other lymphocyte counts, in proliferative responses to mitogens, or in plasma levels of cortisol or adrenocorticotropin hormone. The physiologic leukocytosis and NK activity increases during deprivation were eliminated by recovery sleep in a manner parallel to neurobehavioral function, suggesting that the immune alterations may be associated with biological pressure for sleep. PMID:7910171

Slow spontaneous hemodynamic oscillations during sleep measured with near-infrared spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Virtanen, Jaakko; Näsi, Tiina; Noponen, Tommi; Toppila, Jussi; Salmi, Tapani; Ilmoniemi, Risto J.

2011-07-01

Spontaneous cerebral hemodynamic oscillations below 100 mHz reflect the level of cerebral activity, modulate hemodynamic responses to tasks and stimuli, and may aid in detecting various pathologies of the brain. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is ideally suited for both measuring spontaneous hemodynamic oscillations and monitoring sleep, but little research has been performed to combine these two applications. We analyzed 30 all-night NIRS-electroencephalography (EEG) sleep recordings to investigate spontaneous hemodynamic activity relative to sleep stages determined by polysomnography. Signal power of hemodynamic oscillations in the low-frequency (LF, 40-150 mHz) and very-low-frequency (VLF, 3-40 mHz) bands decreased in slow-wave sleep (SWS) compared to light sleep (LS) and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. No statistically significant (p < 0.05) differences in oscillation power between LS and REM were observed. However, the period of VLF oscillations around 8 mHz increased in REM sleep in line with earlier studies with other modalities. These results increase our knowledge of the physiology of sleep, complement EEG data, and demonstrate the applicability of NIRS to studying spontaneous hemodynamic fluctuations during sleep.

Drosophila male sex peptide inhibits siesta sleep and promotes locomotor activity in the post-mated female.

PubMed

Isaac, R Elwyn; Li, Chenxi; Leedale, Amy E; Shirras, Alan D

2010-01-07

Quiescence, or a sleep-like state, is a common and important feature of the daily lives of animals from both invertebrate and vertebrate taxa, suggesting that sleep appeared early in animal evolution. Recently, Drosophila melanogaster has been shown to be a relevant and powerful model for the genetic analysis of sleep behaviour. The sleep architecture of D. melanogaster is sexually dimorphic, with females sleeping much less than males during day-time, presumably because reproductive success requires greater foraging activity by the female as well as the search for egg-laying sites. However, this loss of sleep and increase in locomotor activity will heighten the risk for the female from environmental and predator hazards. In this study, we show that virgin females can minimize this risk by behaving like males, with an extended afternoon 'siesta'. Copulation results in the female losing 70 per cent of day-time sleep and becoming more active. This behaviour lasts for at least 8 days after copulation and is abolished if the mating males lack sex peptide (SP), normally present in the seminal fluid. Our results suggest that SP is the molecular switch that promotes wakefulness in the post-mated female, a change of behaviour compatible with increased foraging and egg-laying activity. The stress resulting from SP-dependent sleep deprivation might be an important contribution to the toxic side-effects of male accessory gland products that are known to reduce lifespan in post-mated females.

Sleep Dysfunction and EEG Alterations in Mice Overexpressing Alpha-Synuclein

PubMed Central

McDowell, Kimberly A.; Shin, David; Roos, Kenneth P.; Chesselet, Marie-Françoise

2018-01-01

Background: Sleep disruptions occur early and frequently in Parkinson’s disease (PD). PD patients also show a slowing of resting state activity. Alpha-synuclein is causally linked to PD and accumulates in sleep-related brain regions. While sleep problems occur in over 75% of PD patients and severely impact the quality of life of patients and caregivers, their study is limited by a paucity of adequate animal models. Objective: The objective of this study was to determine whether overexpression of wildtype alpha-synuclein could lead to alterations in sleep patterns reminiscent of those observed in PD by measuring sleep/wake activity with rigorous quantitative methods in a well-characterized genetic mouse model. Methods: At 10 months of age, mice expressing human wildtype alpha-synuclein under the Thy-1 promoter (Thy1-aSyn) and wildtype littermates underwent the subcutaneous implantation of a telemetry device (Data Sciences International) for the recording of electromyograms (EMG) and electroencephalograms (EEG) in freely moving animals. Surgeries and data collection were performed without knowledge of mouse genotype. Results: Thy1-aSyn mice showed increased non-rapid eye movement sleep during their quiescent phase, increased active wake during their active phase, and decreased rapid eye movement sleep over a 24-h period, as well as a shift in the density of their EEG power spectra toward lower frequencies with a significant decrease in gamma power during wakefulness. Conclusions: Alpha-synuclein overexpression in mice produces sleep disruptions and altered oscillatory EEG activity reminiscent of PD, and this model provides a novel platform to assess mechanisms and therapeutic strategies for sleep dysfunction in PD. PMID:24867919

Regional cerebral metabolic correlates of WASO during NREM sleep in insomnia.

PubMed

Nofzinger, Eric A; Nissen, Christoph; Germain, Anne; Moul, Douglas; Hall, Martica; Price, Julie C; Miewald, Jean M; Buysse, Daniel J

2006-07-15

To investigate the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep-related regional cerebral metabolic correlates of wakefulness after sleep onset (WASO) in patients with primary insomnia. Fifteen patients who met DSM-IV criteria for primary insomnia completed 1-week sleep diary (subjective) and polysomnographic (objective) assessments of WASO and regional cerebral glucose metabolic assessments during NREM sleep using [18F] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography. Whole-brain voxel-by-voxel correlations, as well as region of interest analyses, were performed between subjective and objective WASO and relative regional cerebral metabolism using the statistical software SPM2. Subjective WASO was significantly greater than objective WASO, but the 2 measures were positively correlated. Objective WASO correlated positively with the percentage of stage 2 sleep and negatively with the percentage of stages 3 and 4 sleep. Both subjective and objective WASO positively correlated with NREM sleep-related cerebral glucose metabolism in the pontine tegmentum and in thalamocortical networks in a frontal, anterior temporal, and anterior cingulate distribution. Increased relative metabolism in these brain regions during NREM sleep in patients with insomnia is associated with increased WASO measured either subjectively or objectively. These effects are related to the lighter sleep stages of patients with more WASO and may result from increased activity in arousal systems during sleep and or to activity in higher-order cognitive processes related to goal-directed behavior, conflict monitoring, emotional awareness, anxiety, and fear. Such changes may decrease arousal thresholds and/or increase perceptions of wakefulness in insomnia.

Slow Wave Sleep Induced by GABA Agonist Tiagabine Fails to Benefit Memory Consolidation

PubMed Central

Feld, Gordon B.; Wilhelm, Ines; Ma, Ying; Groch, Sabine; Binkofski, Ferdinand; Mölle, Matthias; Born, Jan

2013-01-01

Study Objectives: Slow wave sleep (SWS) plays a pivotal role in consolidating memories. Tiagabine has been shown to increase SWS in favor of REM sleep without impacting subjective sleep. However, it is unknown whether this effect is paralleled by an improved sleep-dependent consolidation of memory. Design: This double-blind within-subject crossover study tested sensitivity of overnight retention of declarative neutral and emotional materials (word pairs, pictures) as well as a procedural memory task (sequence finger tapping) to oral administration of placebo or 10 mg tiagabine (at 22:30). Participants: Fourteen healthy young men aged 21.9 years (range 18-28 years). Measurements and Results: Tiagabine significantly increased the time spent in SWS and decreased REM sleep compared to placebo. Tiagabine also enhanced slow wave activity (0.5-4.0 Hz) and density of < 1 Hz slow oscillations during NREM sleep. Fast (12-15 Hz) and slow (9-12 Hz) spindle activity, in particular that occurring phase-locked to the slow oscillation cycle, was decreased following tiagabine. Despite signs of deeper and more SWS, overnight retention of memory tested after sleep the next evening (19:30) was generally not improved after tiagabine, but on average even lower than after placebo, with this impairing effect reaching significance for procedural sequence finger tapping. Conclusions: Our data show that increasing slow wave sleep with tiagabine does not improve memory consolidation. Possibly this is due to functional differences from normal slow wave sleep, i.e., the concurrent suppressive influence of tiagabine on phase-locked spindle activity. Citation: Feld GB; Wilhelm I; Ma Y; Groch S; Binkofski F; Mölle M; Born J. Slow wave sleep induced by GABA agonist tiagabine fails to benefit memory consolidation. SLEEP 2013;36(9):1317-1326. PMID:23997364

A Mechanism for Upper Airway Stability during Slow Wave Sleep

PubMed Central

McSharry, David G.; Saboisky, Julian P.; DeYoung, Pam; Matteis, Paul; Jordan, Amy S.; Trinder, John; Smales, Erik; Hess, Lauren; Guo, Mengshuang; Malhotra, Atul

2013-01-01

Study Objectives: The severity of obstructive sleep apnea is diminished (sometimes markedly) during slow wave sleep (SWS). We sought to understand why SWS stabilizes the upper airway. Increased single motor unit (SMU) activity of the major upper airway dilating muscle (genioglossus) should improve upper airway stability. Therefore, we hypothesized that genioglossus SMUs would increase their activity during SWS in comparison with Stage N2 sleep. Design: The activity of genioglossus SMUs was studied on both sides of the transition between Stage N2 sleep and SWS. Setting: Sleep laboratory. Participants: Twenty-nine subjects (age 38 ± 13 yr, 17 males) were studied. Intervention: SWS. Measurement and Results: Subjects slept overnight with fine-wire electrodes in their genioglossus muscles and with full polysomnographic and end tidal carbon dioxide monitors. Fifteen inspiratory phasic (IP) and 11 inspiratory tonic (IT) units were identified from seven subjects and these units exhibited significantly increased inspiratory discharge frequencies during SWS compared with Stage N2 sleep. The peak discharge frequency of the inspiratory units (IP and IT) was 22.7 ± 4.1 Hz in SWS versus 20.3 ± 4.5 Hz in Stage N2 (P < 0.001). The IP units also fired for a longer duration (expressed as a percentage of inspiratory time) during SWS (104.6 ± 39.5 %TI) versus Stage N2 sleep (82.6 ± 39.5 %TI, P < 0.001). The IT units fired faster during expiration in SWS (14.2 ± 1.8 Hz) versus Stage N2 sleep (12.6 ± 3.1 Hz, P = 0.035). There was minimal recruitment or derecruitment of units between SWS and Stage N2 sleep. Conclusion: Increased genioglossus SMU activity likely makes the airway more stable and resistant to collapse throughout the respiratory cycle during SWS. Citation: McSharry DG; Saboisky JP; DeYoung P; Matteis P; Jordan AS; Trinder J; Smales E; Hess L; Guo M; Malhotra A. A mechanism for upper airway stability during slow wave sleep. SLEEP 2013;36(4):555-563. PMID:23565001

Severe and protracted sleep disruptions in mouse model of post-traumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

Sharma, Rishi; Sahota, Pradeep; Thakkar, Mahesh M

2018-03-01

Increasing evidences suggest that the predator threat model is a valid animal model of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, sleep has never been examined in this model. Since sleep disturbances, including insomnia and excessive daytime sleepiness, are severe and protracted symptoms of PTSD, we hypothesized that mice exposed to predator odor trauma (POT) will display contextual fear conditioning along with severe and protracted sleep disruptions. Adult male C57BL/6J mice, instrumented with wire electrodes (to record hippocampal local field potentials [LFP] and nuchal muscle [electromyogram, EMG] activity), were exposed to contextual conditioning using soiled cat litter as unconditional stimulus (US). On day 1, fear memory acquisition (FMA) training was performed by exposing mice to contextual cage (conditional stimulus; CS) for 30 min followed by exposure to CS + US for 90 min. On day 5, fear memory recall (FMR) testing was performed by exposing mice to CS (without US) for 120 min. LFP and EMG were recorded continuously for 5 days. Mice exposed to POT displayed as follows: (1) hyperarousal coupled with electrophysiological indicators of memory acquisition and retrieval (increased hippocampal θ and γ power) during FMA and FMR; (2) increased nonrapid eye movement (NREM) δ and rapid eye movement θ power during sleep post FMA, indicating memory consolidation; (3) protracted sleep disturbances as evident by increased wakefulness, reduced NREM sleep and NREM δ power, increased NREM β power during light (sleep) period, and increased sleep during dark (active) period. Based on these results, we suggest that mice exposed to POT display severe and protracted sleep disturbances mimicking sleep disturbance observed in human PTSD.

Experienced Mindfulness Meditators Exhibit Higher Parietal-Occipital EEG Gamma Activity during NREM Sleep

PubMed Central

Ferrarelli, Fabio; Smith, Richard; Dentico, Daniela; Riedner, Brady A.; Zennig, Corinna; Benca, Ruth M.; Lutz, Antoine; Davidson, Richard J.; Tononi, Giulio

2013-01-01

Over the past several years meditation practice has gained increasing attention as a non-pharmacological intervention to provide health related benefits, from promoting general wellness to alleviating the symptoms of a variety of medical conditions. However, the effects of meditation training on brain activity still need to be fully characterized. Sleep provides a unique approach to explore the meditation-related plastic changes in brain function. In this study we performed sleep high-density electroencephalographic (hdEEG) recordings in long-term meditators (LTM) of Buddhist meditation practices (approximately 8700 mean hours of life practice) and meditation naive individuals. We found that LTM had increased parietal-occipital EEG gamma power during NREM sleep. This increase was specific for the gamma range (25–40 Hz), was not related to the level of spontaneous arousal during NREM and was positively correlated with the length of lifetime daily meditation practice. Altogether, these findings indicate that meditation practice produces measurable changes in spontaneous brain activity, and suggest that EEG gamma activity during sleep represents a sensitive measure of the long-lasting, plastic effects of meditative training on brain function. PMID:24015304

ERK signaling pathway regulates sleep duration through activity-induced gene expression during wakefulness.

PubMed

Mikhail, Cyril; Vaucher, Angélique; Jimenez, Sonia; Tafti, Mehdi

2017-01-24

Wakefulness is accompanied by experience-dependent synaptic plasticity and an increase in activity-regulated gene transcription. Wake-induced genes are certainly markers of neuronal activity and may also directly regulate the duration of and need for sleep. We stimulated murine cortical cultures with the neuromodulatory signals that are known to control wakefulness in the brain and found that norepinephrine alone or a mixture of these neuromodulators induced activity-regulated gene transcription. Pharmacological inhibition of the various signaling pathways involved in the regulation of gene expression indicated that the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway is the principal one mediating the effects of waking neuromodulators on gene expression. In mice, ERK phosphorylation in the cortex increased and decreased with wakefulness and sleep. Whole-body or cortical neuron-specific deletion of Erk1 or Erk2 significantly increased the duration of wakefulness in mice, and pharmacological inhibition of ERK phosphorylation decreased sleep duration and increased the duration of wakefulness bouts. Thus, this signaling pathway, which is highly conserved from Drosophila to mammals, is a key pathway that links waking experience-induced neuronal gene expression to sleep duration and quality. Copyright © 2017, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

A role for the preoptic sleep-promoting system in absence epilepsy.

PubMed

Suntsova, N; Kumar, S; Guzman-Marin, R; Alam, M N; Szymusiak, R; McGinty, D

2009-10-01

Absence epilepsy (AE) in humans and the genetic AE model in WAG/Rij rats are both associated with abnormalities in sleep architecture that suggest insufficiency of the sleep-promoting mechanisms. In this study we compared the functionality of sleep-active neuronal groups within two well-established sleep-promoting sites, the ventrolateral and median preoptic nuclei (VLPO and MnPN, respectively), in WAG/Rij and control rats. Neuronal activity was assessed using c-Fos immunoreactivity and chronic single-unit recording techniques. We found that WAG/Rij rats exhibited a lack of sleep-associated c-Fos activation of GABAergic MnPN and VLPO neurons, a lower percentage of MnPN and VLPO cells increasing discharge during sleep and reduced firing rates of MnPN sleep-active neurons, compared to non-epileptic rats. The role of sleep-promoting mechanisms in pathogenesis of absence seizures was assessed in non-epileptic rats using electrical stimulation and chemical manipulations restricted to the MnPN. We found that fractional activation of the sleep-promoting system in waking was sufficient to elicit absence-like seizures. Given that reciprocally interrelated sleep-promoting and arousal neuronal groups control thalamocortical excitability, we hypothesize that malfunctioning of sleep-promoting system results in impaired ascending control over thalamocortical rhythmogenic mechanisms during wake-sleep transitions thus favoring aberrant thalamocortical oscillations. Our findings suggest a pathological basis for AE-associated sleep abnormalities and a mechanism underlying association of absence seizures with wake-sleep transitions.

Mice Lacking Alternatively Activated (M2) Macrophages Show Impairments in Restorative Sleep after Sleep Loss and in Cold Environment.

PubMed

Massie, Ashley; Boland, Erin; Kapás, Levente; Szentirmai, Éva

2018-06-05

The relationship between sleep, metabolism and immune functions has been described, but the cellular components of the interaction are incompletely identified. We previously reported that systemic macrophage depletion results in sleep impairment after sleep loss and in cold environment. These findings point to the role of macrophage-derived signals in maintaining normal sleep. Macrophages exist either in resting form, classically activated, pro-inflammatory (M1) or alternatively activated, anti-inflammatory (M2) phenotypes. In the present study we determined the contribution of M2 macrophages to sleep signaling by using IL-4 receptor α-chain-deficient [IL-4Rα knockout (KO)] mice, which are unable to produce M2 macrophages. Sleep deprivation induced robust increases in non-rapid-eye-movement sleep (NREMS) and slow-wave activity in wild-type (WT) animals. NREMS rebound after sleep deprivation was ~50% less in IL-4Rα KO mice. Cold exposure induced reductions in rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMS) and NREMS in both WT and KO mice. These differences were augmented in IL-4Rα KO mice, which lost ~100% more NREMS and ~25% more REMS compared to WTs. Our finding that M2 macrophage-deficient mice have the same sleep phenotype as mice with global macrophage depletion reconfirms the significance of macrophages in sleep regulation and suggests that the main contributors are the alternatively activated M2 cells.

A review of current sleep screening applications for smartphones.

PubMed

Behar, Joachim; Roebuck, Aoife; Domingos, João S; Gederi, Elnaz; Clifford, Gari D

2013-07-01

Sleep disorders are a common problem and contribute to a wide range of healthcare issues. The societal and financial costs of sleep disorders are enormous. Sleep-related disorders are often diagnosed with an overnight sleep test called a polysomnogram, or sleep study involving the measurement of brain activity through the electroencephalogram. Other parameters monitored include oxygen saturation, respiratory effort, cardiac activity (through the electrocardiogram), as well as video recording, sound and movement activity. Monitoring can be costly and removes the patients from their normal sleeping environment, preventing repeated unbiased studies. The recent increase in adoption of smartphones, with high quality on-board sensors has led to the proliferation of many sleep screening applications running on the phone. However, with the exception of simple questionnaires, no existing sleep-related application available for smartphones is based on scientific evidence. This paper reviews the existing smartphone applications landscape used in the field of sleep disorders and proposes possible advances to improve screening approaches.

Effects of Sleep Fragmentation on Glucose Metabolism in Normal Subjects

PubMed Central

Stamatakis, Katherine A.

2010-01-01

Background: Sleep disorders are increasingly associated with insulin resistance, glucose intolerance, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Whether the metabolic toll imposed by sleep-related disorders is caused by poor-quality sleep or due to other confounding factors is not known. The objective of this study was to examine whether experimental sleep fragmentation across all sleep stages would alter glucose metabolism, adrenocortical function, and sympathovagal balance. Methods: Sleep was experimentally fragmented across all stages in 11 healthy, normal volunteers for two nights using auditory and mechanical stimuli. Primary outcomes included insulin sensitivity (SI), glucose effectiveness (SG), and insulin secretion, as determined by the intravenous glucose tolerance test. Secondary outcomes included measures of sympathovagal balance and serum levels of inflammatory markers, adipokines, and cortisol. Results: Following two nights of sleep fragmentation, SI decreased from 5.02 to 3.76 (mU/L)−1min−1 (P < .0001). SG, which is the ability of glucose to mobilize itself independent of an insulin response, also decreased from 2.73 × 10−2 min−1 to 2.16 × 10−2 min−1 (P < .01). Sleep fragmentation led to an increase in morning cortisol levels and a shift in sympathovagal balance toward an increase in sympathetic nervous system activity. Markers of systemic inflammation and serum adipokines were unchanged with sleep fragmentation. Conclusions: Fragmentation of sleep across all stages is associated with a decrease in SI and SG. Increases in sympathetic nervous system and adrenocortical activity likely mediate the adverse metabolic effects of poor sleep quality. PMID:19542260

The use of actigraphy in the monitoring of sleep and activity in ADHD: A meta-analysis.

PubMed

De Crescenzo, Franco; Licchelli, Serena; Ciabattini, Marco; Menghini, Deny; Armando, Marco; Alfieri, Paolo; Mazzone, Luigi; Pontrelli, Giuseppe; Livadiotti, Susanna; Foti, Francesca; Quested, Digby; Vicari, Stefano

2016-04-01

Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common neurobehavioral disorder of childhood. There is an increasing need to find objective measures and markers of the disorder in order to assess the efficacy of the therapies and to improve follow-up strategies. Actigraphy is an objective method for recording motor activity and sleep parameters that has been used in many studies in ADHD. Our meta-analysis aimed to assess the current evidence on the role of actigraphy in both the detection of changes in motor activity and in sleep patterns in ADHD. A systematic review was carried out to find studies comparing children with unmedicated ADHD versus controls, using actigraphic measures as an outcome. The primary outcome measures were "sleep duration" and daytime "activity mean". As secondary outcome measures we analyzed "sleep onset latency", "sleep efficiency" and "wake after sleep onset". Twenty-four studies comprising 2179 children were included in this review. We show evidence that ADHD compared to typically developing children present a higher mean activity during structured sessions, a similar sleep duration, and a moderately altered sleep pattern. This study highlights the role of actigraphy as an objective tool for the ambulatory monitoring of sleep and activity in ADHD. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Go Signaling in Mushroom Bodies Regulates Sleep in Drosophila

PubMed Central

Guo, Fang; Yi, Wei; Zhou, Mingmin; Guo, Aike

2011-01-01

Study Objectives: Sleep is a fundamental physiological process and its biological mechanisms are poorly understood. In Drosophila melanogaster, heterotrimeric Go protein is abundantly expressed in the brain. However, its post-developmental function has not been extensively explored. Design: Locomotor activity was measured using the Drosophila Activity Monitoring System under a 12:12 LD cycle. Sleep was defined as periods of 5 min with no recorded activity. Results: Pan-neuronal elevation of Go signaling induced quiescence accompanied by an increased arousal threshold in flies. By screening region-specific GAL4 lines, we mapped the sleep-regulatory function of Go signaling to mushroom bodies (MBs), a central brain region which modulates memory, decision making, and sleep in Drosophila. Up-regulation of Go activity in these neurons consolidated sleep while inhibition of endogenous Go via expression of Go RNAi or pertussis toxin reduced and fragmented sleep, indicating that the Drosophila sleep requirement is affected by levels of Go activity in the MBs. Genetic interaction results showed that Go signaling serves as a neuronal transmission inhibitor in a cAMP-independent pathway. Conclusion: Go signaling is a novel signaling pathway in MBs that regulates sleep in Drosophila. Citation: Guo F; Yi W; Zhou M; Guo A. Go signaling in mushroom bodies regulates sleep in drosophila. SLEEP 2011;34(3):273-281. PMID:21358844

Trazodone increases the respiratory arousal threshold in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and a low arousal threshold.

PubMed

Eckert, Danny J; Malhotra, Atul; Wellman, Andrew; White, David P

2014-04-01

The effect of common sedatives on upper airway physiology and breathing during sleep in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been minimally studied. Conceptually, certain sedatives may worsen OSA in some patients. However, sleep and breathing could improve with certain sedatives in patients with OSA with a low respiratory arousal threshold. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that trazodone increases the respiratory arousal threshold in patients with OSA and a low arousal threshold. Secondary aims were to examine the effects of trazodone on upper airway dilator muscle activity, upper airway collapsibility, and breathing during sleep. Patients were studied on 4 separate nights according to a within-subjects cross-over design. Sleep physiology laboratory. Seven patients with OSA and a low respiratory arousal threshold. In-laboratory polysomnograms were obtained at baseline and after 100 mg of trazodone was administered, followed by detailed overnight physiology experiments under the same conditions. During physiology studies, continuous positive airway pressure was transiently lowered to measure arousal threshold (negative epiglottic pressure prior to arousal), dilator muscle activity (genioglossus and tensor palatini), and upper airway collapsibility (Pcrit). Trazodone increased the respiratory arousal threshold by 32 ± 6% (-11.5 ± 1.4 versus -15.3 ± 2.2 cmH2O, P < 0.01) but did not alter the apnea-hypopnea index (39 ± 12 versus 39 ± 11 events/h sleep, P = 0.94). Dilator muscle activity and Pcrit also did not systematically change with trazodone. Trazodone increases the respiratory arousal threshold in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and a low arousal threshold without major impairment in dilator muscle activity or upper airway collapsibility. However, the magnitude of change in arousal threshold was insufficient to overcome the compromised upper airway anatomy in these patients.

The role of the brown adipose tissue in β3-adrenergic receptor activation-induced sleep, metabolic and feeding responses.

PubMed

Szentirmai, Éva; Kapás, Levente

2017-04-19

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is regulated by the sympathetic nervous system via β3-adrenergic receptors (β3-AR). Here we tested the hypothesis that pharmacological stimulation of β3-ARs leads to increased sleep in mice and if this change is BAT dependent. In wild-type (WT) animals, administration of CL-316,243, a selective β3-AR agonist, induced significant increases in non-rapid-eye movement sleep (NREMS) lasting for 4-10 h. Simultaneously, electroencephalographic slow-wave activity (SWA) was significantly decreased and body temperature was increased with a delay of 5-6 h. In uncoupling protein 1 (UCP-1) knockout mice, the middle and highest doses of the β3-AR agonist increased sleep and suppressed SWA, however, these effects were significantly attenuated and shorter-lasting as compared to WT animals. To determine if somnogenic signals arising from BAT in response to β3-AR stimulation are mediated by the sensory afferents of BAT, we tested the effects of CL-316,243 in mice with the chemical deafferentation of the intra-scapular BAT pads. Sleep responses to CL-316,243 were attenuated by ~50% in intra-BAT capsaicin-treated mice. Present findings indicate that the activation of BAT via β3-AR leads to increased sleep in mice and that this effect is dependent on the presence of UCP-1 protein and sleep responses require the intact sensory innervation of BAT.

[The bidirectional relationship between physical activity and sleep in depressed versus non-depressed individuals].

PubMed

Oude Oosterik, N A M; Bouwmans, M E J; de Groot, I W; Bos, E H; de Jonge, P

Sleep and physical activity are related, but the direction of this relationship is unclear and it is not known whether the direction differs in depressed and non-depressed persons. To study the bidirectional relationship between physical activity and sleep in daily life by making repeated measurements in depressed and non-depressed people. Every day for 30 consecutive days each depressed (N = 27) and non-depressed (N = 27) participant in our study had to complete an electronic questionnaire relating to subjective sleep quality and sleep duration and were required to wear an accelerometer that recorded physical activity. Multi-level analysis showed that an increase in subjective sleep duration resulted in a decrease in physical activity. The differences between individuals with regard to the direction and strength of this relationship were significant. Changes in physical activity did not predict changes in sleep quality or sleep duration. We did not find any differences in the relationships for depressed and non-depressed participants. Change in sleep duration predicts change in physical activity, although there was significant heterogeneity in the results for individuals. Our findings underline the importance of further research and of the development of interventions that are tailored to the precise needs of the individual patient.

Dietary heat-killed Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803 promotes voluntary wheel-running and affects sleep rhythms in mice.

PubMed

Miyazaki, Koyomi; Itoh, Nanako; Yamamoto, Saori; Higo-Yamamoto, Sayaka; Nakakita, Yasukazu; Kaneda, Hirotaka; Shigyo, Tatsuro; Oishi, Katsutaka

2014-08-28

We previously reported that heat-killed Lactobacillus brevis SBC8803 enhances appetite via changes in autonomic neurotransmission. Here we assessed whether a diet supplemented with heat-killed SBC8803 affects circadian locomotor rhythmicity and sleep architecture. Daily total activity gradually increased in mice over 4 weeks and supplementation with heat-killed SBC8803 significantly intensified the increase, which reached saturation at 25 days. Electroencephalography revealed that SBC8803 supplementation significantly reduced the total amount of time spent in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and increased the amount of time spent being awake during the latter half of the nighttime, but tended to increase the total amount of time spent in NREM sleep during the daytime. Dietary supplementation with SBC8803 can extend the duration of activity during the nighttime and of sleep during the daytime. Daily voluntary wheel-running and sleep rhythmicity become intensified when heat-killed SBC8803 is added to the diet. Dietary heat-killed SBC8803 can modulate circadian locomotion and sleep rhythms, which might benefit individuals with circadian rhythms that have been disrupted by stress or ageing. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Role of Orexin in Respiratory and Sleep Homeostasis during Upper Airway Obstruction in Rats

PubMed Central

Tarasiuk, Ariel; Levi, Avishag; Berdugo-Boura, Nilly; Yahalom, Ari; Segev, Yael

2014-01-01

Study Objectives: Chronic upper airway obstruction (UAO) elicits a cascade of complex endocrine derangements that affect growth, sleep, and energy metabolism. We hypothesized that elevated hypothalamic orexin has a role in maintaining ventilation during UAO, while at the same time altering sleep-wake activity and energy metabolism. Here, we sought to explore the UAO-induced changes in hypothalamic orexin and their role in sleep-wake balance, respiratory activity, and energy metabolism. Interventions: The tracheae of 22-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were surgically narrowed; UAO and sham-operated control animals were monitored for 7 weeks. We measured food intake, body weight, temperature, locomotion, and sleep-wake activity. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to quantify subcutaneous and visceral fat tissue volumes. In week 7, the rats were sacrificed and levels of hypothalamic orexin, serum leptin, and corticosterone were determined. The effect of dual orexin receptor antagonist (almorexant 300 mg/kg) on sleep and respiration was also explored. Measurements and Results: UAO increased hypothalamic orexin mRNA and protein content by 64% and 65%, respectively. UAO led to 30% chronic sleep loss, excessive active phase sleepiness, decreased body temperature, increased food intake, reduction of abdominal and subcutaneous fat tissue volume, and growth retardation. Administration of almorexant normalized sleep but induced severe breathing difficulties in UAO rats, while it had no effect on sleep or on breathing of control animals. Conclusions: In upper airway obstruction animals, enhanced orexin secretion, while crucially important for respiratory homeostasis maintenance, is also responsible for chronic partial sleep loss, as well as considerable impairment of energy metabolism and growth. Citation: Tarasiuk A, Levi A, Berdugo-Boura N, Yahalom A, Segev Y. Role of orexin in respiratory and sleep homeostasis during upper airway obstruction in rats. SLEEP 2014;37(5):987-998. PMID:24790278

Sleep deprived and sweating it out: the effects of total sleep deprivation on skin conductance reactivity to psychosocial stress.

PubMed

Liu, Jean C J; Verhulst, Silvan; Massar, Stijn A A; Chee, Michael W L

2015-01-01

We examined how sleep deprivation alters physiological responses to psychosocial stress by evaluating changes in skin conductance. Between-subjects design with one group allocated to 24 h of total sleep deprivation and the other to rested wakefulness. The study took place in a research laboratory. Participants were 40 healthy young adults recruited from a university. Sleep deprivation and feedback. Electrodermal activity was monitored while participants completed a difficult perceptual task with false feedback. All participants showed increased skin conductance levels following stress. However, compared to well-rested participants, sleep deprived participants showed higher skin conductance reactivity with increasing stress levels. Our results suggest that sleep deprivation augments allostatic responses to increasing psychosocial stress. Consequentially, we propose sleep loss as a risk factor that can influence the pathogenic effects of stress. © 2014 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

The impact of sleep on female sexual response and behavior: a pilot study.

PubMed

Kalmbach, David A; Arnedt, J Todd; Pillai, Vivek; Ciesla, Jeffrey A

2015-05-01

The etiological role of sleep disturbance in sexual difficulties has been largely overlooked. Research suggests that short sleep duration and poor sleep quality lead to poor female sexual response. However, prior research consists of cross-sectional studies, and the influence of sleep on sexual functioning and behavior has not been prospectively examined. We sought to examine the influence of nightly sleep duration, sleep quality, and sleep onset latency on daily female sexual response and activity. This study used a longitudinal design to study 171 women free of antidepressants and with reliable Internet access who were recruited from a university setting in the United States. Participants first completed baseline measures in a laboratory, and then completed web-delivered surveys at their habitual wake time for 14 consecutive days. All outcome measures were modified for daily recall. Participants completed the Profile of Female Sexual Function's desire, subjective arousal, and orgasmic functioning scales and the Female Sexual Function Index's genital arousal scale, and indicated whether they engaged in partnered sexual activity or self-stimulation in response to dichotomous items. Analyses revealed that longer sleep duration was related to greater next-day sexual desire (b = 0.32, P = 0.02), and that a 1-hour increase in sleep length corresponded to a 14% increase in odds of engaging in partnered sexual activity (odds ratio = 1.14, P < 0.05). In contrast, sleeping longer predicted poorer next-day genital arousal (b = -0.19, P < 0.01). However, results showed that women with longer average sleep duration reported better genital arousal than women with shorter average sleep length (b = 0.54, P = 0.03). Obtaining sufficient sleep is important to the promotion of healthy sexual desire and genital response, as well as the likelihood of engaging in partnered sexual activity. These relationships were independent of daytime affect and fatigue. Future directions may investigate sleep disorders as risk factors for sexual dysfunction. © 2015 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Chronic sleep fragmentation during the sleep period induces hypothalamic endoplasmic reticulum stress and PTP1b-mediated leptin resistance in male mice.

PubMed

Hakim, Fahed; Wang, Yang; Carreras, Alba; Hirotsu, Camila; Zhang, Jing; Peris, Eduard; Gozal, David

2015-01-01

Sleep fragmentation (SF) is highly prevalent and may constitute an important contributing factor to excessive weight gain and the metabolic syndrome. Increased endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR) leading to the attenuation of leptin receptor signaling in the hypothalamus leads to obesity and metabolic dysfunction. Mice were exposed to SF and sleep control (SC) for varying periods of time during which ingestive behaviors were monitored. UPR pathways and leptin receptor signaling were assessed in hypothalami. To further examine the mechanistic role of ER stress, changes in leptin receptor (ObR) signaling were also examined in wild-type mice treated with the ER chaperone tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA), as well as in CHOP-/+ transgenic mice. Fragmented sleep in male mice induced increased food intake starting day 3 and thereafter, which was preceded by increases in ER stress and activation of all three UPR pathways in the hypothalamus. Although ObR expression was unchanged, signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) phosphorylation was decreased, suggesting reduced ObR signaling. Unchanged suppressor of cytokine signaling-3 (SOCS3) expression and increases in protein-tyrosine phosphatase 1B (PTP1B) expression and activity emerged with SF, along with reduced p-STAT3 responses to exogenous leptin. SF-induced effects were reversed following TUDCA treatment and were absent in CHOP -/+ mice. SF induces hyperphagic behaviors and reduced leptin signaling in hypothalamus that are mediated by activation of ER stress, and ultimately lead to increased PTP1B activity. ER stress pathways are therefore potentially implicated in SF-induced weight gain and metabolic dysfunction, and may represent a viable therapeutic target. © 2014 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Relationship of activities outside work to sleep and depression/anxiety disorders in Korean workers: the 4th Korean working condition survey.

PubMed

Lee, Kyung-Jae; Jung, Sung Won; Lee, Hee Sung; Kim, Guang Hwi; Lee, Jae Gwang; Lee, June-Hee; Kim, Joo Ja

2017-01-01

Sleep disorders and depression/anxiety disorders are long-standing and significant problem for mental health. Also there are already known so many negative health effect of these disorders. But there were few studies to examine the association between activities outside work and forementioned disorders. So this study aimed the association of those things by using the Republic of Korean data. Data from 32,232 wage workers were used in the 4th Korean Working Condition Survey. General and occupational characteristics, sleep disorders, depression/anxiety disorders and activities outside work are included in questionnaire. To find the relationship between activities outside work and sleep, depression/anxiety disorders, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used after adjusting for general and occupational characteristics. We observed that volunteer activities increased the odds ratio of both sleep disorders and depression/anxiety disorders(Odds ratio[OR] = 1.35, 95% confidence interval[CI]: 1.03-1.78 and OR = 1.54, 95% CI: 1.29-1.84, respectively). And self-development activities increase the odds ratio of sleep disorders(OR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.17-1.57). Gardening activities lowered the odds ratio of depression/anxiety disorders(OR = 0.74, 95% CI: 0.59-0.94). Some of activities outside work were related to sleep disorders and depression/anxiety disorders among Korean wage workers. Our results showed negative health effect of some kinds of activities outside work such as volunteering and self-devlopment compared to other studies that emphasized positive effect of those activities for health.

Trazodone Increases the Respiratory Arousal Threshold in Patients with Obstructive Sleep Apnea and a Low Arousal Threshold

PubMed Central

Eckert, Danny J.; Malhotra, Atul; Wellman, Andrew; White, David P.

2014-01-01

Study Objectives: The effect of common sedatives on upper airway physiology and breathing during sleep in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been minimally studied. Conceptually, certain sedatives may worsen OSA in some patients. However, sleep and breathing could improve with certain sedatives in patients with OSA with a low respiratory arousal threshold. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that trazodone increases the respiratory arousal threshold in patients with OSA and a low arousal threshold. Secondary aims were to examine the effects of trazodone on upper airway dilator muscle activity, upper airway collapsibility, and breathing during sleep. Design: Patients were studied on 4 separate nights according to a within-subjects cross-over design. Setting: Sleep physiology laboratory. Patients: Seven patients with OSA and a low respiratory arousal threshold. Interventions: In-laboratory polysomnograms were obtained at baseline and after 100 mg of trazodone was administered, followed by detailed overnight physiology experiments under the same conditions. During physiology studies, continuous positive airway pressure was transiently lowered to measure arousal threshold (negative epiglottic pressure prior to arousal), dilator muscle activity (genioglossus and tensor palatini), and upper airway collapsibility (Pcrit). Measurements and Results: Trazodone increased the respiratory arousal threshold by 32 ± 6% (-11.5 ± 1.4 versus -15.3 ± 2.2 cmH2O, P < 0.01) but did not alter the apnea-hypopnea index (39 ± 12 versus 39 ± 11 events/h sleep, P = 0.94). Dilator muscle activity and Pcrit also did not systematically change with trazodone. Conclusions: Trazodone increases the respiratory arousal threshold in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and a low arousal threshold without major impairment in dilator muscle activity or upper airway collapsibility. However, the magnitude of change in arousal threshold was insufficient to overcome the compromised upper airway anatomy in these patients. Citation: Eckert DJ; Malhotra A; Wellman A; White DP. Trazodone increases the respiratory arousal threshold in patients with obstructive sleep apnea and a low arousal threshold. SLEEP 2014;37(4):811-819. PMID:24899767

Quantitative differences among EMG activities of muscles innervated by subpopulations of hypoglossal and upper spinal motoneurons during non-REM sleep - REM sleep transitions: a window on neural processes in the sleeping brain.

PubMed

Rukhadze, I; Kamani, H; Kubin, L

2011-12-01

In the rat, a species widely used to study the neural mechanisms of sleep and motor control, lingual electromyographic activity (EMG) is minimal during non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep and then phasic twitches gradually increase after the onset of REM sleep. To better characterize the central neural processes underlying this pattern, we quantified EMG of muscles innervated by distinct subpopulations of hypoglossal motoneurons and nuchal (N) EMG during transitions from non-REM sleep to REM sleep. In 8 chronically instrumented rats, we recorded cortical EEG, EMG at sites near the base of the tongue where genioglossal and intrinsic muscle fibers predominate (GG-I), EMG of the geniohyoid (GH) muscle, and N EMG. Sleep-wake states were identified and EMGs quantified relative to their mean levels in wakefulness in successive 10 s epochs. During non-REM sleep, the average EMG levels differed among the three muscles, with the order being N>GH>GG-I. During REM sleep, due to different magnitudes of phasic twitches, the order was reversed to GG-I>GH>N. GG-I and GH exhibited a gradual increase of twitching that peaked at 70-120 s after the onset of REM sleep and then declined if the REM sleep episode lasted longer. We propose that a common phasic excitatory generator impinges on motoneuron pools that innervate different muscles, but twitching magnitudes are different due to different levels of tonic motoneuronal hyperpolarization. We also propose that REM sleep episodes of average durations are terminated by intense activity of the central generator of phasic events, whereas long REM sleep episodes end as a result of a gradual waning of the tonic disfacilitatory and inhibitory processes.

The effect of sleep deprivation on BOLD activity elicited by a divided attention task.

PubMed

Jackson, Melinda L; Hughes, Matthew E; Croft, Rodney J; Howard, Mark E; Crewther, David; Kennedy, Gerard A; Owens, Katherine; Pierce, Rob J; O'Donoghue, Fergal J; Johnston, Patrick

2011-06-01

Sleep loss, widespread in today's society and associated with a number of clinical conditions, has a detrimental effect on a variety of cognitive domains including attention. This study examined the sequelae of sleep deprivation upon BOLD fMRI activation during divided attention. Twelve healthy males completed two randomized sessions; one after 27 h of sleep deprivation and one after a normal night of sleep. During each session, BOLD fMRI was measured while subjects completed a cross-modal divided attention task (visual and auditory). After normal sleep, increased BOLD activation was observed bilaterally in the superior frontal gyrus and the inferior parietal lobe during divided attention performance. Subjects reported feeling significantly more sleepy in the sleep deprivation session, and there was a trend towards poorer divided attention task performance. Sleep deprivation led to a down regulation of activation in the left superior frontal gyrus, possibly reflecting an attenuation of top-down control mechanisms on the attentional system. These findings have implications for understanding the neural correlates of divided attention and the neurofunctional changes that occur in individuals who are sleep deprived.

Sleep restores behavioral plasticity to Drosophila mutants

PubMed Central

Dissel, Stephane; Angadi, Veena; Kirszenblat, Leonie; Suzuki, Yasuko; Donlea, Jeff; Klose, Markus; Koch, Zachary; English, Denis; Winsky-Sommerer, Raphaelle; van Swinderen, Bruno; Shaw, Paul J.

2015-01-01

SUMMARY Given the role that sleep plays in modulating plasticity, we hypothesized that increasing sleep would restore memory to canonical memory mutants without specifically rescuing the causal molecular-lesion. Sleep was increased using three independent strategies: activating the dorsal Fan Shaped Body (FB), increasing the expression of Fatty acid binding protein (dFabp) or by administering the GABA-A agonist 4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo-[5,4-c]pyridine-3-ol (THIP). Short-term memory (STM) or Long-term memory (LTM) was evaluated in rutabaga (rut) and dunce (dnc) mutants using Aversive Phototaxic Suppression (APS) and courtship conditioning. Each of the three independent strategies increased sleep and restored memory to rut and dnc mutants. Importantly, inducing sleep also reverses memory defects in a Drosophila model of Alzheimer’s disease. Together these data demonstrate that sleep plays a more fundamental role in modulating behavioral plasticity than previously appreciated and suggests that increasing sleep may benefit patients with certain neurological disorders. PMID:25913403

Biomechanics-based active control of bedding support properties and its influence on sleep.

PubMed

Van Deun, D; Verhaert, V; Willemen, T; Wuyts, J; Verbraecken, J; Exadaktylos, V; Haex, B; Vander Sloten, J

2012-01-01

Proper body support plays an import role in the recuperation of our body during sleep. Therefore, this study uses an automatically adapting bedding system that optimises spinal alignment throughout the night by altering the stiffness of eight comfort zones. The aim is to investigate the influence of such a dynamic sleep environment on objective and subjective sleep parameters. The bedding system contains 165 sensors that measure mattress indentation. It also includes eight actuators that control the comfort zones. Based on the measured mattress indentation, body movements and posture changes are detected. Control of spinal alignment is established by fitting personalized human models in the measured indentation. A total of 11 normal sleepers participated in this study. Sleep experiments were performed in a sleep laboratory where subjects slept three nights: a first night for adaptation, a reference night and an active support night (in counterbalanced order). Polysomnographic measurements were recorded during the nights, combined with questionnaires aiming at assessing subjective information. Subjective information on sleep quality, daytime quality and perceived number of awakenings shows significant improvements during the active support (ACS) night. Objective results showed a trend towards increased slow wave sleep. On the other hand, it was noticed that % N1-sleep was significantly increased during ACS night, while % N2-sleep was significantly decreased. No prolonged N1 periods were found during or immediately after steering.

Sleep and stress in man: an approach through exercise and exposure to extreme environments.

PubMed

Buguet, A; Cespuglio, R; Radomski, M W

1998-05-01

In this paper, the effects of exercise on human sleep (in temperate, cold, and hot climates) are compared with those of exposure to extreme environments (tropical, polar climates). Exercise has two effect: (i) when the exercise load is too heavy or if the subject is not trained to the exercise conditions, the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA) is strongly activated (somatic stress reaction), and a diachronic (delayed) decrease in total sleep time and slow-wave sleep (SWS) occurs with a synchronic (concomitant) sleep disruption (such as a decrease in REM sleep); (ii) a diachronic enhancement of SWS and (or) REM sleep occurs during moderate training and in athletes, with a moderate HPA activation (neurogenic stress reaction). Heat acclimatization (neurogenic stress response) results in a diachronic increase in SWS, contrary to acute heat exposure (somatic stress) which leads to a diachronic decrease in SWS. Nocturnal cold exposure (somatic and (or) neurogenic stress) provokes a synchronic decrease in REM sleep with an activation of stress hormones, which are reduced by previous acclimation (neurogenic pathway); SWS remains undisturbed in the cold, as it occurs at the beginning of the night before body cooling. In conclusion, when the brain can deal with the stressor (neurogenic stress), diachronic increases in SWS and (or) REM sleep occur. When these "central" mechanisms are overloaded, the classical "somatic" stress reaction occurs with diachronic and synchronic disruptions of the sleep structure.

Tailored lighting intervention improves measures of sleep, depression, and agitation in persons with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementia living in long-term care facilities

PubMed Central

Figueiro, Mariana G; Plitnick, Barbara A; Lok, Anna; Jones, Geoffrey E; Higgins, Patricia; Hornick, Thomas R; Rea, Mark S

2014-01-01

Background Light therapy has shown great promise as a nonpharmacological method to improve symptoms associated with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD), with preliminary studies demonstrating that appropriately timed light exposure can improve nighttime sleep efficiency, reduce nocturnal wandering, and alleviate evening agitation. Since the human circadian system is maximally sensitive to short-wavelength (blue) light, lower, more targeted lighting interventions for therapeutic purposes, can be used. Methods The present study investigated the effectiveness of a tailored lighting intervention for individuals with ADRD living in nursing homes. Low-level “bluish-white” lighting designed to deliver high circadian stimulation during the daytime was installed in 14 nursing home resident rooms for a period of 4 weeks. Light–dark and rest–activity patterns were collected using a Daysimeter. Sleep time and sleep efficiency measures were obtained using the rest–activity data. Measures of sleep quality, depression, and agitation were collected using standardized questionnaires, at baseline, at the end of the 4-week lighting intervention, and 4 weeks after the lighting intervention was removed. Results The lighting intervention significantly (P<0.05) decreased global sleep scores from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and increased total sleep time and sleep efficiency. The lighting intervention also increased phasor magnitude, a measure of the 24-hour resonance between light–dark and rest–activity patterns, suggesting an increase in circadian entrainment. The lighting intervention significantly (P<0.05) reduced depression scores from the Cornell Scale for Depression in Dementia and agitation scores from the Cohen–Mansfield Agitation Inventory. Conclusion A lighting intervention, tailored to increase daytime circadian stimulation, can be used to increase sleep quality and improve behavior in patients with ADRD. The present field study, while promising for application, should be replicated using a larger sample size and perhaps using longer treatment duration. PMID:25246779

Physiological changes, sleep, and morning mood in an isolated environment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kraft, Norbert O.; Inoue, Natsuhiko; Mizuno, Koh; Ohshima, Hiroshi; Murai, Tadashi; Sekiguchi, Chiharu; Orasanu, J. M. (Principal Investigator)

2002-01-01

BACKGROUND: Previous isolation studies have shown increased 24-h urine volumes and body weight gains in subjects. This project examined those and other physiological variables in relationship to sleep motor activity, subjective sleep quality, mood, and complaints during confinement. METHODS: Six male and two female subjects lived for 7 d in the National Space Development Agency of Japan's isolation chamber, which simulates the interior of the Japanese Experiment Module. Each 24-h period included 6 h of sleep, 3 meals, and 20 min of exercise. Each morning, subjects completed Sleep Sensation and Complaint Index questionnaires. Catecholamine and creatinine excretion, urine volume, and body weight were measured on the 2 d before and 2 d after confinement, and sleep motor activity was measured during confinement. RESULTS: Confinement produced no significant change in body weight, urine volume, or questionnaire results. In contrast, epinephrine, norepinephrine, and sleep motor activity exhibited significant differences during confinement (p < 0.05). Higher nocturnal norepinephrine excretion correlated with higher sleep motor activity. CONCLUSION: The 24-h epinephrine values were slightly higher than normal throughout the experiment, but lower than for subjects working under time-stress. High sympathetic activity (as indicated by norepinephrine) may have interfered with sleep.

Higher energy intake at dinner decreases parasympathetic activity during nighttime sleep in menstruating women: A randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Tada, Yuki; Yoshizaki, Takahiro; Tanaka, Izumi; Kanehara, Rieko; Kato, Misao; Hatta, Naoko; Hida, Azumi; Kawano, Yukari

2018-06-09

Previous studies have found more frequent increases in dietary intake and nonrestorative nocturnal sleep during the luteal phase than in the follicular phase, but few studies have investigated how increased energy intake at dinner influences sleep by considering the correlation between female hormone and cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity. This study examined the effects of energy intake at dinner on ANS activity during nighttime sleep in order to evaluate restorative sleep in healthy women. We also examined whether ANS activity is associated with female hormone dynamics. Twenty-four healthy collegiate women participated in this randomized crossover trial. Each was assigned to receive a High Energy Dinner (HED) or Low Energy Dinner (LED) treatment. Energy ratios of each test meal (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) to total energy intake were 1:1:2 and 1:2:1 for HED and LED treatments, respectively. Each participant wore an ECG recorder before dinner and removed it upon waking the next morning. Power spectral analysis of heart rate variability was used to calculate low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and total spectral power (TP). Cardiac sympathetic (SNS) and parasympathetic (PNS) nervous system activity were evaluated as LF/HF and HF/TP, respectively. Mean HF/TP for the entire sleeping period was lower with HED treatment compared to LED treatment (41.7 ± 11.4 vs. 45.0 ± 12.13, P = .034). Intergroup comparisons of the initial 3-h sleeping period revealed that LF/HF (0.87 ± 0.82 vs. 0.66 ± 0.82, P = .013) and HF/TP (45.6 ± 13.9 vs. 51.5 ± 11.8, P = .002) were higher and lower, respectively, with HED treatment compared to LED treatment. Progesterone levels were positively correlated with LF/HF with LED treatment, and negatively correlated with HF/TP with both HED and LED treatments. Higher energy intake at dinner increases and decreases SNS and PNS activities, respectively, resulting in nonrestorative nocturnal sleep. In addition, a negative correlation was observed between progesterone and PNS activity, highlighting the difficulty of increasing PNS activity during sleep in the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Dubious Bargain: Trading Sleep for Leno and Letterman

PubMed Central

Basner, Mathias; Dinges, David F.

2009-01-01

Study Objectives: Sleeping less than 7 hours daily impairs alertness and is associated with increased obesity, morbidity, and mortality; yet up to 40% of US adults do so. Population data indicate work time is the primary activity reciprocally related to sleep time in the United States. Reducing work time and its economic benefits to increase sleep time may not be feasible for most of the population. We sought to identify waking activities under discretionary control and adjacent to the sleep period that would be a more feasible source for increasing sleep time. Design/Participants: American Time Use Survey data from 21,475 respondents aged ≥ 15 years were pooled for the years 2003–2006 to explore activities in 2-hour periods prior to going to bed and past getting up on weekdays. Interventions: N/A Results: Long workers (≥ 8 hours) terminated bed time an average of 0.68 h earlier than short workers (< 8 hours, P < 0.0001) and 1.31 h earlier than respondents not working on the interview day (P < 0.001), but time of going to bed did not differ among groups (22:37 vs. 22:42 vs. 22:37, respectively, P = 0.385). Watching television was the primary activity people engaged in before going to bed, accounting for 55.6 min (46.3%) of the 2-h pre-bed period. In the morning, travel time and work time increased steadily toward the end of the post-awakening 2-h period, accounting for 14.8% and 12.3%, respectively. Conclusions: Watching television may be an important social Zeitgeber for the time of going to bed. Watching less television in the evening and postponing work start time in the morning appear to be the candidate behavioral changes for achieving additional sleep. While the timing of work may not be flexible, giving up some TV viewing in the evening should be possible to reduce chronic sleep debt and promote adequate sleep in those who need it. Citation: Basner M; Dinges DF. Dubious bargain: trading sleep for Leno and Letterman. SLEEP 2009;32(6):747–752. PMID:19544750

Intraindividual Increase of Homeostatic Sleep Pressure Across Acute and Chronic Sleep Loss: A High-Density EEG Study.

PubMed

Maric, Angelina; Lustenberger, Caroline; Werth, Esther; Baumann, Christian R; Poryazova, Rositsa; Huber, Reto

2017-09-01

To compare intraindividually the effects of acute sleep deprivation (ASD) and chronic sleep restriction (CSR) on the homeostatic increase in slow wave activity (SWA) and to relate it to impairments in basic cognitive functioning, that is, vigilance. The increase in SWA after ASD (40 hours of wakefulness) and after CSR (seven nights with time in bed restricted to 5 hours per night) relative to baseline sleep was assessed in nine healthy, male participants (age = 18-26 years) by high-density electroencephalography. The SWA increase during the initial part of sleep was compared between the two conditions of sleep loss. The increase in SWA was related to the increase in lapses of vigilance in the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) during the preceding days. While ASD induced a stronger increase in initial SWA than CSR, the increase was globally correlated across the two conditions in most electrodes. The increase in initial SWA was positively associated with the increase in PVT lapses. The individual homeostatic response in SWA is globally preserved across acute and chronic sleep loss, that is, individuals showing a larger increase after ASD also do so after CSR and vice versa. Furthermore, the increase in SWA is globally correlated to vigilance impairments after sleep loss over both conditions. Thus, the increase in SWA might therefore provide a physiological marker for individual differences in performance impairments after sleep loss. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Ultradian rhythms in pituitary and adrenal hormones: their relations to sleep.

PubMed

Gronfier, C; Brandenberger, G

1998-02-01

Sleep and circadian rhythmicity both influence the 24-h profiles of the main pituitary and adrenal hormones. From studies using experimental strategies including complete and partial sleep deprivation, acute and chronic shifts in the sleep period, or complete sleep-wake reversal as occurs with transmeridian travel or shift-work, it appears that prolactin (PRL) and growth hormone (GH) profiles are mainly sleep related, while cortisol profile is mainly controlled by the circadian clock with a weak influence of sleep processes. Thyrotropin (TSH) profile is under the dual influence of sleep and circadian rhythmicity. Recent studies, in which we used spectral analysis of sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) rather than visual scoring of sleep stages, have evaluated the temporal associations between pulsatile hormonal release and the variations in sleep EEG activity. Pulses in PRL and in GH are positively linked to increases in delta wave activity, whereas TSH and cortisol pulses are related to decreases in delta wave activity. It is yet not clear whether sleep influences endocrine secretion, or conversely, whether hormone secretion affects sleep structure. These well-defined relationships raise the question of their physiological significance and of their clinical implications.

"Always Look on the Bright Side of Life!" - Higher Hypomania Scores Are Associated with Higher Mental Toughness, Increased Physical Activity, and Lower Symptoms of Depression and Lower Sleep Complaints.

PubMed

Jahangard, Leila; Rahmani, Anahita; Haghighi, Mohammad; Ahmadpanah, Mohammad; Sadeghi Bahmani, Dena; Soltanian, Ali R; Shirzadi, Shahriar; Bajoghli, Hafez; Gerber, Markus; Holsboer-Trachsler, Edith; Brand, Serge

2017-01-01

Background: In the present study, we explored the associations between hypomania, symptoms of depression, sleep complaints, physical activity and mental toughness. The latter construct has gained interest for its association with a broad variety of favorable behavior in both clinical and non-clinical samples. Subjects and Methods: The non-clinical sample consisted of 206 young adults ( M = 21.3 years; age range: 18-24 years; 57.3% males). They completed questionnaires covering hypomania, mental toughness, symptoms of depression, physical activity, and sleep quality. Results: Higher hypomania scores were associated with higher mental toughness, increased physical activity, lower symptoms of depression and lower sleep complaints. No gender differences were observed. Higher hypomania scores were predicted by higher scores of mental toughness subscales of control and challenge, and physical activity. Conclusion: The pattern of results suggests that among a non-clinical sample of young adults, self-rated hypomania scores were associated with higher scores on mental toughness and physical activity, along with lower depression and sleep complaints. The pattern of results further suggests that hypomania traits are associated with a broad range of favorable psychological, behavioral and sleep-related traits, at least among a non-clinical sample of young adults.

Daytime Sleepiness Increases With Age in Early Adolescence: A Sleep Restriction Dose-Response Study.

PubMed

Campbell, Ian G; Burright, Christopher S; Kraus, Amanda M; Grimm, Kevin J; Feinberg, Irwin

2017-05-01

Daytime sleepiness increases across adolescence. This increase is commonly attributed to insufficient sleep durations resulting from increasingly limited time in bed. We tested the effects of 3 sleep schedules on daytime sleepiness and whether these effects changed with age in early adolescence. In 77 children ranging in age from 9.9 to 14 years, objective (multiple sleep latency test [MSLT]) and subjective (Karolinska sleepiness scale [KSS]) sleepiness was measured following 4 consecutive nights of either 7, 8.5, or 10 hours in bed. All participants completed all 3 sleep schedules. The order in which they completed the schedules was not randomized but was accounted for in all statistical analyses. Time in bed restriction decreased sleep duration and increased objective and subjective daytime sleepiness. Although the sleep durations did not change with age, the likelihood of falling asleep during the MSLT increased with age. Nevertheless, sleep restriction produced a greater increase in MSLT-measured sleepiness in younger participants. Subjective sleepiness measured with the KSS increased with shorter sleep duration, but this effect did not change with age. Increasing objective daytime sleepiness in early adolescence cannot simply be attributed to reduced sleep due to restricted sleep schedules. We propose that some of the increased daytime sleepiness of adolescents is a consequence of adolescent brain reorganization driven by synaptic pruning which decreases the intensity of waking brain activity. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Arousal from sleep does not lead to reduced dilator muscle activity or elevated upper airway resistance on return to sleep in healthy individuals.

PubMed

Jordan, Amy S; Cori, Jennifer M; Dawson, Andrew; Nicholas, Christian L; O'Donoghue, Fergal J; Catcheside, Peter G; Eckert, Danny J; McEvoy, R Doug; Trinder, John

2015-01-01

To compare changes in end-tidal CO2, genioglossus muscle activity and upper airway resistance following tone-induced arousal and the return to sleep in healthy individuals with small and large ventilatory responses to arousal. Observational study. Two sleep physiology laboratories. 35 men and 25 women with no medical or sleep disorders. Auditory tones to induce 3-s to 15-s cortical arousals from sleep. During arousal from sleep, subjects with large ventilatory responses to arousal had higher ventilation (by analytical design) and tidal volume, and more marked reductions in the partial pressure of end-tidal CO2 compared to subjects with small ventilatory responses to arousal. However, following the return to sleep, ventilation, genioglossus muscle activity, and upper airway resistance did not differ between high and low ventilatory response groups (Breath 1 on return to sleep: ventilation 6.7±0.4 and 5.5±0.3 L/min, peak genioglossus activity 3.4%±1.0% and 4.8%±1.0% maximum, upper airway resistance 4.7±0.7 and 5.5±1.0 cm H2O/L/s, respectively). Furthermore, dilator muscle activity did not fall below the pre-arousal sleeping level and upper airway resistance did not rise above the pre-arousal sleeping level in either group for 10 breaths following the return to sleep. Regardless of the magnitude of the ventilatory response to arousal from sleep and subsequent reduction in PETCO2, healthy individuals did not develop reduced dilator muscle activity nor increased upper airway resistance, indicative of partial airway collapse, on the return to sleep. These findings challenge the commonly stated notion that arousals predispose to upper airway obstruction. © 2014 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Effect of different types of exercise on sleep quality of elderly subjects.

PubMed

Bonardi, José M T; Lima, Leandra G; Campos, Giulliard O; Bertani, Rodrigo F; Moriguti, Júlio C; Ferriolli, Eduardo; Lima, Nereida K C

2016-09-01

There are still many gaps in research concerning the effect of different physical training modalities on sleep quality in the elderly population. Thus, the objective of the present study was to compare the quality of sleep of hypertensive elderly subjects submitted to two types of training (ie, aerobic exercise alone or combined aerobic and resistance training). Participants aged 60-75 years were randomized to three groups: aerobic group (AG), combined aerobic and resistance group (ARG), and control untrained group (CG). Training lasted ten consecutive weeks with 30 uninterrupted sessions. The actigraph (Actiwatch Minimitter Company, INC - Sunriver, OR, USA) was placed on the non-dominant wrist and activities were monitored continuously while being recorded at one minute intervals. The participants kept the device for a period of 96 hours before the first and last training sessions. There was a reduction in sleep fragmentation index of 18.9 for AG and 13 for ARG (p < 0.01) and the sleep efficacy was improved in the exercise groups, with a 5.6% increase for AG (p = 0.02) and a 6.1% increase for ARG (p = 0.01). After training, percentage of minutes motionless was increased by 8.2% for AG and by 6.9% for ARG (p < 0.01), indicating improved sleep quality. A reduction in total activity score during sleep was observed for AG and ARG (p < 0.01). The two types of exercise performed for ten weeks similarly improved sleep quality, thus reducing the fragmentation index, the percentage of minutes in motion and total activity score, and increasing sleep efficacy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

EEG sleep activities react topographically different to GABAergic sleep modulation by flunitrazepam: relationship to regional distribution of benzodiazepine receptor subtypes?

PubMed

Scheuler, W

Spectral analysis was performed to study the response of various EEG sleep activities to a modification of GABAergic sleep regulation by flunitrazepam. We observed sleep stage- and sleep cycle-dependent differences in the topographic distribution of the reactions. An increase in power density was found in the frontal regions for the alpha 2 and sigma 1 frequency band whereas a decrease in power density was emphasized in the posterior regions for the delta and alpha 1 frequency band. These topographic differences might be related to the regional distribution of benzodiazepine receptor subtypes.

Is sleep deprivation a contributor to obesity in children?

PubMed

Chaput, Jean-Philippe

2016-03-01

Chronic lack of sleep (called "sleep deprivation") is common in modern societies with 24/7 availability of commodities. Accumulating evidence supports the role of reduced sleep as contributing to the current obesity epidemic in children and youth. Longitudinal studies have consistently shown that short sleep duration is associated with weight gain and the development of obesity. Recent experimental studies have reported that sleep restriction leads to weight gain in humans. Increased food intake appears to be the main mechanism by which insufficient sleep results in weight gain. Voluntary sleep restriction has been shown to increase snacking, the number of meals eaten per day, and the preference for energy-dense foods. Although the causes of sleep loss in the pediatric population are numerous, more research looking at screen exposure before bedtime and its effects on sleep is needed given the pervasiveness of electronic media devices in today's environment. Health professionals should routinely ask questions about sleep and promote a good night's sleep because insufficient sleep impacts activity and eating behaviors. Future research should examine the clinical benefits of increasing sleep duration on eating behaviors and body weight control and determine the importance of adequate sleep to improve the treatment of obesity.

Dubious bargain: trading sleep for Leno and Letterman.

PubMed

Basner, Mathias; Dinges, David F

2009-06-01

Sleeping less than 7 hours daily impairs alertness and is associated with increased obesity, morbidity, and mortality; yet up to 40% of US adults do so. Population data indicate work time is the primary activity reciprocally related to sleep time in the United States. Reducing work time and its economic benefits to increase sleep time may not be feasible for most of the population. We sought to identify waking activities under discretionary control and adjacent to the sleep period that would be a more feasible source for increasing sleep time. American Time Use Survey data from 21,475 respondents aged > or = 15 years were pooled for the years 2003-2006 to explore activities in 2-hour periods prior to going to bed and past getting up on weekdays. N/A. Long workers (> or = 8 hours) terminated bed time an average of 0.68 h earlier than short workers (< 8 hours, P < 0.0001) and 1.31 h earlier than respondents not working on the interview day (P < 0.001), but time of going to bed did not differ among groups (22:37 vs. 22:42 vs. 22:37, respectively, P = 0.385). Watching television was the primary activity people engaged in before going to bed, accounting for 55.6 min (46.3%) of the 2-h pre-bed period. In the morning, travel time and work time increased steadily toward the end of the post-awakening 2-h period, accounting for 14.8% and 12.3%, respectively. Watching television may be an important social Zeitgeber for the time of going to bed. Watching less television in the evening and postponing work start time in the morning appear to be the candidate behavioral changes for achieving additional sleep. While the timing of work may not be flexible, giving up some TV viewing in the evening should be possible to reduce chronic sleep debt and promote adequate sleep in those who need it.

Role of orexin in respiratory and sleep homeostasis during upper airway obstruction in rats.

PubMed

Tarasiuk, Ariel; Levi, Avishag; Berdugo-Boura, Nilly; Yahalom, Ari; Segev, Yael

2014-05-01

Chronic upper airway obstruction (UAO) elicits a cascade of complex endocrine derangements that affect growth, sleep, and energy metabolism. We hypothesized that elevated hypothalamic orexin has a role in maintaining ventilation during UAO, while at the same time altering sleep-wake activity and energy metabolism. Here, we sought to explore the UAO-induced changes in hypothalamic orexin and their role in sleep-wake balance, respiratory activity, and energy metabolism. The tracheae of 22-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were surgically narrowed; UAO and sham-operated control animals were monitored for 7 weeks. We measured food intake, body weight, temperature, locomotion, and sleep-wake activity. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to quantify subcutaneous and visceral fat tissue volumes. In week 7, the rats were sacrificed and levels of hypothalamic orexin, serum leptin, and corticosterone were determined. The effect of dual orexin receptor antagonist (almorexant 300 mg/kg) on sleep and respiration was also explored. UAO increased hypothalamic orexin mRNA and protein content by 64% and 65%, respectively. UAO led to 30% chronic sleep loss, excessive active phase sleepiness, decreased body temperature, increased food intake, reduction of abdominal and subcutaneous fat tissue volume, and growth retardation. Administration of almorexant normalized sleep but induced severe breathing difficulties in UAO rats, while it had no effect on sleep or on breathing of control animals. In upper airway obstruction animals, enhanced orexin secretion, while crucially important for respiratory homeostasis maintenance, is also responsible for chronic partial sleep loss, as well as considerable impairment of energy metabolism and growth.

Identification of a pharmacological target for genioglossus reactivation throughout sleep.

PubMed

Grace, Kevin P; Hughes, Stuart W; Horner, Richard L

2014-01-01

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a significant public health problem caused by repeated episodes of upper airway closure that occur only during sleep. Attempts to treat OSA pharmacologically have been unsuccessful because there has not been identification of a target operating at cranial motor nuclei, blockade of which can reactivate pharyngeal muscle activity throughout sleep. Increasing potassium conductance is a common mechanism by which state-dependent neuromodulators reduce motoneuron excitability. Therefore, we aimed to determine if potassium channel blockade is an effective strategy to reactivate the pharyngeal musculature throughout sleep. In rats chronically instrumented for recording sleep-wake states and respiratory motor activities, we locally microperfused pharmacological agents into the hypoglossal motor pool to modulate potassium channels of three major classes: inwardly rectifying, two-pore domain, and voltage-gated. Microperfusion of the inwardly rectifying potassium channel blocker, barium, as well as the voltage-gated potassium channel blockers, tetraethylammonium and 4-aminopyridine, increased tonic and respiratory-related genioglossus activities throughout nonrapid eye movement (non-REM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep to 133-300% of levels present during baseline wakefulness. In contrast, microperfusion of methanandamide (TWIK-related acid-sensitive potassium [TASK] channel blocker/cannabinoid receptor agonist) activated genioglossus in wakefulness but not in sleep. These findings establish proof-of-principle that targeted blockade of certain potassium channels at the hypoglossal motor pool is an effective strategy for reversing upper airway hypotonia and causing sustained reactivation of genioglossus throughout nonrapid eye movement and rapid eye movement sleep. These findings identify an important new direction for translational approaches to the pharmacological treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.

Theta and gamma coordination of hippocampal networks during waking and rapid eye movement sleep.

PubMed

Montgomery, Sean M; Sirota, Anton; Buzsáki, György

2008-06-25

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep has been considered a paradoxical state because, despite the high behavioral threshold to arousing perturbations, gross physiological patterns in the forebrain resemble those of waking states. To understand how intrahippocampal networks interact during REM sleep, we used 96 site silicon probes to record from different hippocampal subregions and compared the patterns of activity during waking exploration and REM sleep. Dentate/CA3 theta and gamma synchrony was significantly higher during REM sleep compared with active waking. In contrast, gamma power in CA1 and CA3-CA1 gamma coherence showed significant decreases in REM sleep. Changes in unit firing rhythmicity and unit-field coherence specified the local generation of these patterns. Although these patterns of hippocampal network coordination characterized the more common tonic periods of REM sleep (approximately 95% of total REM), we also detected large phasic bursts of local field potential power in the dentate molecular layer that were accompanied by transient increases in the firing of dentate and CA1 neurons. In contrast to tonic REM periods, phasic REM epochs were characterized by higher theta and gamma synchrony among the dentate, CA3, and CA1 regions. These data suggest enhanced dentate processing, but limited CA3-CA1 coordination during tonic REM sleep. In contrast, phasic bursts of activity during REM sleep may provide windows of opportunity to synchronize the hippocampal trisynaptic loop and increase output to cortical targets. We hypothesize that tonic REM sleep may support off-line mnemonic processing, whereas phasic bursts of activity during REM may promote memory consolidation.

Exercise and sleep in aging: emphasis on serotonin.

PubMed

Melancon, M O; Lorrain, D; Dionne, I J

2014-10-01

Reductions in central serotonin activity with aging might be involved in sleep-related disorders in later life. Although the beneficial effects of aerobic exercise on sleep are not new, sleep represents a complex recurring state of unconsciousness involving many lines of transmitters which remains only partly clear despite intense ongoing research. It is known that serotonin released into diencephalon and cerebrum might play a key inhibitory role to help promote sleep, likely through an active inhibition of supraspinal neural networks. Several lines of evidence support the stimulatory effects of exercise on higher serotonergic pathways. Hence, exercise has proved to elicit acute elevations in forebrain serotonin concentrations, an effect that waned upon cessation of exercise. While adequate exercise training might lead to adaptations in higher serotonergic networks (desensitization of forebrain receptors), excessive training has been linked to serious brain serotonergic maladaptations accompanied by insomnia. Dietary supplementation of tryptophan (the only serotonin precursor) is known to stimulate serotonergic activity and promote sleep, whereas acute tryptophan depletion causes deleterious effects on sleep. Regarding sleep-wake regulation, exercise has proved to accelerate resynchronization of the biological clock to new light-dark cycles following imposition of phase shifts in laboratory animals. Noteworthy, the effect of increased serotonergic transmission on wake state appears to be biphasic, i.e. promote wake and thereafter drowsiness. Therefore, it might be possible that acute aerobic exercise would act on sleep by increasing activity of ascending brain serotonergic projections, though additional work is warranted to better understand the implication of serotonin in the exercise-sleep axis. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Cognitive Neuroscience of Sleep

PubMed Central

Poe, Gina R.; Walsh, Christine M.; Bjorness, Theresa E.

2014-01-01

Mechanism is at the heart of understanding, and this chapter addresses underlying brain mechanisms and pathways of cognition and the impact of sleep on these processes, especially those serving learning and memory. This chapter reviews the current understanding of the relationship between sleep/waking states and cognition from the perspective afforded by basic neurophysiological investigations. The extensive overlap between sleep mechanisms and the neurophysiology of learning and memory processes provide a foundation for theories of a functional link between the sleep and learning systems. Each of the sleep states, with its attendant alterations in neurophysiology, is associated with facilitation of important functional learning and memory processes. For rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, salient features such as PGO waves, theta synchrony, increased acetylcholine, reduced levels of monoamines and, within the neuron, increased transcription of plasticity-related genes, cumulatively allow for freely occurring bidirectional plasticity (long-term potentiation (LTP) and its reversal, depotentiation). Thus, REM sleep provides a novel neural environment in which the synaptic remodeling essential to learning and cognition can occur, at least within the hippocampal complex. During nonREM sleep Stage 2 spindles, the cessation and subsequent strong bursting of noradrenergic cells and coincident reactivation of hippocampal and cortical targets would also increase synaptic plasticity, allowing targeted bidirectional plasticity in the neocortex as well. In delta nonREM sleep, orderly neuronal reactivation events in phase with slow wave delta activity, together with high protein synthesis levels, would facilitate the events that convert early LTP to long lasting LTP. Conversely, delta sleep does not activate immediate early genes associated with de novo LTP. This nonREM sleep-unique genetic environment combined with low acetylcholine levels may serve to reduce the strength of cortical circuits that activate in the ~50% of delta-coincident reactivation events that do not appear in their waking firing sequence. The chapter reviews the results of manipulation studies, typically total sleep or REM sleep deprivation, that serve to underscore the functional significance of the phenomenological associations. Finally, the implications of sleep neurophysiology for learning and memory will be considered from a larger perspective in which the association of specific sleep states with both potentiation or depotentiation is integrated into mechanistic models of cognition. PMID:21075230

Sleep Restriction Enhances the Daily Rhythm of Circulating Levels of Endocannabinoid 2-Arachidonoylglycerol.

PubMed

Hanlon, Erin C; Tasali, Esra; Leproult, Rachel; Stuhr, Kara L; Doncheck, Elizabeth; de Wit, Harriet; Hillard, Cecilia J; Van Cauter, Eve

2016-03-01

Increasing evidence from laboratory and epidemiologic studies indicates that insufficient sleep may be a risk factor for obesity. Sleep curtailment results in stimulation of hunger and food intake that exceeds the energy cost of extended wakefulness, suggesting the involvement of reward mechanisms. The current study tested the hypothesis that sleep restriction is associated with activation of the endocannabinoid (eCB) system, a key component of hedonic pathways involved in modulating appetite and food intake. In a randomized crossover study comparing 4 nights of normal (8.5 h) versus restricted sleep (4.5 h) in healthy young adults, we examined the 24-h profiles of circulating concentrations of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and its structural analog 2-oleoylglycerol (2-OG). We concomitantly assessed hunger, appetite, and food intake under controlled conditions. A robust daily variation of 2-AG concentrations with a nadir around the middle of the sleep/overnight fast, followed by a continuous increase culminating in the early afternoon, was evident under both sleep conditions but sleep restriction resulted in an amplification of this rhythm with delayed and extended maximum values. Concentrations of 2-OG followed a similar pattern, but with a lesser amplitude. When sleep deprived, participants reported increases in hunger and appetite concomitant with the afternoon elevation of 2-AG concentrations, and were less able to inhibit intake of palatable snacks. Our findings suggest that activation of the eCB system may be involved in excessive food intake in a state of sleep debt and contribute to the increased risk of obesity associated with insufficient sleep. A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 495. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Engagement in muscular strengthening activities is associated with better sleep

PubMed Central

Loprinzi, Paul D.; Loenneke, Jeremy P.

2015-01-01

Few studies have examined whether engagement in muscular strengthening activities is associated with sleep duration, which was the purpose of this study. Data from the population-based 2005–2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were used, which included an analytic sample of 4386 adults (20–85 yrs). Sleep duration and engagement in muscle strengthening activities was self-reported. After adjustments (including aerobic-based physical activity), those engaging in muscular strength activities, compared to those not engaging in muscular strengthening activities, had an 19% increased odds of meeting sleep guidelines (7–8 h/night) (Odds Ratio = 1.19, 95% Confidence Interval: 1.01–1.38, P = 0.04). Promotion of muscular strengthening activities by clinicians should occur not only for improvements in other aspects of health (e.g., cardiovascular benefits), but also to help facilitate optimal sleep duration. PMID:26844170

Sleep Loss Exacerbates Fatigue, Depression, and Pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis

PubMed Central

Irwin, Michael R.; Olmstead, Richard; Carrillo, Carmen; Sadeghi, Nina; FitzGerald, John D.; Ranganath, Veena K.; Nicassio, Perry M.

2012-01-01

Study Objectives: Disturbances of sleep are hypothesized to contribute to pain. However, experimental data are limited to healthy pain-free individuals. This study evaluated the effect of sleep loss during part of the night on daytime mood symptoms and pain perceptions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis in comparison with control subjects. Design: A between-groups laboratory study with assessment of mood symptoms and pain perception before and after partial night sleep deprivation (PSD; awake 23:00 hr to 03:00 hr). Setting: General clinical research center. Participants: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (n = 27) and volunteer comparison control subjects (n = 27). Measurements: Subjective reports of sleep, mood symptoms and pain, polysomnographic assessment of sleep continuity, and subjective and objective assessment of rheumatoid arthritis-specific joint pain. Results: PSD induced differential increases in self-reported fatigue (P < 0.09), depression (P < 0.04), anxiety (P < 0.04), and pain (P < 0.01) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis compared with responses in control subjects, in whom differential increases of self-reported pain were independent of changes in mood symptoms, subjective sleep quality, and objective measures of sleep fragmentation. In the patients with rheumatoid arthritis, PSD also induced increases in disease-specific activity as indexed by self-reported pain severity (P < 0.01) and number of painful joints (P < 0.02) as well as clinician-rated joint counts (P < 0.03). Conclusion: This study provides the first evidence of an exaggerated increase in symptoms of mood and pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis after sleep loss, along with an activation of rheumatoid arthritis-related joint pain. Given the reciprocal relationship between sleep disturbances and pain, clinical management of pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis should include an increased focus on the prevention and treatment of sleep disturbance in this clinical population. Citation: Irwin MR; Olmstead R; Carrillo C; Sadeghi N; FitzGerald JD; Ranganath VK; Nicassio PM. Sleep loss exacerbates fatigue, depression, and pain in rheumatoid arthritis. SLEEP 2012;35(4):537-543. PMID:22467992

Deep sleep divides the cortex into opposite modes of anatomical-functional coupling.

PubMed

Tagliazucchi, Enzo; Crossley, Nicolas; Bullmore, Edward T; Laufs, Helmut

2016-11-01

The coupling of anatomical and functional connectivity at rest suggests that anatomy is essential for wake-typical activity patterns. Here, we study the development of this coupling from wakefulness to deep sleep. Globally, similarity between whole-brain anatomical and functional connectivity networks increased during deep sleep. Regionally, we found differential coupling: during sleep, functional connectivity of primary cortices resembled more the underlying anatomical connectivity, while we observed the opposite in associative cortices. Increased anatomical-functional similarity in sensory areas is consistent with their stereotypical, cross-modal response to the environment during sleep. In distinction, looser coupling-relative to wakeful rest-in higher order integrative cortices suggests that sleep actively disrupts default patterns of functional connectivity in regions essential for the conscious access of information and that anatomical connectivity acts as an anchor for the restoration of their functionality upon awakening.

Characterization of REM sleep without atonia in patients with narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia using AASM scoring manual criteria.

PubMed

DelRosso, Lourdes M; Chesson, Andrew L; Hoque, Romy

2013-07-15

The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events (Manual) has provided standardized definitions for tonic and phasic REM sleep without atonia (RSWA). This study used Manual criteria to characterize REM sleep in patients with narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH). A retrospective review of PSG data from ICSD-2 defined patients with narcolepsy or IH, performed by two board certified sleep medicine physicians. Data compiled included REM sleep epochs and the presence in REM sleep of epochs scored as sustained muscle activity (tonic), and excessive transient muscle activity (phasic) as defined by Manual criteria. PSG data from 8 narcolepsy patients (mean age: 27.5 years; age range: 11-55) showed mean ± standard deviation values for: total REM sleep epochs 205 ± 46.1; RSWA/ phasic epochs 56.1 ± 25.4; and RSWA/tonic epochs 15.0 ± 10.7. PSG data from 8 IH patients (mean age: 33.1 years; age range: 20-57) showed mean ± standard deviation values of total REM sleep epochs 163.8 ± 67.9; RSWA/phasic epochs 6.2 ± 3.5; and RSWA/tonic epochs 0.2 ± 0.4. Comparison revealed intergroup differences in phasic REM sleep (p < 0.01) and tonic REM sleep (p < 0.01) were significantly increased in narcoleptics compared to IH. Our retrospective analysis showed that RSWA phasic activity and RSWA tonic activity are significantly increased in patients meeting ICSD-2 criteria for narcolepsy compared to patients meeting ICSD-2 criteria for IH. This robust difference, with further validation, could be useful as electrophysiological criteria differentiating the two disorders and understanding the physiological differences.

Short Meditation Trainings Enhance Non-REM Sleep Low-Frequency Oscillations.

PubMed

Dentico, Daniela; Ferrarelli, Fabio; Riedner, Brady A; Smith, Richard; Zennig, Corinna; Lutz, Antoine; Tononi, Giulio; Davidson, Richard J

2016-01-01

We have recently shown higher parietal-occipital EEG gamma activity during sleep in long-term meditators compared to meditation-naive individuals. This gamma increase was specific for NREM sleep, was present throughout the entire night and correlated with meditation expertise, thus suggesting underlying long-lasting neuroplastic changes induced through prolonged training. The aim of this study was to explore the neuroplastic changes acutely induced by 2 intensive days of different meditation practices in the same group of practitioners. We also repeated baseline recordings in a meditation-naive cohort to account for time effects on sleep EEG activity. High-density EEG recordings of human brain activity were acquired over the course of whole sleep nights following intervention. Sound-attenuated sleep research room. Twenty-four long-term meditators and twenty-four meditation-naïve controls. Two 8-h sessions of either a mindfulness-based meditation or a form of meditation designed to cultivate compassion and loving kindness, hereafter referred to as compassion meditation. We found an increase in EEG low-frequency oscillatory activities (1-12 Hz, centered around 7-8 Hz) over prefrontal and left parietal electrodes across whole night NREM cycles. This power increase peaked early in the night and extended during the third cycle to high-frequencies up to the gamma range (25-40 Hz). There was no difference in sleep EEG activity between meditation styles in long-term meditators nor in the meditation naïve group across different time points. Furthermore, the prefrontal-parietal changes were dependent on meditation life experience. This low-frequency prefrontal-parietal activation likely reflects acute, meditation-related plastic changes occurring during wakefulness, and may underlie a top-down regulation from frontal and anterior parietal areas to the posterior parietal and occipital regions showing chronic, long-lasting plastic changes in long-term meditators.

Short sleep mediates the association between long work hours and increased body mass index.

PubMed

Magee, Christopher A; Caputi, Peter; Iverson, Don C

2011-04-01

This study examined whether short sleep duration, physical activity and time spent sitting each day mediated the association between long work hours and body mass index (BMI). Participants included 16,951 middle aged Australian adults who were employed in full time work (i.e. ≥35 h a week). Data on BMI, sleep duration, work hours and other health and demographic variables were obtained through a self-report questionnaire. A multiple mediation model was tested whereby sleep duration, physical activity and amount of time spent sitting were entered as potential mediators between work hours and BMI. The results demonstrated that short sleep partially mediated the association between long work hours and increased BMI in males. In females, long work hours were indirectly related to higher BMI through short sleep. The results provide some support for the hypothesis that long work hours could contribute to obesity via a reduction in sleep duration; this warrants further investigation in prospective studies.

The Effects of Insomnia and Sleep Loss on Cardiovascular Disease.

PubMed

Khan, Meena S; Aouad, Rita

2017-06-01

Sleep loss has negative impacts on quality of life, mood, cognitive function, and heath. Insomnia is linked to poor mood, increased use of health care resources, decreased quality of life, and possibly cardiovascular risk factors and disease. Studies have shown increase in cortisol levels, decreased immunity, and increased markers of sympathetic activity in sleep-deprived healthy subjects and those with chronic insomnia. The literature shows subjective complaints consistent with chronic insomnia and shortened sleep can be associated with development of diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease. This article explores the relationship between insufficient sleep and insomnia with these health conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cholinergic, Glutamatergic, and GABAergic Neurons of the Pedunculopontine Tegmental Nucleus Have Distinct Effects on Sleep/Wake Behavior in Mice.

PubMed

Kroeger, Daniel; Ferrari, Loris L; Petit, Gaetan; Mahoney, Carrie E; Fuller, Patrick M; Arrigoni, Elda; Scammell, Thomas E

2017-02-01

The pedunculopontine tegmental (PPT) nucleus has long been implicated in the regulation of cortical activity and behavioral states, including rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep. For example, electrical stimulation of the PPT region during sleep leads to rapid awakening, whereas lesions of the PPT in cats reduce REM sleep. Though these effects have been linked with the activity of cholinergic PPT neurons, the PPT also includes intermingled glutamatergic and GABAergic cell populations, and the precise roles of cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic PPT cell groups in regulating cortical activity and behavioral state remain unknown. Using a chemogenetic approach in three Cre-driver mouse lines, we found that selective activation of glutamatergic PPT neurons induced prolonged cortical activation and behavioral wakefulness, whereas inhibition reduced wakefulness and increased non-REM (NREM) sleep. Activation of cholinergic PPT neurons suppressed lower-frequency electroencephalogram rhythms during NREM sleep. Last, activation of GABAergic PPT neurons slightly reduced REM sleep. These findings reveal that glutamatergic, cholinergic, and GABAergic PPT neurons differentially influence cortical activity and sleep/wake states. More than 40 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disruption, and the development of effective treatments requires a more detailed understanding of the neuronal mechanisms controlling sleep and arousal. The pedunculopontine tegmental (PPT) nucleus has long been considered a key site for regulating wakefulness and REM sleep. This is mainly because of the cholinergic neurons contained in the PPT nucleus. However, the PPT nucleus also contains glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons that likely contribute to the regulation of cortical activity and sleep-wake states. The chemogenetic experiments in the present study reveal that cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic PPT neurons each have distinct effects on sleep/wake behavior, improving our understanding of how the PPT nucleus regulates cortical activity and behavioral states. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/371352-15$15.00/0.

Unrecognized Sleep Loss Accumulated in Daily Life Can Promote Brain Hyperreactivity to Food Cue.

PubMed

Katsunuma, Ruri; Oba, Kentaro; Kitamura, Shingo; Motomura, Yuki; Terasawa, Yuri; Nakazaki, Kyoko; Hida, Akiko; Moriguchi, Yoshiya; Mishima, Kazuo

2017-10-01

Epidemiological studies have shown that sleep debt increases the risk of obesity. Experimental total sleep deprivation (TSD) has been reported to activate the reward system in response to food stimuli, but food-related responses in everyday sleep habits, which could lead to obesity, have not been addressed. Here, we report that habitual sleep time at home among volunteers without any sleep concerns was shorter than their optimal sleep time estimated by the 9-day extended sleep intervention, which indicates that participants had already been in sleep debt in their usual sleep habits. The amygdala and anterior insula, which are responsible for both affective responses and reward prediction, were found to exhibit significantly lowered activity in the optimal sleep condition. Additionally, a subsequent one-night period of TSD reactivated the right anterior insula in response to food images; however, the activity level of amygdala remained lowered. These findings indicate that (1) our brain is at risk of hyperactivation to food triggers in everyday life, which could be a risk factor for obesity and lifestyle diseases, and (2) optimal sleep appears to reduce this hypersensitivity to food stimuli. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Increased Carbonic Anhydrase Activity is Associated with Sleep Apnea Severity and Related Hypoxemia.

PubMed

Wang, Tengyu; Eskandari, Davoud; Zou, Ding; Grote, Ludger; Hedner, Jan

2015-07-01

The catalytic function of the enzyme carbonic anhydrase (CA) plays a fundamental role in carbon dioxide (CO2), proton (H(+)), and bicarbonate (HCO3(-)) homeostasis. Hypoxia and tissue acidosis have been proposed to increase physiological CA activity in various compartments of the body. We hypothesized that CA activity in blood is upregulated in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Cross-sectional analysis of a sleep clinic cohort. Sleep laboratory at a university hospital. Seventy referred patients with suspected OSA (48 males, age 54 ± 13 y, apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) median [interquartile range] 21 [8-41] n/h). N/A. In-laboratory cardiorespiratory polygraphy was used to assess OSA. CA activity was determined by an in vitro assay that quantifies the pH change reflecting the conversion of CO2 and H2O to HCO3(-) and H(+). CA activity was positively associated with AHI and 4% oxygen desaturation index (ODI4) (Spearman correlation r = 0.44 and 0.47, both P < 0.001). The associations (CA activity versus logAHI and CA versus logODI4) were independent of sex, age, body mass index, presleep oxygen saturation, nocturnal oxygen saturation, hypertension status, and use of diuretic medication in two generalized linear models (P = 0.007 and 0.011, respectively). Sitting diastolic blood pressure was associated with CA activity after adjustment of sex, age, body mass index, mean oxygen saturation, and AHI (P = 0.046). Carbonic anhydrase (CA) activity increased with apnea-hypopnea index and related nocturnal hypoxemia measures in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Altered CA activity may constitute a component that modulates respiratory control and hemodynamic regulation in patients with OSA. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Increased Disease Activity is Associated with Altered Sleep Architecture in an Experimental Model of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

PubMed Central

Palma, Beatriz Duarte; Tufik, Sergio

2010-01-01

Study Objectives: The aim of this study was to evaluate sleep patterns during the course of the disease in (NZB/NZW)F1 mice, an experimental model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Design: Female mice were implanted with electrodes for chronic recording of sleep-wake cycles during the entire experimental phase (9, 19, and 29 weeks of age). The disease course was also assessed. At each time-point, blood samples were collected from the orbital plexus to evaluate serum antinuclear antibodies (ANA), which are important serologic parameters of disease evolution. Pain perception was also evaluated. Measurements and Results: During the dark phase, (NZB/NZW)F1 mice aged 19 weeks spent more time in sleep, and, as a consequence, the total waking time was lower when compared with earlier periods. An augmented number of sleep-stage transitions and microarousals were observed at the 29th week of life in both light and dark phases. At this same time-point, the mice showed lower pain thresholds than they had at 9 weeks of life. The disease status was confirmed; the entire group of mice at 29 weeks of life showed positive ANA with high titer levels. Conclusions: The sleep-recording data showed that, during the progress and severe phases of the disease (19 and 29 wks of age, respectively), sleep architecture is altered. According to these results, increased sleep fragmentation, disease activity, and pain sensitivity are features observed in these mice, similar to symptoms of SLE. Citation: Palma BD; Tufik S. Increased disease activity is associated with altered sleep architecture in an experimental model of systemic lupus erythematosus. SLEEP 2010;33(9):1244-1248. PMID:20857872

TNF-α and Temporal Changes in Sleep Architecture in Mice Exposed to Sleep Fragmentation

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

TNF-α plays critical roles in host-defense, sleep-wake regulation, and the pathogenesis of various disorders. Increases in the concentration of circulating TNF-α after either sleep deprivation or sleep fragmentation (SF) appear to underlie excessive daytime sleepiness in patients with sleep apnea (OSA). Following baseline recordings, mice were subjected to 15 days of SF (daily for 12 h/day from 07.00 h to 19.00 h), and sleep parameters were recorded on days1, 7 and 15. Sleep architecture and sleep propensity were assessed in both C57BL/6J and in TNF-α double receptor KO mice (TNFR KO). To further confirm the role of TNF-α, we also assessed the effect of treatment with a TNF- α neutralizing antibody in C57BL/6J mice. SF was not associated with major changes in global sleep architecture in C57BL/6J and TNFR KO mice. TNFR KO mice showed higher baseline SWS delta power. Further, following 15 days of SF, mice injected with TNF-α neutralizing antibody and TNFR KO mice showed increased EEG SWS activity. However, SWS latency, indicative of increased propensity to sleep, was only decreased in C57BL/6J, and was unaffected in TNFR KO mice as well as in C57BL/6J mice exposed to SF but treated with TNF-α neutralizing antibody. Taken together, our findings show that the excessive sleepiness incurred by recurrent arousals during sleep may be due to activation of TNF-alpha-dependent inflammatory pathways, despite the presence of preserved sleep duration and global sleep architecture. PMID:23029133

Sleep restriction alters plasma endocannabinoids concentrations before but not after exercise in humans.

PubMed

Cedernaes, Jonathan; Fanelli, Flaminia; Fazzini, Alessia; Pagotto, Uberto; Broman, Jan-Erik; Vogel, Heike; Dickson, Suzanne L; Schiöth, Helgi B; Benedict, Christian

2016-12-01

Following binding to cannabinoid receptors, endocannabinoids regulate a variety of central nervous system processes including appetite and mood. Recent evidence suggests that the systemic release of these lipid metabolites can be altered by acute exercise and that their levels also vary across the 24-h sleep-wake cycle. The present study utilized a within-subject design (involving 16 normal-weight men) to determine whether daytime circulating endocannabinoid concentrations differ following three nights of partial sleep deprivation (4.25-h sleep opportunity, 2:45-7a.m. each night) vs. normal sleep (8.5-h sleep opportunity, 10:30p.m.-7a.m. each night), before and after an acute bout of ergometer cycling in the morning. In addition, subjective hunger and stress were measured. Pre-exercise plasma concentrations of 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2AG) were 80% higher 1.5h after awakening (vs. normal sleep, p<0.05) when participants were sleep-deprived. This coincided with increased hunger ratings (+25% vs. normal sleep, p<0.05). Moreover, plasma 2AG was elevated 15min post-exercise (+44%, p<0.05). Sleep duration did not however modulate this exercise-induced rise. Finally, subjective stress was generally lower on the day after three nights of short sleep vs. normal sleep, especially after exercise (p<0.05). Given that activation of the endocannabinoid system has been previously shown to acutely increase appetite and mood, our results could suggest that behavioral effects of acute sleep loss, such as increased hunger and transiently improved psychological state, may partially result from activation of this signaling pathway. In contrast, more pronounced exercise-induced elevations of endocannabinoids appear to be less affected by short sleep duration. Copyright © 2016 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Dopaminergic regulation of sleep and cataplexy in a murine model of narcolepsy.

PubMed

Burgess, Christian R; Tse, Gavin; Gillis, Lauren; Peever, John H

2010-10-01

To determine if the dopaminergic system modulates cataplexy, sleep attacks and sleep-wake behavior in narcoleptic mice. Hypocretin/orexin knockout (i.e., narcoleptic) and wild-type mice were administered amphetamine and specific dopamine receptor modulators to determine their effects on sleep, cataplexy and sleep attacks. Hypocretin knockout (n = 17) and wild-type mice (n = 21). Cataplexy, sleep attacks and sleep-wake behavior were identified using electroencephalogram, electromyogram and videography. These behaviors were monitored for 4 hours after an i.p. injection of saline, amphetamine and specific dopamine receptor modulators (D1- and D2-like receptor modulators). Amphetamine (2 mg/kg), which increases brain dopamine levels, decreased sleep attacks and cataplexy by 61% and 67%, suggesting that dopamine transmission modulates such behaviors. Dopamine receptor modulation also had powerful effects on sleep attacks and cataplexy. Activation (SKF 38393; 20 mg/kg) and blockade (SCH 23390; 1 mg/kg) of D1-like receptors decreased and increased sleep attacks by 77% and 88%, without affecting cataplexy. Pharmacological activation of D2-like receptors (quinpirole; 0.5 mg/kg) increased cataplectic attacks by 172% and blockade of these receptors (eticlopride; 1 mg/kg) potently suppressed them by 97%. Manipulation of D2-like receptors did not affect sleep attacks. We show that the dopaminergic system plays a role in regulating both cataplexy and sleep attacks in narcoleptic mice. We found that cataplexy is modulated by a D2-like receptor mechanism, whereas dopamine modulates sleep attacks by a D1-like receptor mechanism. These results support a role for the dopamine system in regulating sleep attacks and cataplexy in a murine model of narcolepsy.

Analysis of automated quantification of motor activity in REM sleep behaviour disorder.

PubMed

Frandsen, Rune; Nikolic, Miki; Zoetmulder, Marielle; Kempfner, Lykke; Jennum, Poul

2015-10-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is characterized by dream enactment and REM sleep without atonia. Atonia is evaluated on the basis of visual criteria, but there is a need for more objective, quantitative measurements. We aimed to define and optimize a method for establishing baseline and all other parameters in automatic quantifying submental motor activity during REM sleep. We analysed the electromyographic activity of the submental muscle in polysomnographs of 29 patients with idiopathic RBD (iRBD), 29 controls and 43 Parkinson's (PD) patients. Six adjustable parameters for motor activity were defined. Motor activity was detected and quantified automatically. The optimal parameters for separating RBD patients from controls were investigated by identifying the greatest area under the receiver operating curve from a total of 648 possible combinations. The optimal parameters were validated on PD patients. Automatic baseline estimation improved characterization of atonia during REM sleep, as it eliminates inter/intra-observer variability and can be standardized across diagnostic centres. We found an optimized method for quantifying motor activity during REM sleep. The method was stable and can be used to differentiate RBD from controls and to quantify motor activity during REM sleep in patients with neurodegeneration. No control had more than 30% of REM sleep with increased motor activity; patients with known RBD had as low activity as 4.5%. We developed and applied a sensitive, quantitative, automatic algorithm to evaluate loss of atonia in RBD patients. © 2015 European Sleep Research Society.

Companionable sleep: Social regulation of sleep and co-sleeping in Egyptian families

PubMed Central

Worthman, Carol M.; Brown, Ryan A.

2013-01-01

This exploratory study examines family sleep patterns and quality in a setting of normative napping and co-sleeping. Participants comprised 78 members of 16 families from two locales in Egypt, Cairo and village. Each family member provided a history of sleeping arrangements, one week of continuous activity records, and details of each sleep event. Sleep records documented late-onset and dispersed sleep patterns with extensive co-sleeping. Of recorded sleep events, 69% involved co-sleeping, 24% included more than one co-sleeper, and only 21% were solitary. Mid-late afternoon napping occurred on 31% of days and night sleep onsets averaged after midnight. Age and gender structured sleep arrangements and together with locale, extensively explained sleep behavior (onset, duration, total) and quality. Co-sleepers had fewer night arousals, shorter and less variable night sleep duration, and less total sleep. Increased solitary sleep in adolescents and young adults was associated with increased sleep dysregulation, including exaggerated phase shifts in males and more nighttime arousals in females. Where normative, co-sleeping may provide psychosensory stimuli that moderate arousal and stabilize sleep. Such moderating features may address important self-regulatory developmental needs during adolescence. PMID:17371117

Evoked Electrical and Cerebral Vascular Responses Following Sleep Deprivation

PubMed Central

Schei, Jennifer L.; Rector, David M.

2011-01-01

Neuronal activity elicits vascular dilation, delivering additional blood and metabolites to the activated region. With increasing neural activity, vessels stretch and may become less compliant. Most functional imaging studies assume that limits to vascular expansion are not normally reached except under pathological conditions, with the possibility that metabolism could outpace supply. However, we previously demonstrated that evoked hemodynamic responses were larger during quiet sleep when compared to both waking and REM sleep, suggesting that high basal activity during wake may elicit blunted evoked hemodynamic responses due to vascular expansion limits. We hypothesized that extended brain activity through sleep deprivation will further dilate blood vessels, and exacerbate the blunted evoked hemodynamic responses observed during wake, and dampen responses in subsequent sleep. We measured evoked electrical and hemodynamic responses from rats using auditory clicks (0.5 s, 10 Hz, 2–13 s random ISIs) for one hour following 2, 4, or 6 hours of sleep deprivation. Time-of-day matched controls were recorded continuously for 7 hours. Within quiet sleep periods following deprivation, ERP amplitude did not differ; however, the evoked vascular response was smaller with longer sleep deprivation periods. These results suggest that prolonged neural activity periods through sleep deprivation may diminish vascular compliance as indicated by the blunted vascular response. Subsequent sleep may allow vessels to relax, restoring their ability to deliver blood. These results also suggest that severe sleep deprivation or chronic sleep disturbances could push the vasculature to critical limits, leading to metabolic deficit and the potential for tissue trauma. PMID:21854966

The relations between sleep, time of physical activity, and time outdoors among adult women

PubMed Central

Godbole, Suneeta; Natarajan, Loki; Full, Kelsie; Hipp, J. Aaron; Glanz, Karen; Mitchell, Jonathan; Laden, Francine; James, Peter; Quante, Mirja; Kerr, Jacqueline

2017-01-01

Physical activity and time spent outdoors may be important non-pharmacological approaches to improve sleep quality and duration (or sleep patterns) but there is little empirical research evaluating the two simultaneously. The current study assesses the role of physical activity and time outdoors in predicting sleep health by using objective measurement of the three variables. A convenience sample of 360 adult women (mean age = 55.38 ±9.89 years; mean body mass index = 27.74 ±6.12) was recruited from different regions of the U.S. Participants wore a Global Positioning System device and ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers on the hip for 7 days and on the wrist for 7 days and 7 nights to assess total time and time of day spent outdoors, total minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day, and 4 measures of sleep health, respectively. A generalized mixed-effects model was used to assess temporal associations between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, outdoor time, and sleep at the daily level (days = 1931) within individuals. There was a significant interaction (p = 0.04) between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and time spent outdoors in predicting total sleep time but not for predicting sleep efficiency. Increasing time outdoors in the afternoon (versus morning) predicted lower sleep efficiency, but had no effect on total sleep time. Time spent outdoors and the time of day spent outdoors may be important moderators in assessing the relation between physical activity and sleep. More research is needed in larger populations using experimental designs. PMID:28877192

The relations between sleep, time of physical activity, and time outdoors among adult women.

PubMed

Murray, Kate; Godbole, Suneeta; Natarajan, Loki; Full, Kelsie; Hipp, J Aaron; Glanz, Karen; Mitchell, Jonathan; Laden, Francine; James, Peter; Quante, Mirja; Kerr, Jacqueline

2017-01-01

Physical activity and time spent outdoors may be important non-pharmacological approaches to improve sleep quality and duration (or sleep patterns) but there is little empirical research evaluating the two simultaneously. The current study assesses the role of physical activity and time outdoors in predicting sleep health by using objective measurement of the three variables. A convenience sample of 360 adult women (mean age = 55.38 ±9.89 years; mean body mass index = 27.74 ±6.12) was recruited from different regions of the U.S. Participants wore a Global Positioning System device and ActiGraph GT3X+ accelerometers on the hip for 7 days and on the wrist for 7 days and 7 nights to assess total time and time of day spent outdoors, total minutes in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity per day, and 4 measures of sleep health, respectively. A generalized mixed-effects model was used to assess temporal associations between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity, outdoor time, and sleep at the daily level (days = 1931) within individuals. There was a significant interaction (p = 0.04) between moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and time spent outdoors in predicting total sleep time but not for predicting sleep efficiency. Increasing time outdoors in the afternoon (versus morning) predicted lower sleep efficiency, but had no effect on total sleep time. Time spent outdoors and the time of day spent outdoors may be important moderators in assessing the relation between physical activity and sleep. More research is needed in larger populations using experimental designs.

Micro-arousals during nocturnal sleep.

PubMed

Halász, P; Kundra, O; Rajna, P; Pál, I; Vargha, M

1979-01-01

In 8 young adult human subjects EEG- and polygraphic characteristics of transient shifts towards arousal (micro-arousal, MA) have been studied during sleep under five different experimental conditions in 40 night sessions. Out of the five applied experimental situations, two (psychostimulant application and sensory stimulation) resulted in a shift of the balance between the systems of sleep and arousal towards an increased activity of the arousal system, while an other condition (rebound following partial sleep deprivation) led to an opposite change to a rise in "sleep pressure". An inverse correlation has been found between the frequency of MA and the depth of sleep, a finding consistently observed in every subject and in every experimental situation. During the process of sleep periodic changes in the dispersity of MA could be seen; the number of MA-s decreased and increased according to the descending and ascending slope of the sleep cycles. During the ascending slope of cycles there was a coupling between the occurence of MA-s and the changes of phases. Increases in the level of activation and in sleep pressure did not influence the occurrence of MA-s. Increasing the tone of the arousal system in chemical way, or by means of enhancing the phasic sensory input resulted in a reduction of the difference between the number of MA on the descending and ascending slopes of cycles. During the phases of sleep, the spontaneous occurrence of MA-s went parallel with the possibility to evoke MA-s by sensory stimuli. These data show that MA is a regular phenomenon of nocturnal sleep; MA manifests itself as a result of phasic functioning of the reticular arousal system and plays a role in the organization of those periods of the sleep cycle, which tend toward arousal. It is suggested that MA-phenomenon is considered a standard measure of sleep and that it could represent an indicator of the function of the arousal system controlled by external or internal mechanisms during sleep.

Subjective Positive and Negative Sleep Variables Differentially Affect Cellular Immune Activity in a Breast Cancer Survivor: A Time-series Analysis Approach.

PubMed

Singer, Magdalena; Burbaum, Christina; Fritzsche, Kurt; Peterlini, Sylvia; Bliem, Harald R; Ocaña-Peinado, Francisco M; Fuchs, Dietmar; Schubert, Christian

2017-01-01

This study on a breast cancer survivor suffering from cancer-related fatigue (CaRF) and depression investigated the bidirectional relationship between cellular immune activity and subjective sleep. The 49-year-old patient (breast cancer diagnosis 5 years before the study, currently in remission) collected her full urine output for 28 days in 12-h intervals (8:00 p.m. to 8:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.). These urine samples were used to determine urinary neopterin (cellular immune activation marker) and creatinine concentrations via high-pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC). Each morning, the patient answered questions on five sleep variables: sleep quality (SQ), sleep recreational value (SRV), total sleep time (TST), total wake time (TWT), and awakenings during sleep period (ADS). For the purpose of this study, the time series of the nighttime urinary neopterin levels and the five sleep variables were determined. Using centered moving average (CMA) smoothing and cross-correlational analysis, this study showed that increases in the positive sleep variables SQ and SRV were followed by urinary neopterin concentration decreases after 96-120 h (SQ, lag 4: r  = -0.411; p  = 0.044; SRV: lag 4: r  = -0.472; p  = 0.021) and 120-144 h (SRV, lag 5: r  = -0.464; p  = 0.026). Increases in the negative sleep variable TWT, by contrast, were followed by increases in urinary neopterin concentrations 72-96 h later (lag 3: r  = 0.522; p  = 0.009). No systematic effects in the other direction, i.e., from urinary neopterin levels to sleep, were observed in this study. Although preliminary, the findings of this study highlight the benefit of carefully investigating temporal delays and directions of effects when studying the dynamic relationship between sleep and immune variables in the natural context of everyday life.

The rostromedial tegmental nucleus is essential for non-rapid eye movement sleep

PubMed Central

Hu, Zhen-Zhen; Luo, Yan-Jia; Zhao, Ya-Nan; Sun, Huan-Xin; Yin, Dou; Wang, Chen-Yao; Yan, Yu-Dong; Wang, Dian-Ru; Yuan, Xiang-Shan; Ye, Chen-Bo; Guo, Wei; Qu, Wei-Min; Cherasse, Yoan; Lazarus, Michael; Ding, Yu-Qiang; Huang, Zhi-Li

2018-01-01

The rostromedial tegmental nucleus (RMTg), also called the GABAergic tail of the ventral tegmental area, projects to the midbrain dopaminergic system, dorsal raphe nucleus, locus coeruleus, and other regions. Whether the RMTg is involved in sleep–wake regulation is unknown. In the present study, pharmacogenetic activation of rat RMTg neurons promoted non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep with increased slow-wave activity (SWA). Conversely, rats after neurotoxic lesions of 8 or 16 days showed decreased NREM sleep with reduced SWA at lights on. The reduced SWA persisted at least 25 days after lesions. Similarly, pharmacological and pharmacogenetic inactivation of rat RMTg neurons decreased NREM sleep. Electrophysiological experiments combined with optogenetics showed a direct inhibitory connection between the terminals of RMTg neurons and midbrain dopaminergic neurons. The bidirectional effects of the RMTg on the sleep–wake cycle were mimicked by the modulation of ventral tegmental area (VTA)/substantia nigra compacta (SNc) dopaminergic neuronal activity using a pharmacogenetic approach. Furthermore, during the 2-hour recovery period following 6-hour sleep deprivation, the amount of NREM sleep in both the lesion and control rats was significantly increased compared with baseline levels; however, only the control rats showed a significant increase in SWA compared with baseline levels. Collectively, our findings reveal an essential role of the RMTg in the promotion of NREM sleep and homeostatic regulation. PMID:29652889

The Commander's Wellness Program: Assessing the Association Between Health Measures and Physical Fitness Assessment Scores, Fitness Assessment Exemptions, and Duration of Limited Duty.

PubMed

Tvaryanas, Col Anthony P; Greenwell, Brandon; Vicen, Gloria J; Maupin, Genny M

2018-03-26

Air Force Medical Service health promotions staff have identified a set of evidenced-based interventions targeting tobacco use, sleep habits, obesity/healthy weight, and physical activity that could be integrated, packaged, and deployed as a Commander's Wellness Program. The premise of the program is that improvements in the aforementioned aspects of the health of unit members will directly benefit commanders in terms of members' fitness assessment scores and the duration of periods of limited duty. The purpose of this study is to validate the Commander's Wellness Program assumption that body mass index (BMI), physical activity habits, tobacco use, sleep, and nutritional habits are associated with physical fitness assessment scores, fitness assessment exemptions, and aggregate days of limited duty in the population of active duty U.S. Air Force personnel. This study used a cross-sectional analysis of active duty U.S. Air Force personnel with an Air Force Web-based Health Assessment and fitness assessment data during fiscal year 2013. Predictor variables included age, BMI, gender, physical activity level (moderate physical activity, vigorous activity, and muscle activity), tobacco use, sleep, and dietary habits (consumption of a variety of foods, daily servings of fruits and vegetables, consumption of high-fiber foods, and consumption of high-fat foods). Nonparametric methods were used for the exploratory analysis and parametric methods were used for model building and statistical inference. The study population comprised 221,239 participants. Increasing BMI and tobacco use were negatively associated with the outcome of composite fitness score. Increasing BMI and tobacco use and decreasing sleep were associated with an increased likelihood for the outcome of fitness assessment exemption status. Increasing BMI and tobacco use and decreasing composite fitness score and sleep were associated with an increased likelihood for the outcome of limited duty status, whereas increasing BMI and decreasing sleep were associated with the outcome of increased aggregate days of limited duty. The observed associations were in the expected direction and the effect sizes were modest. Physical activity habits and nutritional habits were not observed to be associated with any of the outcome measures. The Commander's Wellness Program should be scoped to those interventions targeting BMI, composite fitness score, sleep, and tobacco use. Although neither self-reported physical activity nor nutritional habits were associated with the outcomes, it is still worthwhile to include related interventions in the Commander's Wellness Program because of the finding in other studies of a consistent association between the overall number of health risks and productivity outcomes.

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and hypertension: Pathogenic mechanisms and possible therapeutic approaches

PubMed Central

Zhang, Wang

2012-01-01

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), a chronic condition characterized by collapse of the pharynx during sleep, has been increasingly recognized as a health issue of growing importance over the last decade. Recently emerging evidence suggests that there is a causal link between OSAS and hypertension, and hypertension represents an independent risk factor in OSAS patients. However, the pathophysiological basis for patients with OSAS having an increased risk for hypertension remains to be elucidated. The main acute physiological outcomes of OSAS are intermittent hypoxia, intrapleural pressure changes, and arousal from sleep, which might induce endothelial dysfunction, sympathetic activation, renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system activation, lipid metabolism dysfunction, and increased oxidative stress. This brief review focuses on the current understanding of the complex association between OSAS and hypertension. PMID:23009224

Consideration of sleep dysfunction in rehabilitation.

PubMed

Valenza, Marie Carmen; Rodenstein, Daniel O; Fernández-de-las-Peñas, César

2011-07-01

The physiology of sleep is not completely understood but it is widely accepted that sleep is important to the human body in the recovery of metabolic and neurological processes. This paper summarizes the effects of sleep dysfunction on different systems and considers implications in the context of rehabilitation. When sleep is experimentally completely or partially curtailed important brain functions are impacted leading to psychological and neurological disturbances. Increased cortisol levels, reduction of glucose tolerance, and increased sympathetic nervous system activity have also been identified in healthy subjects under such conditions. Several studies show that 50-80% of patients with chronic pain suffer from sleep dysfunction. It has been suggested that on the one hand pain can cause sleep dysfunction and on the other hand that sleep dysfunction can aggravate pain. The physiologic mechanism behind this interaction is not completely clear; although most authors describe the relationship between pain and sleep dysfunction as aberrant processing of tactile-cutaneous sensory inputs at the meso-encephalic level and in the trigeminal nucleus both when asleep and awake. Decreased duration of sleep also increases heart rate, blood pressure and sympathetic activity magnifying the individual's response to stressful stimuli. Possible causal mechanisms for the established connection between short sleep cycles and coronary pathology include sympathetic nervous system hyperactivity, increased blood pressure increase or reduced glucose tolerance. Finally, sleep and fatigue have traditionally been linked. Fatigue can have a physical etiology but is also associated with depression. Sleep alterations are also considered an important risk factor for psychological dysfunction and also mental illness. However, despite the noted repercussions of sleep dysfunction, studies investigating interventions to improve sleep have been limited in number. Benefits of exercise programs on sleep habits have been controversial with some have finding positive effects, whereas others did not find any significant effect. It is possible that the dose or intensity of exercise programs may have an important influence in the outcomes. It is our opinion that based on the multi-system repercussions of different sleep dysfunctions, evaluation of sleep habits should be considered fundamental in the context of rehabilitation and should be included as part of the clinical history of each patient attending physical therapy. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Excessive sleep need following traumatic brain injury: a case-control study of 36 patients.

PubMed

Sommerauer, Michael; Valko, Philipp O; Werth, Esther; Baumann, Christian R

2013-12-01

Increased sleep need following traumatic brain injury, referred to in this study as post-traumatic pleiosomnia, is common, but so far its clinical impact and therapeutic implications have not been characterized. We present a case-control study of 36 patients with post-traumatic pleiosomnia, defined by an increased sleep need of at least 2 h per 24 h after traumatic brain injury, compared to 36 controls. We assessed detailed history, sleep-activity patterns with sleep logs and actigraphy, nocturnal sleep with polysomnography and daytime sleep propensity with multiple sleep latency tests. Actigraphy recordings revealed that traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients had longer estimated sleep durations than controls (10.8 h per 24 h, compared to 7.3 h). When using sleep logs, TBI patients underestimated their sleep need. During nocturnal sleep, patients had higher amounts of slow-wave sleep than controls (20 versus 13.8%). Multiple sleep latency tests revealed excessive daytime sleepiness in 15 patients (42%), and 10 of them had signs of chronic sleep deprivation. We conclude that post-traumatic pleiosomnia may be even more frequent than reported previously, because affected patients often underestimate their actual sleep need. Furthermore, these patients exhibit an increase in slow-wave sleep which may reflect recovery mechanisms, intrinsic consequences of diffuse brain damage or relative sleep deprivation. © 2013 European Sleep Research Society.

Interactions between sleeping position and feeding on cardiorespiratory activity in preterm infants.

PubMed

Fifer, William P; Myers, Michael M; Sahni, Rakesh; Ohira-Kist, Kiyoko; Kashyap, Sudha; Stark, Raymond I; Schulze, Karl F

2005-11-01

Infants sleeping in the prone position are at greater risk for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Sleep position-dependent changes in cardiorespiratory activity may contribute to this increased risk. Cardiorespiratory activity is also affected by feeding. Twenty prematurely-born infants were studied at 31-36 weeks postconceptional age while sleeping in the prone and supine positions. Heart rate, respiratory rate, and patterns of variability were recorded during interfeed intervals, and effects of position and time after feeding were analyzed by repeated measures analyses of variance. There were significant effects of both sleeping position and time after feeding. Heart rate is higher and heart period variability is lower in the prone position, and the effects of sleeping position on cardiac functioning are more pronounced during the middle of the intrafeed interval. In preterm infants, autonomic responses to nutrient processing modulate the cardiorespiratory effects of sleeping position. Prone sleeping risk may vary with time after feeding. Copyright 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Heart rate and heart rate variability modification in chronic insomnia patients.

PubMed

Farina, Benedetto; Dittoni, Serena; Colicchio, Salvatore; Testani, Elisa; Losurdo, Anna; Gnoni, Valentina; Di Blasi, Chiara; Brunetti, Riccardo; Contardi, Anna; Mazza, Salvatore; Della Marca, Giacomo

2014-01-01

Chronic insomnia is highly prevalent in the general population, provoking personal distress and increased risk for psychiatric and medical disorders. Autonomic hyper-arousal could be a pathogenic mechanism of chronic primary insomnia. The aim of this study was to investigate autonomic activity in patients with chronic primary insomnia by means of heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. Eighty-five consecutive patients affected by chronic primary insomnia were enrolled (38 men and 47 women; mean age: 53.2 ± 13.6). Patients were compared with a control group composed of 55 healthy participants matched for age and gender (23 men and 32 women; mean age: 54.2 ± 13.9). Patients underwent an insomnia study protocol that included subjective sleep evaluation, psychometric measures, and home-based polysomnography with evaluation of HRV in wake before sleep, in all sleep stages, and in wake after final awakening. Patients showed modifications of heart rate and HRV parameters, consistent with increased sympathetic activity, while awake before sleep and during Stage-2 non-REM sleep. No significant differences between insomniacs and controls could be detected during slow-wave sleep, REM sleep, and post-sleep wake. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that autonomic hyper-arousal is a major pathogenic mechanism in primary insomnia, and confirm that this condition is associated with an increased cardiovascular risk.

The CaV2.3 R-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channel in mouse sleep architecture.

PubMed

Siwek, Magdalena Elisabeth; Müller, Ralf; Henseler, Christina; Broich, Karl; Papazoglou, Anna; Weiergräber, Marco

2014-05-01

Voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels (VGCCs) are key elements in mediating thalamocortical rhythmicity. Low-voltage activated (LVA) CaV 3 T-type Ca(2+) channels have been related to thalamic rebound burst firing and to generation of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. High-voltage activated (HVA) CaV 1 L-type Ca(2+) channels, on the opposite, favor the tonic mode of action associated with higher levels of vigilance. However, the role of the HVA Non-L-type CaV2.3 Ca(2+) channels, which are predominantly expressed in the reticular thalamic nucleus (RTN), still remains unclear. Recently, CaV2.3(-/-) mice were reported to exhibit altered spike-wave discharge (SWD)/absence seizure susceptibility supported by the observation that CaV2.3 mediated Ca(2+) influx into RTN neurons can trigger small-conductance Ca(2+)-activated K(+)-channel type 2 (SK2) currents capable of maintaining thalamic burst activity. Based on these studies we investigated the role of CaV2.3 R-type Ca(2+) channels in rodent sleep. The role of CaV2.3 Ca(2+) channels was analyzed in CaV2.3(-/-) mice and controls in both spontaneous and artificial urethane-induced sleep, using implantable video-EEG radiotelemetry. Data were analyzed for alterations in sleep architecture using sleep staging software and time-frequency analysis. CaV2.3 deficient mice exhibited reduced wake duration and increased slow-wave sleep (SWS). Whereas mean sleep stage durations remained unchanged, the total number of SWS epochs was increased in CaV2.3(-/-) mice. Additional changes were observed for sleep stage transitions and EEG amplitudes. Furthermore, urethane-induced SWS mimicked spontaneous sleep results obtained from CaV2.3 deficient mice. Quantitative Real-time PCR did not reveal changes in thalamic CaV3 T-type Ca(2+) channel expression. The detailed mechanisms of SWS increase in CaV2.3(-/-) mice remain to be determined. Low-voltage activated CaV2.3 R-type Ca(2+) channels in the thalamocortical loop and extra-thalamocortical circuitries substantially regulate rodent sleep architecture thus representing a novel potential target for pharmacological treatment of sleep disorders in the future.

Triethylene glycol, an active component of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) leaves, is responsible for sleep induction.

PubMed

Kaushik, Mahesh K; Kaul, Sunil C; Wadhwa, Renu; Yanagisawa, Masashi; Urade, Yoshihiro

2017-01-01

Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint which occurs due to difficulty in falling asleep or maintaining it. Most of currently available drugs for insomnia develop dependency and/or adverse effects. Hence natural therapies could be an alternative choice of treatment for insomnia. The root or whole plant extract of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) has been used to induce sleep in Indian system of traditional home medicine, Ayurveda. However, its active somnogenic components remain unidentified. We investigated the effect of various components of Ashwagandha leaf on sleep regulation by oral administration in mice. We found that the alcoholic extract that contained high amount of active withanolides was ineffective to induce sleep in mice. However, the water extract which contain triethylene glycol as a major component induced significant amount of non-rapid eye movement sleep with slight change in rapid eye movement sleep. Commercially available triethylene glycol also increased non-rapid eye movement sleep in mice in a dose-dependent (10-30 mg/mouse) manner. These results clearly demonstrated that triethylene glycol is an active sleep-inducing component of Ashwagandha leaves and could potentially be useful for insomnia therapy.

Strokes and their relationship with sleep and sleep disorders.

PubMed

Ferre, A; Ribó, M; Rodríguez-Luna, D; Romero, O; Sampol, G; Molina, C A; Álvarez-Sabin, J

2013-03-01

In the current population, strokes are one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality, to which new risk factors are increasingly being attributed. Of late, there is increased interest in the relationship between sleep disorders and strokes as regards risk and prognosis. This article presents the changes in sleep architecture and brain activity in stroke patients, as well as the interaction between stroke and sleep disorders, including those which may also influence the outcome and recovery from strokes. The different treatments discussed in the literature are also reviewed, as correct treatment of such sleep disorders may not only improve quality of life and reduce after-effects, but can also increase life expectancy. Sleep disorders are becoming increasingly associated with stroke. In addition to being a risk factor, they can also interfere in the outcome and recovery of stroke patients. This article aims to present an exhaustive and current review on strokes and their relationship with sleep alterations and sleep disorders. Copyright © 2010 Sociedad Española de Neurología. Published by Elsevier Espana. All rights reserved.

Effects of Macrophage Depletion on Sleep in Mice

PubMed Central

Ames, Conner; Boland, Erin; Szentirmai, Éva

2016-01-01

The reciprocal interaction between the immune system and sleep regulation has been widely acknowledged but the cellular mechanisms that underpin this interaction are not completely understood. In the present study, we investigated the role of macrophages in sleep loss- and cold exposure-induced sleep and body temperature responses. Macrophage apoptosis was induced in mice by systemic injection of clodronate-containing liposomes (CCL). We report that CCL treatment induced an immediate and transient increase in non-rapid-eye movement sleep (NREMS) and fever accompanied by decrease in rapid-eye movement sleep, motor activity and NREMS delta power. Chronically macrophage-depleted mice had attenuated NREMS rebound after sleep deprivation compared to normal mice. Cold-induced increase in wakefulness and decrease in NREMS, rapid-eye movement sleep and body temperature were significantly enhanced in macrophage-depleted mice indicating increased cold sensitivity. These findings provide further evidence for the reciprocal interaction among the immune system, sleep and metabolism, and identify macrophages as one of the key cellular elements in this interplay. PMID:27442442

Slow oscillating transcranial direct current stimulation during sleep has a sleep-stabilizing effect in chronic insomnia: a pilot study.

PubMed

Saebipour, Mohammad R; Joghataei, Mohammad T; Yoonessi, Ali; Sadeghniiat-Haghighi, Khosro; Khalighinejad, Nima; Khademi, Soroush

2015-10-01

Recent evidence suggests that lack of slow-wave activity may play a fundamental role in the pathogenesis of insomnia. Pharmacological approaches and brain stimulation techniques have recently offered solutions for increasing slow-wave activity during sleep. We used slow (0.75 Hz) oscillatory transcranial direct current stimulation during stage 2 of non-rapid eye movement sleeping insomnia patients for resonating their brain waves to the frequency of sleep slow-wave. Six patients diagnosed with either sleep maintenance or non-restorative sleep insomnia entered the study. After 1 night of adaptation and 1 night of baseline polysomnography, patients randomly received sham or real stimulation on the third and fourth night of the experiment. Our preliminary results show that after termination of stimulations (sham or real), slow oscillatory transcranial direct current stimulation increased the duration of stage 3 of non-rapid eye movement sleep by 33 ± 26 min (P = 0.026), and decreased stage 1 of non-rapid eye movement sleep duration by 22 ± 17.7 min (P = 0.028), compared with sham. Slow oscillatory transcranial direct current stimulation decreased stage 1 of non-rapid eye movement sleep and wake time after sleep-onset durations, together, by 55.4 ± 51 min (P = 0.045). Slow oscillatory transcranial direct current stimulation also increased sleep efficiency by 9 ± 7% (P = 0.026), and probability of transition from stage 2 to stage 3 of non-rapid eye movement sleep by 20 ± 17.8% (P = 0.04). Meanwhile, slow oscillatory transcranial direct current stimulation decreased transitions from stage 2 of non-rapid eye movement sleep to wake by 12 ± 6.7% (P = 0.007). Our preliminary results suggest a sleep-stabilizing role for the intervention, which may mimic the effect of sleep slow-wave-enhancing drugs. © 2015 European Sleep Research Society.

The CaV2.3 R-Type Voltage-Gated Ca2+ Channel in Mouse Sleep Architecture

PubMed Central

Siwek, Magdalena Elisabeth; Müller, Ralf; Henseler, Christina; Broich, Karl; Papazoglou, Anna; Weiergräber, Marco

2014-01-01

Study Objectives: Voltage-gated Ca2+ channels (VGCCs) are key elements in mediating thalamocortical rhythmicity. Low-voltage activated (LVA) CaV 3 T-type Ca2+ channels have been related to thalamic rebound burst firing and to generation of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. High-voltage activated (HVA) CaV 1 L-type Ca2+ channels, on the opposite, favor the tonic mode of action associated with higher levels of vigilance. However, the role of the HVA Non-L-type CaV2.3 Ca2+ channels, which are predominantly expressed in the reticular thalamic nucleus (RTN), still remains unclear. Recently, CaV2.3−/− mice were reported to exhibit altered spike-wave discharge (SWD)/absence seizure susceptibility supported by the observation that CaV2.3 mediated Ca2+ influx into RTN neurons can trigger small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+-channel type 2 (SK2) currents capable of maintaining thalamic burst activity. Based on these studies we investigated the role of CaV2.3 R-type Ca2+ channels in rodent sleep. Methods: The role of CaV2.3 Ca2+ channels was analyzed in CaV2.3−/− mice and controls in both spontaneous and artificial urethane-induced sleep, using implantable video-EEG radiotelemetry. Data were analyzed for alterations in sleep architecture using sleep staging software and time-frequency analysis. Results: CaV2.3 deficient mice exhibited reduced wake duration and increased slow-wave sleep (SWS). Whereas mean sleep stage durations remained unchanged, the total number of SWS epochs was increased in CaV2.3−/− mice. Additional changes were observed for sleep stage transitions and EEG amplitudes. Furthermore, urethane-induced SWS mimicked spontaneous sleep results obtained from CaV2.3 deficient mice. Quantitative Real-time PCR did not reveal changes in thalamic CaV3 T-type Ca2+ channel expression. The detailed mechanisms of SWS increase in CaV2.3−/− mice remain to be determined. Conclusions: Low-voltage activated CaV2.3 R-type Ca2+ channels in the thalamocortical loop and extra-thalamocortical circuitries substantially regulate rodent sleep architecture thus representing a novel potential target for pharmacological treatment of sleep disorders in the future. Citation: Siwek ME, Müller R, Henseler C, Broich K, Papazoglou A, Weiergräber M. The CaV2.3 R-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channel in mouse sleep architecture. SLEEP 2014;37(5):881-892. PMID:24790266

Reduced sleep spindle activity point to a TRN-MD thalamus-PFC circuit dysfunction in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Ferrarelli, Fabio; Tononi, Giulio

2017-02-01

Sleep disturbances have been reliably reported in patients with schizophrenia, thus suggesting that abnormal sleep may represent a core feature of this disorder. Traditional electroencephalographic studies investigating sleep architecture have found reduced deep non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, or slow wave sleep (SWS), and increased REM density. However, these findings have been inconsistently observed, and have not survived meta-analysis. By contrast, several recent EEG studies exploring brain activity during sleep have established marked deficits in sleep spindles in schizophrenia, including first-episode and early-onset patients, compared to both healthy and psychiatric comparison subjects. Spindles are waxing and waning, 12-16Hz NREM sleep oscillations that are generated within the thalamus by the thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), and are then synchronized and sustained in the cortex. While the functional role of sleep spindles still needs to be fully established, increasing evidence has shown that sleep spindles are implicated in learning and memory, including sleep dependent memory consolidation, and spindle parameters have been associated to general cognitive ability and IQ. In this article we will review the EEG studies demonstrating sleep spindle deficits in patients with schizophrenia, and show that spindle deficits can predict their reduced cognitive performance. We will then present data indicating that spindle impairments point to a TRN-MD thalamus-prefrontal cortex circuit deficit, and discuss about the possible molecular mechanisms underlying thalamo-cortical sleep spindle abnormalities in schizophrenia. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Characterization of the sleep-wake patterns in mice lacking fatty acid amide hydrolase.

PubMed

Huitron-Resendiz, Salvador; Sanchez-Alavez, Manuel; Wills, Derek N; Cravatt, Benjamin F; Henriksen, Steven J

2004-08-01

Oleamide and anandamide are fatty acid amides implicated in the regulatory mechanisms of sleep processes. However, due to their prompt catabolism by fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), their pharmacologic and behavioral effects, in vivo, disappear rapidly. To determine if, in the absence of FAAH, the hypnogenic fatty acid amides induce an increase of sleep, we characterized the sleep-wake patters in FAAH-knockout mice [FAAH (-/-)] before and after sleep deprivation. FAAH (-/-), FAAH (+/-), and FAAH (+/+) mice were implanted chronically for sleep, body temperature (Tb), and locomotor activity (LMA) recordings. Sleep-wake states were recorded during a 24-hour baseline session followed by 8 hours of sleep deprivation. Recovery recordings were done during the 16 hours following sleep deprivation. Total amount of wake, slow-wave sleep, and rapid eye movement sleep were calculated and compared between genotypes. The electroencephalographic spectral analysis was performed by fast Fourier transform analysis. Telemetry recordings of Tb and LMA were carried out continuously during 4 days under baseline conditions. N/A. FAAH (-/-) mice and their heterozygote (+/-) and control (+/+) littermates were used. Sleep deprivation. FAAH (-/-) mice possess higher values of slow-wave sleep and more intense episodes of slow-wave sleep than do control littermates under baseline conditions that are not related to differences in Tb and LMA. A rebound of slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep as well an increase in the levels of slow-wave activity were observed after sleep deprivation in all genotypes. These findings support the role of fatty acid amides as possible modulators of sleep and indicate that the homeostatic mechanisms of sleep in FAAH (-/-) mice are not disrupted.

Cholinergic, Glutamatergic, and GABAergic Neurons of the Pedunculopontine Tegmental Nucleus Have Distinct Effects on Sleep/Wake Behavior in Mice

PubMed Central

Kroeger, Daniel; Ferrari, Loris L.; Mahoney, Carrie E.; Arrigoni, Elda

2017-01-01

The pedunculopontine tegmental (PPT) nucleus has long been implicated in the regulation of cortical activity and behavioral states, including rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep. For example, electrical stimulation of the PPT region during sleep leads to rapid awakening, whereas lesions of the PPT in cats reduce REM sleep. Though these effects have been linked with the activity of cholinergic PPT neurons, the PPT also includes intermingled glutamatergic and GABAergic cell populations, and the precise roles of cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic PPT cell groups in regulating cortical activity and behavioral state remain unknown. Using a chemogenetic approach in three Cre-driver mouse lines, we found that selective activation of glutamatergic PPT neurons induced prolonged cortical activation and behavioral wakefulness, whereas inhibition reduced wakefulness and increased non-REM (NREM) sleep. Activation of cholinergic PPT neurons suppressed lower-frequency electroencephalogram rhythms during NREM sleep. Last, activation of GABAergic PPT neurons slightly reduced REM sleep. These findings reveal that glutamatergic, cholinergic, and GABAergic PPT neurons differentially influence cortical activity and sleep/wake states. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT More than 40 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disruption, and the development of effective treatments requires a more detailed understanding of the neuronal mechanisms controlling sleep and arousal. The pedunculopontine tegmental (PPT) nucleus has long been considered a key site for regulating wakefulness and REM sleep. This is mainly because of the cholinergic neurons contained in the PPT nucleus. However, the PPT nucleus also contains glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons that likely contribute to the regulation of cortical activity and sleep–wake states. The chemogenetic experiments in the present study reveal that cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic PPT neurons each have distinct effects on sleep/wake behavior, improving our understanding of how the PPT nucleus regulates cortical activity and behavioral states. PMID:28039375

Reward-related brain function and sleep in pre/early pubertal and mid/late pubertal adolescents.

PubMed

Holm, Stephanie M; Forbes, Erika E; Ryan, Neal D; Phillips, Mary L; Tarr, Jill A; Dahl, Ronald E

2009-10-01

The onset of adolescence is a time of dramatic changes, including changes in sleep, and a time of new health concerns related to increases in risk-taking, sensation seeking, depression, substance use, and accidents. As part of a larger study examining puberty-specific changes in adolescents' reward-related brain function, the current article focuses on the relationship between functional neuroimaging measures of reward and measures of sleep. A total of 58 healthy participants 11-13 years of age completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging scan using a guessing task with monetary rewards and 4 days of at-home actigraphy and self-reported sleep ratings. Sleep variables included actigraph measures of mean weekend minutes asleep, sleep onset time, and sleep offset time, as well as self-reported sleep quality. During reward anticipation, less activation in the caudate (part of the ventral striatum) was associated with fewer minutes asleep, later sleep onset time, and lower sleep quality. During reward outcome, less caudate activation was associated with later sleep onset time, earlier sleep offset time, and lower sleep quality. It has been hypothesized that adolescents' low reactivity in reward-related brain areas could lead to compensatory increases in reward-driven behavior. This study's findings suggest that sleep could contribute to such behavior. Because decreased sleep has been associated with risky behavior and negative mood, these findings raise concerns about a negative spiral whereby the effects of puberty and sleep deprivation may have synergistic effects on reward processing, contributing to adolescent behavioral and emotional health problems.

Treatment of Sleep Disordered Breathing Reverses Low Fetal Activity Levels in Preeclampsia

PubMed Central

Blyton, Diane M.; Skilton, Michael R.; Edwards, Natalie; Hennessy, Annemarie; Celermajer, David S.; Sullivan, Colin E.

2013-01-01

Study Objectives: Preeclampsia affects 5% to 7% of pregnancies, is strongly associated with low birth weight and fetal death, and is accompanied by sleep disordered breathing. We hypothesized that sleep disordered breathing may link preeclampsia with reduced fetal movements (a marker of fetal health), and that treatment of sleep disordered breathing might improve fetal activity during sleep. Design, Setting, and Participants: First, a method of fetal movement recording was validated against ultrasound in 20 normal third trimester pregnancies. Second, fetal movement was measured overnight with concurrent polysomnography in 20 patients with preeclampsia and 20 control subjects during third trimester. Third, simultaneous polysomnography and fetal monitoring was done in 10 additional patients with preeclampsia during a control night and during a night of nasal CPAP. Intervention: Overnight continuous positive airway pressure. Measurements and Results: Women with preeclampsia had inspiratory flow limitation and an increased number of oxygen desaturations during sleep (P = 0.008), particularly during REM sleep. Preeclampsia was associated with reduced total fetal movements overnight (319 [SD 32]) versus controls (689 [SD 160], P < 0.0001) and a change in fetal movement patterns. The number of fetal hiccups was also substantially reduced in preeclampsia subjects (P < 0.0001). Continuous positive airway pressure treatment increased the number of fetal movements and hiccups (P < 0.0001 and P = 0.0002, respectively). Conclusions: The effectiveness of continuous positive airway pressure in improving fetal movements suggests a pathogenetic role for sleep disordered breathing in the reduced fetal activity and possibly in the poorer fetal outcomes associated with preeclampsia. Citation: Blyton DM; Skilton MR; Edwards N; Hennessy A; Celermajer DS; Sullivan CE. Treatment of sleep disordered breathing reverses low fetal activity levels in preeclampsia. SLEEP 2013;36(1):15–21. PMID:23288967

“Always Look on the Bright Side of Life!” – Higher Hypomania Scores Are Associated with Higher Mental Toughness, Increased Physical Activity, and Lower Symptoms of Depression and Lower Sleep Complaints

PubMed Central

Jahangard, Leila; Rahmani, Anahita; Haghighi, Mohammad; Ahmadpanah, Mohammad; Sadeghi Bahmani, Dena; Soltanian, Ali R.; Shirzadi, Shahriar; Bajoghli, Hafez; Gerber, Markus; Holsboer-Trachsler, Edith; Brand, Serge

2017-01-01

Background: In the present study, we explored the associations between hypomania, symptoms of depression, sleep complaints, physical activity and mental toughness. The latter construct has gained interest for its association with a broad variety of favorable behavior in both clinical and non-clinical samples. Subjects and Methods: The non-clinical sample consisted of 206 young adults (M = 21.3 years; age range: 18–24 years; 57.3% males). They completed questionnaires covering hypomania, mental toughness, symptoms of depression, physical activity, and sleep quality. Results: Higher hypomania scores were associated with higher mental toughness, increased physical activity, lower symptoms of depression and lower sleep complaints. No gender differences were observed. Higher hypomania scores were predicted by higher scores of mental toughness subscales of control and challenge, and physical activity. Conclusion: The pattern of results suggests that among a non-clinical sample of young adults, self-rated hypomania scores were associated with higher scores on mental toughness and physical activity, along with lower depression and sleep complaints. The pattern of results further suggests that hypomania traits are associated with a broad range of favorable psychological, behavioral and sleep-related traits, at least among a non-clinical sample of young adults. PMID:29312026

Selective neuronal lapses precede human cognitive lapses following sleep deprivation.

PubMed

Nir, Yuval; Andrillon, Thomas; Marmelshtein, Amit; Suthana, Nanthia; Cirelli, Chiara; Tononi, Giulio; Fried, Itzhak

2017-12-01

Sleep deprivation is a major source of morbidity with widespread health effects, including increased risk of hypertension, diabetes, obesity, heart attack, and stroke. Moreover, sleep deprivation brings about vehicle accidents and medical errors and is therefore an urgent topic of investigation. During sleep deprivation, homeostatic and circadian processes interact to build up sleep pressure, which results in slow behavioral performance (cognitive lapses) typically attributed to attentional thalamic and frontoparietal circuits, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Recently, through study of electroencephalograms (EEGs) in humans and local field potentials (LFPs) in nonhuman primates and rodents it was found that, during sleep deprivation, regional 'sleep-like' slow and theta (slow/theta) waves co-occur with impaired behavioral performance during wakefulness. Here we used intracranial electrodes to record single-neuron activities and LFPs in human neurosurgical patients performing a face/nonface categorization psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) over multiple experimental sessions, including a session after full-night sleep deprivation. We find that, just before cognitive lapses, the selective spiking responses of individual neurons in the medial temporal lobe (MTL) are attenuated, delayed, and lengthened. These 'neuronal lapses' are evident on a trial-by-trial basis when comparing the slowest behavioral PVT reaction times to the fastest. Furthermore, during cognitive lapses, LFPs exhibit a relative local increase in slow/theta activity that is correlated with degraded single-neuron responses and with baseline theta activity. Our results show that cognitive lapses involve local state-dependent changes in neuronal activity already present in the MTL.

Role of slow oscillatory activity and slow wave sleep in consolidation of episodic-like memory in rats.

PubMed

Oyanedel, Carlos N; Binder, Sonja; Kelemen, Eduard; Petersen, Kimberley; Born, Jan; Inostroza, Marion

2014-12-15

Our previous experiments showed that sleep in rats enhances consolidation of hippocampus dependent episodic-like memory, i.e. the ability to remember an event bound into specific spatio-temporal context. Here we tested the hypothesis that this enhancing effect of sleep is linked to the occurrence of slow oscillatory and spindle activity during slow wave sleep (SWS). Rats were tested on an episodic-like memory task and on three additional tasks covering separately the where (object place recognition), when (temporal memory), and what (novel object recognition) components of episodic memory. In each task, the sample phase (encoding) was followed by an 80-min retention interval that covered either a period of regular morning sleep or sleep deprivation. Memory during retrieval was tested using preferential exploration of novelty vs. familiarity. Consistent with previous findings, the rats which had slept during the retention interval showed significantly stronger episodic-like memory and spatial memory, and a trend of improved temporal memory (although not significant). Object recognition memory was similarly retained across sleep and sleep deprivation retention intervals. Recall of episodic-like memory was associated with increased slow oscillatory activity (0.85-2.0Hz) during SWS in the retention interval. Spatial memory was associated with increased proportions of SWS. Against our hypothesis, a relationship between spindle activity and episodic-like memory performance was not detected, but spindle activity was associated with object recognition memory. The results provide support for the role of SWS and slow oscillatory activity in consolidating hippocampus-dependent memory, the role of spindles in this process needs to be further examined. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Comparing Neural Correlates of REM Sleep in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression: A Neuroimaging Study

PubMed Central

Ebdlahad, Sommer; Nofzinger, Eric A.; James, Jeffrey A.; Buysse, Daniel J.; Price, Julie C.; Germain, Anne

2013-01-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep disturbances predict poor clinical outcomes in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). In MDD, REM sleep is characterized by activation of limbic and paralimbic brain regions compared to wakefulness. The neural correlates of PTSD during REM sleep remain scarcely explored, and comparisons of PTSD and MDD have not been conducted. The present study sought to compare brain activity patterns during wakefulness and REM sleep in 13 adults with PTSD and 12 adults with MDD using [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (PET). PTSD was associated with greater increases in relative regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (rCMRglc) in limbic and paralimbic structures in REM sleep compared to wakefulness. Post-hoc comparisons indicated that MDD was associated with greater limbic and paralimbic rCMRglc during wakefulness but not REM sleep compared to PTSD. Our findings suggest that PTSD is associated with increased REM sleep limbic and paralimbic metabolism, whereas MDD is associated with wake and REM hypermetabolism in these areas. These observations suggest that PTSD and MDD disrupt REM sleep through different neurobiological processes. Optimal sleep treatments between the two disorders may differ: REM-specific therapy may be more effective in PTSD. PMID:24367137

Upper Airway Collapsibility (Pcrit) and Pharyngeal Dilator Muscle Activity are Sleep Stage Dependent

PubMed Central

Carberry, Jayne C.; Jordan, Amy S.; White, David P.; Wellman, Andrew; Eckert, Danny J.

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: An anatomically narrow/highly collapsible upper airway is the main cause of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Upper airway muscle activity contributes to airway patency and, like apnea severity, can be sleep stage dependent. Conversely, existing data derived from a small number of participants suggest that upper airway collapsibility, measured by the passive pharyngeal critical closing pressure (Pcrit) technique, is not sleep stage dependent. This study aimed to determine the effect of sleep stage on Pcrit and upper airway muscle activity in a larger cohort than previously tested. Methods: Pcrit and/or muscle data were obtained from 72 adults aged 20–64 y with and without OSA.Pcrit was determined via transient reductions in continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) during N2, slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Genioglossus and tensor palatini muscle activities were measured: (1) awake with and without CPAP, (2) during stable sleep on CPAP, and (3) in response to the CPAP reductions used to quantify Pcrit. Results: Pcrit was 4.9 ± 1.4 cmH2O higher (more collapsible) during REM versus SWS (P = 0.012), 2.3 ± 0.6 cmH2O higher during REM versus N2 (P < 0.001), and 1.6 ± 0.7 cmH2O higher in N2 versus SWS (P = 0.048). Muscle activity decreased from wakefulness to sleep and from SWS to N2 to REM sleep for genioglossus but not for tensor palatini. Pharyngeal muscle activity increased by ∼50% by breath 5 following CPAP reductions. Conclusions: Upper airway collapsibility measured via the Pcrit technique and genioglossus muscle activity vary with sleep stage. These findings should be taken into account when performing and interpreting “passive” Pcrit measurements. Citation: Carberry JC, Jordan AS, White DP, Wellman A, Eckert DJ. Upper airway collapsibility (Pcrit) and pharyngeal dilator muscle activity are sleep stage dependent. SLEEP 2016;39(3):511–521. PMID:26612386

Arousal from Sleep Does Not Lead to Reduced Dilator Muscle Activity or Elevated Upper Airway Resistance on Return to Sleep in Healthy Individuals

PubMed Central

Jordan, Amy S.; Cori, Jennifer M.; Dawson, Andrew; Nicholas, Christian L.; O'Donoghue, Fergal J.; Catcheside, Peter G.; Eckert, Danny J.; McEvoy, R. Doug; Trinder, John

2015-01-01

Study Objectives: To compare changes in end-tidal CO2, genioglossus muscle activity and upper airway resistance following tone-induced arousal and the return to sleep in healthy individuals with small and large ventilatory responses to arousal. Design: Observational study. Setting: Two sleep physiology laboratories. Patients or Participants: 35 men and 25 women with no medical or sleep disorders. Interventions: Auditory tones to induce 3-s to 15-s cortical arousals from sleep. Measurements and Results: During arousal from sleep, subjects with large ventilatory responses to arousal had higher ventilation (by analytical design) and tidal volume, and more marked reductions in the partial pressure of end-tidal CO2 compared to subjects with small ventilatory responses to arousal. However, following the return to sleep, ventilation, genioglossus muscle activity, and upper airway resistance did not differ between high and low ventilatory response groups (Breath 1 on return to sleep: ventilation 6.7 ± 0.4 and 5.5 ± 0.3 L/min, peak genioglossus activity 3.4% ± 1.0% and 4.8% ± 1.0% maximum, upper airway resistance 4.7 ± 0.7 and 5.5 ± 1.0 cm H2O/L/s, respectively). Furthermore, dilator muscle activity did not fall below the pre-arousal sleeping level and upper airway resistance did not rise above the pre-arousal sleeping level in either group for 10 breaths following the return to sleep. Conclusions: Regardless of the magnitude of the ventilatory response to arousal from sleep and subsequent reduction in PETCO2, healthy individuals did not develop reduced dilator muscle activity nor increased upper airway resistance, indicative of partial airway collapse, on the return to sleep. These findings challenge the commonly stated notion that arousals predispose to upper airway obstruction. Citation: Jordan AS, Cori JM, Dawson A, Nicholas CL, O'Donoghue FJ, Catcheside PG, Eckert DJ, McEvoy RD, Trinder J. Arousal from sleep does not lead to reduced dilator muscle activity or elevated upper airway resistance on return to sleep in healthy individuals. SLEEP 2015;38(1):53–59. PMID:25325511

Sleep Restriction Enhances the Daily Rhythm of Circulating Levels of Endocannabinoid 2-Arachidonoylglycerol

PubMed Central

Hanlon, Erin C.; Tasali, Esra; Leproult, Rachel; Stuhr, Kara L.; Doncheck, Elizabeth; de Wit, Harriet; Hillard, Cecilia J.; Van Cauter, Eve

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: Increasing evidence from laboratory and epidemiologic studies indicates that insufficient sleep may be a risk factor for obesity. Sleep curtailment results in stimulation of hunger and food intake that exceeds the energy cost of extended wakefulness, suggesting the involvement of reward mechanisms. The current study tested the hypothesis that sleep restriction is associated with activation of the endocannabinoid (eCB) system, a key component of hedonic pathways involved in modulating appetite and food intake. Methods: In a randomized crossover study comparing 4 nights of normal (8.5 h) versus restricted sleep (4.5 h) in healthy young adults, we examined the 24-h profiles of circulating concentrations of the endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and its structural analog 2-oleoylglycerol (2-OG). We concomitantly assessed hunger, appetite, and food intake under controlled conditions. Results: A robust daily variation of 2-AG concentrations with a nadir around the middle of the sleep/overnight fast, followed by a continuous increase culminating in the early afternoon, was evident under both sleep conditions but sleep restriction resulted in an amplification of this rhythm with delayed and extended maximum values. Concentrations of 2-OG followed a similar pattern, but with a lesser amplitude. When sleep deprived, participants reported increases in hunger and appetite concomitant with the afternoon elevation of 2-AG concentrations, and were less able to inhibit intake of palatable snacks. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that activation of the eCB system may be involved in excessive food intake in a state of sleep debt and contribute to the increased risk of obesity associated with insufficient sleep. Commentary: A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 495. Citation: Hanlon EC, Tasali E, Leproult R, Stuhr KL, Doncheck E, de Wit H, Hillard CJ, Van Cauter E. Sleep restriction enhances the daily rhythm of circulating levels of endocannabinoid 2-arachidonoylglycerol. SLEEP 2016;39(3):653–664. PMID:26612385

Partial sleep deprivation activates the DNA damage response (DDR) and the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) in aged adult humans.

PubMed

Carroll, Judith E; Cole, Steven W; Seeman, Teresa E; Breen, Elizabeth C; Witarama, Tuff; Arevalo, Jesusa M G; Ma, Jeffrey; Irwin, Michael R

2016-01-01

Age-related disease risk has been linked to short sleep duration and sleep disturbances; however, the specific molecular pathways linking sleep loss with diseases of aging are poorly defined. Key cellular events seen with aging, which are thought to contribute to disease, may be particularly sensitive to sleep loss. We tested whether one night of partial sleep deprivation (PSD) would increase leukocyte gene expression indicative of DNA damage responses (DDR), the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP), and senescence indicator p16(INK4a) in older adult humans, who are at increased risk for cellular senescence. Community-dwelling older adults aged 61-86years (n=29; 48% male) underwent an experimental partial sleep deprivation (PSD) protocol over 4 nights, including adaptation, an uninterrupted night of sleep, partial sleep deprivation (sleep restricted 3-7AM), and a subsequent full night of sleep. Blood samples were obtained each morning to assess peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) gene expression using Illumina HT-12 arrays. Analyses of microarray results revealed that SASP (p<.05) and DDR (p=.08) gene expression were elevated from baseline to PSD nights. Gene expression changes were also observed from baseline to PSD in NFKB2, NBS1 and CHK2 (all p's<.05). The senescence marker p16(INK4a) (CDKN2A) was increased 1day after PSD compared to baseline (p<.01), however confirmatory RT-PCR did not replicate this finding. One night of partial sleep deprivation activates PBMC gene expression patterns consistent with biological aging in this older adult sample. PSD enhanced the SASP and increased the accumulation of damage that initiates cell cycle arrest and promotes cellular senescence. These findings causally link sleep deprivation to the molecular processes associated with biological aging. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sleep Duration in Rough Sea Conditions.

PubMed

Matsangas, Panagiotis; Shattuck, Nita L; McCauley, Michael E

2015-10-01

Environmental motion can affect shipboard sleep of crewmembers. Slamming and similar harsh motion may interfere with sleep, whereas mild motion and sopite syndrome may enhance sleep. If sleep needs vary by sea condition, this factor should be considered when assessing human performance at sea. The goal of this study was to assess sleep duration in different sea conditions. Crewmembers (N = 52) from a U.S. Navy vessel participated in the study while performing their normal daily schedule of duties. Sleep was assessed with wrist-worn actigraphy. Motion sickness and sopite syndrome were assessed using standardized questionnaires. In rough sea conditions, crewmembers experienced increased severity of motion sickness and sopite syndrome compared to their ratings during calmer sea conditions. Crewmembers slept significantly longer during sea state 5-6 compared to sleep on days with sea state 4 (25% increase) and sea state 3-4 (30% increase). Specifically, daily sleep increased from 6.97 ± 1.24 h in sea state 3-4, to 7.23 ± 1.65 h in sea state 4, to 9.04 ± 2.90 h in sea state 5-6. Although the duration of sleep in rough seas increased significantly compared to calmer sea conditions, causal factors are inconclusive. Accumulated sleep debt, motion-induced fatigue, and sopite syndrome all may have contributed, but results suggest that motion sickness and sopite syndrome were the predominant stressors. If sleep needs increase in severe motion environments, this factor should be taken into account when developing daily activity schedules or when modeling manning requirements on modern ships.

The Role of Sleep and Sleep Disorders in the Development, Diagnosis, and Management of Neurocognitive Disorders

PubMed Central

Miller, Michelle A.

2015-01-01

It is becoming increasingly apparent that sleep plays an important role in the maintenance, disease prevention, repair, and restoration of both mind and body. The sleep and wake cycles are controlled by the pacemaker activity of the superchiasmic nucleus in the hypothalamus but can be disrupted by diseases of the nervous system causing disordered sleep. A lack of sleep has been associated with an increase in all-cause mortality. Likewise, sleep disturbances and sleep disorders may disrupt neuronal pathways and have an impact on neurological diseases. Sleep deprivation studies in normal subjects demonstrate that a lack of sleep can cause attention and working memory impairment. Moreover, untreated sleep disturbances and sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnoe (OSA) can also lead to cognitive impairment. Poor sleep and sleep disorders may present a significant risk factor for the development of dementia. In this review, the underlying mechanisms and the role of sleep and sleep disorders in the development of neurocognitive disorders [dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI)] and how the presence of sleep disorders could direct the process of diagnosis and management of neurocognitive disorders will be discussed. PMID:26557104

Sleep and youth suicidal behavior: a neglected field.

PubMed

Liu, Xianchen; Buysse, Daniel J

2006-05-01

Sleep undergoes substantial changes during adolescence and suicide risk begins to increase during this period as well. This review focuses on recent literature on the relationship between sleep and suicidal behavior and proposes directions for future research. Adolescent sleep is characterized by widespread sleep restriction, irregular sleep schedules, daytime sleepiness, and elevated risk for sleep disturbances. More research on adolescent sleep and psychosocial impairment, psychiatric disorders, and suicidal behavior has been conducted. Suicidal psychiatric patients had more sleep disturbances including insomnia, hypersomnia, or nightmares than nonsuicidal patients. Shorter rapid eye movement latency and increased rapid eye movement activity have been noted to be a marker of suicidality in psychiatric patients. Epidemiological studies have demonstrated that insomnia, nightmares, and sleep insufficiency are associated with elevated risk for suicide. Although the link between insomnia and suicidal behavior appears to be mediated by depression, existing data suggest an independent predictive role of nightmares in future suicidal behavior. Sleep loss or disturbances are likely to signal an increased risk of future suicidal action in adolescents. Large-scale prospective studies and neurobiological studies are needed for a better understanding of the complex relationship between sleep, psychopathology, and youth suicidal behavior.

Inverse relationship between sleep duration and myopia.

PubMed

Jee, Donghyun; Morgan, Ian G; Kim, Eun Chul

2016-05-01

To investigate the association between sleep duration and myopia. This population-based, cross-sectional study using a nationwide, systemic, stratified, multistage, clustered sampling method included a total of 3625 subjects aged 12-19 years who participated in the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2008-2012. All participants underwent ophthalmic examination and a standardized interview including average sleep duration (hr/day), education, physical activity and economic status (annual household income). Refractive error was measured by autorefraction without cycloplegia. Myopia and high myopia were defined as ≤-0.50 dioptres (D) and ≤-6.0 D, respectively. Sleep durations were classified into 5 categories: <5, 6, 7, 8 and >9 hr. The overall prevalence of myopia and high myopia were 77.8% and 9.4%, respectively, and the overall sleep duration was 7.1 hr/day. The refractive error increased by 0.10 D per 1 hr increase in sleep after adjusting for potential confounders including sex, age, height, education level, economic status and physical activity. The adjusted odds ratio (OR) for refractive error was 0.90 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.83-0.97) per 1 hr increase in sleep. The adjusted OR for myopia was decreased in those with >9 hr of sleep (OR, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.38-0.93; p for trend = 0.006) than in those with <5 hr of sleep. However, high myopia was not associated with sleep duration. This study provides the population-based, epidemiologic evidence for an inverse relationship between sleep duration and myopia in a representative population of Korean adolescents. © 2015 Acta Ophthalmologica Scandinavica Foundation. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Quantitative differences among EMG activities of muscles innervated by subpopulations of hypoglossal and upper spinal motoneurons during non-REM sleep - REM sleep transitions: a window on neural processes in the sleeping brain

PubMed Central

RUKHADZE, I.; KAMANI, H.; KUBIN, L.

2017-01-01

In the rat, a species widely used to study the neural mechanisms of sleep and motor control, lingual electromyographic activity (EMG) is minimal during non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep and then phasic twitches gradually increase after the onset of REM sleep. To better characterize the central neural processes underlying this pattern, we quantified EMG of muscles innervated by distinct subpopulations of hypoglossal motoneurons and nuchal (N) EMG during transitions from non-REM sleep to REM sleep. In 8 chronically instrumented rats, we recorded cortical EEG, EMG at sites near the base of the tongue where genioglossal and intrinsic muscle fibers predominate (GG-I), EMG of the geniohyoid (GH) muscle, and N EMG. Sleep-wake states were identified and EMGs quantified relative to their mean levels in wakefulness in successive 10 s epochs. During non-REM sleep, the average EMG levels differed among the three muscles, with the order being N > GH > GG-I. During REM sleep, due to different magnitudes of phasic twitches, the order was reversed to GG-I > GH > N. GG-I and GH exhibited a gradual increase of twitching that peaked at 70–120 s after the onset of REM sleep and then declined if the REM sleep episode lasted longer. We propose that a common phasic excitatory generator impinges on motoneuron pools that innervate different muscles, but twitching magnitudes are different due to different levels of tonic motoneuronal hyperpolarization. We also propose that REM sleep episodes of average durations are terminated by intense activity of the central generator of phasic events, whereas long REM sleep episodes end as a result of a gradual waning of the tonic disfacilitatory and inhibitory processes. PMID:22205596

Update of sleep alterations in depression

PubMed Central

Medina, Andrés Barrera; Lechuga, DeboraYoaly Arana; Escandón, Oscar Sánchez; Moctezuma, Javier Velázquez

2014-01-01

Sleep disturbances in depression are up to 70%. Patients frequently have difficulty in falling asleep, frequent awakenings during the night and non-restorative sleep. Sleep abnormalities in depression are mainly characterized by increased rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and reduced slow wave sleep. Among the mechanisms of sleep disturbances in depression are hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, CLOCK gene polymorphism and primary sleep disorders. The habenula is a structure regulating the activities of monoaminergic neurons in the brain. The hyperactivation of the habenula has also been implicated, together with sleep disturbances, in depression. The presence of depression in primary sleep disorders is common. Sleep disturbances treatment include pharmacotherapy or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. PMID:26483922

[How does sleeping restore our brain?].

PubMed

Wigren, Henna-Kaisa; Stenberg, Tarja

2015-01-01

The central function of sleep is to keep our brain functional, but what is the restoration that sleep provides? Sleep after learning improves learning outcomes. According to the theory of synaptic homeostasis the total strength of synapses, having increased during the day, is restored during sleep, making room for the next day's experiences. According to the theory of active synaptic consolidation, repetition during sleep strengthens the synapses, and these strengthened synapses form a permanent engram. According to a recent study, removal of waste products from the brain may also be one of the functions of sleep.

Sleep, anxiety and psychiatric symptoms in children with Tourette syndrome and tic disorders.

PubMed

Modafferi, Sergio; Stornelli, Maddalena; Chiarotti, Flavia; Cardona, Francesco; Bruni, Oliviero

2016-09-01

The current study evaluated the relationship between tic, sleep disorders and specific psychiatric symptoms (anxiety, depression, obsessive compulsive symptoms). Assessment of 36 consecutive children and adolescents with tic disorders included: the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale (YGTSS) to assess the severity of tic symptoms; the Self-administered scale for children and adolescents (SAFA) to evaluate the psychopathological profile; a specific sleep questionnaire consisting of 45 items to assess the presence of sleep disorders. An age and sex-matched control group was used for comparisons. Sleep was significantly more disturbed in patients with tic disorders than in controls. Difficulties in initiating sleep and increased motor activity during sleep were the most frequent sleep disturbances found in our sample. Patients showed also symptoms of anxiety (SAFA A), depressed mood (SAFA D) and doubt-indecision (SAFA O). Additionally, difficulties in initiating sleep resulted associated with other SAFA subscales relative to obsessive-compulsive symptoms and depression symptoms. Furthermore, anxiety symptoms (SAFA A) resulted associated with increased motor activity during sleep. Findings confirm literature studies reporting high frequency of sleep problems, anxiety and other psychopathological symptoms in patients with tic disorders, and support the hypothesis that intrusive thoughts and other emotional disturbances might disrupt the sleep onset of these patients. These results suggest the importance of a thorough assessment of sleep and psychiatric disturbances in patients with tic disorders. Copyright © 2016 European Paediatric Neurology Society. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sleep deprivation alters gene expression and antioxidant enzyme activity in mice splenocytes.

PubMed

Lungato, L; Marques, M S; Pereira, V G; Hix, S; Gazarini, M L; Tufik, S; D'Almeida, V

2013-03-01

Cellular defence against the formation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) involves a number of mechanisms in which antioxidant enzymes such as catalase (CAT) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) play an important role. The relation between sleep deprivation and oxidative stress has not yet been completely elucidated. Although some authors did not find evidence of this relationship, others found alterations in some oxidative stress markers in response to sleep deprivation. Thus, the objective of this study was to identify changes induced by sleep deprivation in the activity and gene expression of antioxidant enzymes in mice splenocytes, ideally corroborating a better understanding of the observed effects related to sleep deprivation, which could be triggered by oxidative imbalance. Splenocytes from mice sleep deprived for 72 h showed no significant difference in CAT and CuZnSOD gene expression compared with normal sleep mice. However, sleep-deprived mice did show higher MnSOD gene expression than the control group. Concerning enzymatic activity, CuZnSOD and MnSOD significantly increased after sleep deprivation, despite the expression in CuZnSOD remained unchanged. Moreover, CAT activity was significantly lower after sleep deprivation. The data suggest that the antioxidant system is triggered by sleep deprivation, which in turn could influence the splenocytes homoeostasis, thus interfering in physiological responses. © 2013 The Authors. Scandinavian Journal of Immunology © 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

Cerebral mGluR5 availability contributes to elevated sleep need and behavioral adjustment after sleep deprivation

PubMed Central

Hefti, Katharina; Saberi-Moghadam, Sohrab; Buck, Alfred; Ametamey, Simon M; Scheidegger, Milan; Franken, Paul; Henning, Anke; Seifritz, Erich

2017-01-01

Increased sleep time and intensity quantified as low-frequency brain electrical activity after sleep loss demonstrate that sleep need is homeostatically regulated, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. We here demonstrate that metabotropic glutamate receptors of subtype 5 (mGluR5) contribute to the molecular machinery governing sleep-wake homeostasis. Using positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and electroencephalography in humans, we find that increased mGluR5 availability after sleep loss tightly correlates with behavioral and electroencephalographic biomarkers of elevated sleep need. These changes are associated with altered cortical myo-inositol and glycine levels, suggesting sleep loss-induced modifications downstream of mGluR5 signaling. Knock-out mice without functional mGluR5 exhibit severe dysregulation of sleep-wake homeostasis, including lack of recovery sleep and impaired behavioral adjustment to a novel task after sleep deprivation. The data suggest that mGluR5 contribute to the brain's coping mechanisms with sleep deprivation and point to a novel target to improve disturbed wakefulness and sleep. PMID:28980941

Cerebral mGluR5 availability contributes to elevated sleep need and behavioral adjustment after sleep deprivation.

PubMed

Holst, Sebastian C; Sousek, Alexandra; Hefti, Katharina; Saberi-Moghadam, Sohrab; Buck, Alfred; Ametamey, Simon M; Scheidegger, Milan; Franken, Paul; Henning, Anke; Seifritz, Erich; Tafti, Mehdi; Landolt, Hans-Peter

2017-10-05

Increased sleep time and intensity quantified as low-frequency brain electrical activity after sleep loss demonstrate that sleep need is homeostatically regulated, yet the underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. We here demonstrate that metabotropic glutamate receptors of subtype 5 (mGluR5) contribute to the molecular machinery governing sleep-wake homeostasis. Using positron emission tomography, magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and electroencephalography in humans, we find that increased mGluR5 availability after sleep loss tightly correlates with behavioral and electroencephalographic biomarkers of elevated sleep need. These changes are associated with altered cortical myo-inositol and glycine levels, suggesting sleep loss-induced modifications downstream of mGluR5 signaling. Knock-out mice without functional mGluR5 exhibit severe dysregulation of sleep-wake homeostasis, including lack of recovery sleep and impaired behavioral adjustment to a novel task after sleep deprivation. The data suggest that mGluR5 contribute to the brain's coping mechanisms with sleep deprivation and point to a novel target to improve disturbed wakefulness and sleep.

Neonatal Sleep Restriction Increases Nociceptive Sensitivity in Adolescent Mice.

PubMed

Araujo, Paula; Coelho, Cesar A; Oliveira, Maria G; Tufik, Sergio; Andersen, Monica L

2018-03-01

Sleep loss in infants may have a negative effect on the functional and structural development of the nociceptive system. We tested the hypothesis that neonatal sleep restriction induces a long-term increase of pain-related behaviors in mice and that this hypersensitivity occurs due to changes in the neuronal activity of nociceptive pathways. We aim to investigate the effects of sleep loss in neonatal mice on pain behaviors of adolescent and adult mice in a sex-dependent manner. We also analyzed neuroanatomical and functional changes in pain pathways associated with behavioral changes. An experimental animal study. A basic sleep research laboratory at Universidade Federal de São Paulo in Brazil. Neonatal mice at postnatal day (PND) 12 were randomly assigned to either control (CTRL), maternal separation (MS), or sleep restriction (SR) groups. MS and SR were performed 2 hours a day for 10 days (PND 12 until PND 21). The gentle handling method was used to prevent sleep. At PND 21, PND 35, or PND 90, the mice were tested for pain-related behaviors. Their brains were harvested and immunohistochemically stained for c-Fos protein in the anterior cingulate cortex, primary somatosensory cortex, and periaqueductal gray (PAG). Neonatal SR significantly increased nociceptive sensitivity in the hot plate test in adolescent mice (-23.5% of pain threshold). This alteration in nociceptive response was accompanied by a decrease in c-Fos expression in PAG (-40% of c-Fos positive cells compared to the CTRL group). The hypersensitivity found in adolescent mice was not present in adult animals, and all mice showed a comparable nociceptive response. Even using a mild manipulation method, in which a minimal amount of handling was applied to maintain wakefulness, sleep deprivation was a stressful event evidenced by higher corticosterone levels. Repeated exposures to sleep loss during early life were able to induce changes in the nociceptive response associated with alterations in neural activity in descending control of pain. Brain maturation, hypersensitivity, neuronal activity, nociception, pain, periaqueductal gray, postnatal development, sleep, sleep deprivation.

A Rodent Model of Night-Shift Work Induces Short-Term and Enduring Sleep and Electroencephalographic Disturbances.

PubMed

Grønli, Janne; Meerlo, Peter; Pedersen, Torhild T; Pallesen, Ståle; Skrede, Silje; Marti, Andrea R; Wisor, Jonathan P; Murison, Robert; Henriksen, Tone E G; Rempe, Michael J; Mrdalj, Jelena

2017-02-01

Millions of people worldwide are working at times that overlap with the normal time for sleep. Sleep problems related to the work schedule may mediate the well-established relationship between shift work and increased risk for disease, occupational errors and accidents. Yet, our understanding of causality and the underlying mechanisms that explain this relationship is limited. We aimed to assess the consequences of night-shift work for sleep and to examine whether night-shift work-induced sleep disturbances may yield electrophysiological markers of impaired maintenance of the waking brain state. An experimental model developed in rats simulated a 4-day protocol of night-work in humans. Two groups of rats underwent 8-h sessions of enforced ambulation, either at the circadian time when the animal was physiologically primed for wakefulness (active-workers, mimicking day-shift) or for sleep (rest-workers, mimicking night-shift). The 4-day rest-work schedule induced a pronounced redistribution of sleep to the endogenous active phase. Rest-work also led to higher electroencephalogram (EEG) slow-wave (1-4 Hz) energy in quiet wakefulness during work-sessions, suggesting a degraded waking state. After the daily work-sessions, being in their endogenous active phase, rest-workers slept less and had higher gamma (80-90 Hz) activity during wake than active-workers. Finally, rest-work induced an enduring shift in the main sleep period and attenuated the accumulation of slow-wave energy during NREM sleep. A comparison of recovery data from 12:12 LD and constant dark conditions suggests that reduced time in NREM sleep throughout the recorded 7-day recovery phase induced by rest-work may be modulated by circadian factors. Our data in rats show that enforced night-work-like activity during the normal resting phase has pronounced acute and persistent effects on sleep and waking behavior. The study also underscores the potential importance of animal models for future studies on the health consequences of night-shift work and the mechanisms underlying increased risk for diseases.

Relation of Heart Rate and its Variability during Sleep with Age, Physical Activity, and Body Composition in Young Children

PubMed Central

Herzig, David; Eser, Prisca; Radtke, Thomas; Wenger, Alina; Rusterholz, Thomas; Wilhelm, Matthias; Achermann, Peter; Arhab, Amar; Jenni, Oskar G.; Kakebeeke, Tanja H.; Leeger-Aschmann, Claudia S.; Messerli-Bürgy, Nadine; Meyer, Andrea H.; Munsch, Simone; Puder, Jardena J.; Schmutz, Einat A.; Stülb, Kerstin; Zysset, Annina E.; Kriemler, Susi

2017-01-01

Background: Recent studies have claimed a positive effect of physical activity and body composition on vagal tone. In pediatric populations, there is a pronounced decrease in heart rate with age. While this decrease is often interpreted as an age-related increase in vagal tone, there is some evidence that it may be related to a decrease in intrinsic heart rate. This factor has not been taken into account in most previous studies. The aim of the present study was to assess the association between physical activity and/or body composition and heart rate variability (HRV) independently of the decline in heart rate in young children. Methods: Anthropometric measurements were taken in 309 children aged 2–6 years. Ambulatory electrocardiograms were collected over 14–18 h comprising a full night and accelerometry over 7 days. HRV was determined of three different night segments: (1) over 5 min during deep sleep identified automatically based on HRV characteristics; (2) during a 20 min segment starting 15 min after sleep onset; (3) over a 4-h segment between midnight and 4 a.m. Linear models were computed for HRV parameters with anthropometric and physical activity variables adjusted for heart rate and other confounding variables (e.g., age for physical activity models). Results: We found a decline in heart rate with increasing physical activity and decreasing skinfold thickness. HRV parameters decreased with increasing age, height, and weight in HR-adjusted regression models. These relationships were only found in segments of deep sleep detected automatically based on HRV or manually 15 min after sleep onset, but not in the 4-h segment with random sleep phases. Conclusions: Contrary to most previous studies, we found no increase of standard HRV parameters with age, however, when adjusted for heart rate, there was a significant decrease of HRV parameters with increasing age. Without knowing intrinsic heart rate correct interpretation of HRV in growing children is impossible. PMID:28286485

Relation of Heart Rate and its Variability during Sleep with Age, Physical Activity, and Body Composition in Young Children.

PubMed

Herzig, David; Eser, Prisca; Radtke, Thomas; Wenger, Alina; Rusterholz, Thomas; Wilhelm, Matthias; Achermann, Peter; Arhab, Amar; Jenni, Oskar G; Kakebeeke, Tanja H; Leeger-Aschmann, Claudia S; Messerli-Bürgy, Nadine; Meyer, Andrea H; Munsch, Simone; Puder, Jardena J; Schmutz, Einat A; Stülb, Kerstin; Zysset, Annina E; Kriemler, Susi

2017-01-01

Background: Recent studies have claimed a positive effect of physical activity and body composition on vagal tone. In pediatric populations, there is a pronounced decrease in heart rate with age. While this decrease is often interpreted as an age-related increase in vagal tone, there is some evidence that it may be related to a decrease in intrinsic heart rate. This factor has not been taken into account in most previous studies. The aim of the present study was to assess the association between physical activity and/or body composition and heart rate variability (HRV) independently of the decline in heart rate in young children. Methods: Anthropometric measurements were taken in 309 children aged 2-6 years. Ambulatory electrocardiograms were collected over 14-18 h comprising a full night and accelerometry over 7 days. HRV was determined of three different night segments: (1) over 5 min during deep sleep identified automatically based on HRV characteristics; (2) during a 20 min segment starting 15 min after sleep onset; (3) over a 4-h segment between midnight and 4 a.m. Linear models were computed for HRV parameters with anthropometric and physical activity variables adjusted for heart rate and other confounding variables (e.g., age for physical activity models). Results: We found a decline in heart rate with increasing physical activity and decreasing skinfold thickness. HRV parameters decreased with increasing age, height, and weight in HR-adjusted regression models. These relationships were only found in segments of deep sleep detected automatically based on HRV or manually 15 min after sleep onset, but not in the 4-h segment with random sleep phases. Conclusions: Contrary to most previous studies, we found no increase of standard HRV parameters with age, however, when adjusted for heart rate, there was a significant decrease of HRV parameters with increasing age. Without knowing intrinsic heart rate correct interpretation of HRV in growing children is impossible.

N-Acetylmannosamine improves sleep-wake quality in middle-aged mice: relevance to autonomic nervous function.

PubMed

Kuwahara, Masayoshi; Ito, Koichi; Hayakawa, Koji; Yagi, Shintaro; Shiota, Kunio

2015-01-01

Aging is associated with a variety of physiological changes originating peripherally and centrally, including within the autonomic nervous system. Sleep-wake disturbances constitute reliable hallmarks of aging in several animal species and humans. Recent studies have been interested in N-acetylmannosamine (ManNAc) a potential therapeutic agent for improving quality of life, as well as preventing age-related cognitive decline. In this study, ManNAc (5.0 mg/ml) was administered in the drinking water of middle-aged male C57BL/6J mice (55 weeks old) for 7 days. Mice were housed under a 12:12 h light:dark cycle at 23-24 °C. We evaluated bio-behavioral activity using electrocardiogram, body temperature and locomotor activity recorded by an implanted telemetry transmitter. To estimate sleep-wake profile, surface electroencephalogram and electromyogram leads connected to a telemetry transmitter were also implanted in mice. Autonomic nervous activity was evaluated using power spectral analysis of heart rate variability. ManNAc-treated mice spent more time in a wakeful state and less time in slow wave sleep during the dark phase. Parasympathetic nervous activity was increased following ManNAc treatment, then the sympatho-vagal balance was shifted predominance of parasympathetic nervous system. Furthermore, improvement in sleep-wake pattern was associated with increased parasympathetic nervous activity. These results suggest that ManNAc treatment can improve bio-behavioral activity and sleep-wake quality in middle-aged mice. This may have implications for improving sleep patterns in elderly humans. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Glycogen metabolism and the homeostatic regulation of sleep.

PubMed

Petit, Jean-Marie; Burlet-Godinot, Sophie; Magistretti, Pierre J; Allaman, Igor

2015-02-01

In 1995 Benington and Heller formulated an energy hypothesis of sleep centered on a key role of glycogen. It was postulated that a major function of sleep is to replenish glycogen stores in the brain that have been depleted during wakefulness which is associated to an increased energy demand. Astrocytic glycogen depletion participates to an increase of extracellular adenosine release which influences sleep homeostasis. Here, we will review some evidence obtained by studies addressing the question of a key role played by glycogen metabolism in sleep regulation as proposed by this hypothesis or by an alternative hypothesis named "glycogenetic" hypothesis as well as the importance of the confounding effect of glucocorticoïds. Even though actual collected data argue in favor of a role of sleep in brain energy balance-homeostasis, they do not support a critical and direct involvement of glycogen metabolism on sleep regulation. For instance, glycogen levels during the sleep-wake cycle are driven by different physiological signals and therefore appear more as a marker-integrator of brain energy status than a direct regulator of sleep homeostasis. In support of this we provide evidence that blockade of glycogen mobilization does not induce more sleep episodes during the active period while locomotor activity is reduced. These observations do not invalidate the energy hypothesis of sleep but indicate that underlying cellular mechanisms are more complex than postulated by Benington and Heller.

Strain differences in the influence of open field exposure on sleep in mice.

PubMed

Tang, Xiangdong; Xiao, Jihua; Liu, Xianling; Sanford, Larry D

2004-09-23

The open field (OF) is thought to induce anxiety in rodents. It also allows an opportunity for exploration in a novel environment. Less activity in the OF is thought to indicate greater anxiety whereas more activity may reflect greater exploration, and possibly greater exploratory learning. Anxiety and learning have poorly understood relationships to sleep. In order to determine how anxiety and exploration in the OF could influence sleep, we recorded sleep in mouse strains (C57BL/6J (B6), BALB/cJ (C), DBA/2J (D2), and CB6F1/J (CB6)) with different levels of anxiety and exploration after 30 min in an OF. In all strains, OF exposure induced immediate decreases in rapid eye movement sleep (REM) followed by longer latency increases in REM. The time course and amount of REM decreases and increases varied among strains. Compared to less anxious B6, D2 and CB6 mice, C mice had greater and longer lasting immediate decreases in REM. C mice also displayed longer periods of decreases REM and a smaller, longer latency increase in REM. OF exploratory activity was positively correlated to percentage of REM increases from 6 to 10h after OF exposure. The results suggest that the anxiogenic component of the OF produced an immediate decrease in REM that was greater in more "anxious" mice. In contrast, exploration in the OF was associated with increased REM, with the increase greater in less anxious mice. The results are discussed with respect to the potential influences of anxiety and learning on sleep.

Associations between physical activity and sedentary behavior with sleep quality and quantity in young adults.

PubMed

Kakinami, Lisa; O'Loughlin, Erin K; Brunet, Jennifer; Dugas, Erika N; Constantin, Evelyn; Sabiston, Catherine M; O'Loughlin, Jennifer

2017-02-01

Intensity and duration of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior are individually associated with sleep, but their independent associations are poorly characterized. The objectives of this study were to determine if PA and/or sedentary behavior are/is associated with sleep quality and/or quantity in a young adult sample. Cross-sectional. Montreal, Canada. Participants (n=658) from the Nicotine Dependence in Teens Study. PA measures included total minutes of light, moderate, and vigorous PA in the past week; sedentary measures included number of hours per day watching television (TV) and using the computer for leisure activities in the past week. Sleep measures included (1) the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, which assesses sleep quality in the past month, and (2) number of hours of sleep per night in the past month. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression adjusting for age, sex, and mother's education. In multivariable analyses, each additional hour of TV and computer use per day was associated with a 17% and 13% increase, respectively, in the odds of reporting poor sleep quality. After additionally adjusting for PA, the association between TV use and poor sleep quality remained significant (odds ratio: 1.15, 95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.28). Sedentary behavior was not associated with sleep quantity. PA intensity and duration were not associated with sleep quality or quantity. More time spent doing sedentary activities was associated with poorer sleep quality, but PA was not associated. Clinicians treating young adults with sleep problems should inquire about sedentary behavior. Copyright © 2016 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sleep patterns, diet quality and energy balance.

PubMed

Chaput, Jean-Philippe

2014-07-01

There is increasing evidence showing that sleep has an influence on eating behaviors. Short sleep duration, poor sleep quality, and later bedtimes are all associated with increased food intake, poor diet quality, and excess body weight. Insufficient sleep seems to facilitate the ingestion of calories when exposed to the modern obesogenic environment of readily accessible food. Lack of sleep has been shown to increase snacking, the number of meals consumed per day, and the preference for energy-rich foods. Proposed mechanisms by which insufficient sleep may increase caloric consumption include: (1) more time and opportunities for eating, (2) psychological distress, (3) greater sensitivity to food reward, (4) disinhibited eating, (5) more energy needed to sustain extended wakefulness, and (6) changes in appetite hormones. Globally, excess energy intake associated with not getting adequate sleep seems to be preferentially driven by hedonic rather than homeostatic factors. Moreover, the consumption of certain types of foods which impact the availability of tryptophan as well as the synthesis of serotonin and melatonin may aid in promoting sleep. In summary, multiple connections exist between sleep patterns, eating behavior and energy balance. Sleep should not be overlooked in obesity research and should be included as part of the lifestyle package that traditionally has focused on diet and physical activity. © 2013.

Effects of Tiagabine on Slow Wave Sleep and Arousal Threshold in Patients With Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

PubMed

Taranto-Montemurro, Luigi; Sands, Scott A; Edwards, Bradley A; Azarbarzin, Ali; Marques, Melania; de Melo, Camila; Eckert, Danny J; White, David P; Wellman, Andrew

2017-02-01

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity is markedly reduced during slow-wave sleep (SWS) even in patients with a severe disease. The reason for this improvement is uncertain but likely relates to non-anatomical factors (i.e. reduced arousability, chemosensitivity, and increased dilator muscle activity). The anticonvulsant tiagabine produces a dose-dependent increase in SWS in subjects without OSA. This study aimed to test the hypothesis that tiagabine would reduce OSA severity by raising the overall arousal threshold during sleep. After a baseline physiology night to assess patients' OSA phenotypic traits, a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial of tiagabine 12 mg administered before sleep was performed in 14 OSA patients. Under each condition, we assessed the effects on sleep and OSA severity using standard clinical polysomnography. Tiagabine increased slow-wave activity (SWA) of the electroencephalogram (1-4 Hz) compared to placebo (1.8 [0.4] vs. 2.0 [0.5] LogμV2, p = .04) but did not reduce OSA severity (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] 41.5 [20.3] vs. 39.1 [16.5], p > .5). SWS duration (25 [20] vs. 26 [43] mins, p > .5) and arousal threshold (-26.5 [5.0] vs. -27.6 [5.1] cmH2O, p = .26) were also unchanged between nights. Tiagabine modified sleep microstructure (increase in SWA) but did not change the duration of SWS, OSA severity, or arousal threshold in this group of OSA patients. Based on these findings, tiagabine should not be considered as a therapeutic option for OSA treatment. © Sleep Research Society 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Poor sleep quality is associated with increased cortical atrophy in community-dwelling adults.

PubMed

Sexton, Claire E; Storsve, Andreas B; Walhovd, Kristine B; Johansen-Berg, Heidi; Fjell, Anders M

2014-09-09

To examine the relationship between sleep quality and cortical and hippocampal volume and atrophy within a community-based sample, explore the influence of age on results, and assess the possible confounding effects of physical activity levels, body mass index (BMI), and blood pressure. In 147 community-dwelling adults (92 female; age 53.9 ± 15.5 years), sleep quality was measured using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and correlated with cross-sectional measures of volume and longitudinal measures of atrophy derived from MRI scans separated by an average of 3.5 years. Exploratory post hoc analysis compared correlations between different age groups and included physical activity, BMI, and blood pressure as additional covariates. Poor sleep quality was associated with reduced volume within the right superior frontal cortex in cross-sectional analyses, and an increased rate of atrophy within widespread frontal, temporal, and parietal regions in longitudinal analyses. Results were largely driven by correlations within adults over the age of 60, and could not be explained by variation in physical activity, BMI, or blood pressure. Sleep quality was not associated with hippocampal volume or atrophy. We found that longitudinal measures of cortical atrophy were widely correlated with sleep quality. Poor sleep quality may be a cause or a consequence of brain atrophy, and future studies examining the effect of interventions that improve sleep quality on rates of atrophy may hold key insights into the direction of this relationship. © 2014 American Academy of Neurology.

Effects of Chronic Sleep Fragmentation on Wake-Active Neurons and the Hypercapnic Arousal Response

PubMed Central

Li, Yanpeng; Panossian, Lori A.; Zhang, Jing; Zhu, Yan; Zhan, Guanxia; Chou, Yu-Ting; Fenik, Polina; Bhatnagar, Seema; Piel, David A.; Beck, Sheryl G.; Veasey, Sigrid

2014-01-01

Study Objectives: Delayed hypercapnic arousals may occur in obstructive sleep apnea. The impaired arousal response is expected to promote more pronounced oxyhemoglobin desaturations. We hypothesized that long-term sleep fragmentation (SF) results in injury to or dysfunction of wake-active neurons that manifests, in part, as a delayed hypercapnic arousal response. Design: Adult male mice were implanted for behavioral state recordings and randomly assigned to 4 weeks of either orbital platform SF (SF4wk, 30 events/h) or control conditions (Ct4wk) prior to behavioral, histological, and locus coeruleus (LC) whole cell electrophysiological evaluations. Measurements and Results: SF was successfully achieved across the 4 week study, as evidenced by a persistently increased arousal index, P < 0.01 and shortened sleep bouts, P < 0.05, while total sleep/wake times and plasma corticosterone levels were unaffected. A multiple sleep latency test performed at the onset of the dark period showed a reduced latency to sleep in SF4wk mice (P < 0.05). The hypercapnic arousal latency was increased, Ct4wk 64 ± 5 sec vs. SF4wk 154 ± 6 sec, P < 0.001, and remained elevated after a 2 week recovery (101 ± 4 sec, P < 0.001). C-fos activation in noradrenergic, orexinergic, histaminergic, and cholinergic wake-active neurons was reduced in response to hypercapnia (P < 0.05-0.001). Catecholaminergic and orexinergic projections into the cingulate cortex were also reduced in SF4wk (P < 0.01). In addition, SF4wk resulted in impaired LC neuron excitability (P < 0.01). Conclusions: Four weeks of sleep fragmentation (SF4wk) impairs arousal responses to hypercapnia, reduces wake neuron projections and locus coeruleus neuronal excitability, supporting the concepts that some effects of sleep fragmentation may contribute to impaired arousal responses in sleep apnea, which may not reverse immediately with therapy. Citation: Li Y; Panossian LA; Zhang J; Zhu Y; Zhan G; Chou YT; Fenik P; Bhatnagar S; Piel DA; Beck SG; Veasey S. Effects of chronic sleep fragmentation on wake-active neurons and the hypercapnic arousal response. SLEEP 2014;37(1):51-64. PMID:24470695

Short-term sleep deprivation with exposure to nocturnal light alters mitochondrial bioenergetics in Drosophila.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Nathane Rosa; Macedo, Giulianna Echeverria; Martins, Illana Kemmerich; Gomes, Karen Kich; de Carvalho, Nélson Rodrigues; Posser, Thaís; Franco, Jeferson Luis

2018-05-20

Many studies have shown the effects of sleep deprivation in several aspects of health and disease. However, little is known about how mitochondrial bioenergetics function is affected under this condition. To clarify this, we developed a simple model of short-term sleep deprivation, in which fruit-flies were submitted to a nocturnal light condition and then mitochondrial parameters were assessed by high resolution respirometry (HRR). Exposure of flies to constant light was able to alter sleep patterns, causing locomotor deficits, increasing ROS production and lipid peroxidation, affecting mitochondrial activity, antioxidant defense enzymes and caspase activity. HRR analysis showed that sleep deprivation affected mitochondrial bioenergetics capacity, decreasing respiration at oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) and electron transport system (ETS). In addition, the expression of genes involved in the response to oxidative stress and apoptosis were increased. Thus, our results suggest a connection between sleep deprivation and oxidative stress, pointing to mitochondria as a possible target of this relationship. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sleep Quality Changes during Overwintering at the German Antarctic Stations Neumayer II and III: The Gender Factor.

PubMed

Steinach, Mathias; Kohlberg, Eberhard; Maggioni, Martina Anna; Mendt, Stefan; Opatz, Oliver; Stahn, Alexander; Gunga, Hanns-Christian

2016-01-01

Antarctic residence holds many challenges to human physiology, like increased psycho-social tension and altered circadian rhythm, known to influence sleep. We assessed changes in sleep patterns during 13 months of overwintering at the German Stations Neumayer II and III from 2008 to 2014, with focus on gender, as many previous investigations were inconclusive regarding gender-based differences or had only included men. Time in bed, sleep time, sleep efficiency, number of arousals, sleep latency, sleep onset, sleep offset, and physical activity level were determined twice per month during seven overwintering campaigns of n = 54 participants (37 male, 17 female) using actimetry. Data were analyzed using polynomial regression and analysis of covariance for change over time with the covariates gender, inhabited station, overwintering season and influence of physical activity and local sunshine radiation. We found overall longer times in bed (p = 0.004) and sleep time (p = 0.014) for women. The covariate gender had a significant influence on time in bed (p<0.001), sleep time (p<0.001), number of arousals (p = 0.04), sleep latency (p = 0.04), and sleep onset (p<0.001). Women separately (p = 0.02), but not men (p = 0.165), showed a linear increase in number of arousals. Physical activity decreased over overwintering time for men (p = 0.003), but not for women (p = 0.174). The decline in local sunshine radiation led to a 48 minutes longer time in bed (p<0.001), 3.8% lower sleep efficiency (p<0.001), a delay of 32 minutes in sleep onset (p<0.001), a delay of 54 minutes in sleep offset (p<0.001), and 11% less daily energy expenditure (p<0.001), for all participants in reaction to the Antarctic winter's darkness-phase. Overwinterings at the Stations Neumayer II and III are associated with significant changes in sleep patterns, with dependences from overwintering time and local sunshine radiation. Gender appears to be an influence, as women showed a declining sleep quality, despite that their physical activity remained unchanged, suggesting other causes such as a higher susceptibility to psycho-social stress and changes in environmental circadian rhythm during long-term isolation in Antarctica.

Sleep Quality Changes during Overwintering at the German Antarctic Stations Neumayer II and III: The Gender Factor

PubMed Central

Steinach, Mathias; Kohlberg, Eberhard; Maggioni, Martina Anna; Mendt, Stefan; Opatz, Oliver; Stahn, Alexander; Gunga, Hanns-Christian

2016-01-01

Purpose Antarctic residence holds many challenges to human physiology, like increased psycho-social tension and altered circadian rhythm, known to influence sleep. We assessed changes in sleep patterns during 13 months of overwintering at the German Stations Neumayer II and III from 2008 to 2014, with focus on gender, as many previous investigations were inconclusive regarding gender-based differences or had only included men. Materials & Methods Time in bed, sleep time, sleep efficiency, number of arousals, sleep latency, sleep onset, sleep offset, and physical activity level were determined twice per month during seven overwintering campaigns of n = 54 participants (37 male, 17 female) using actimetry. Data were analyzed using polynomial regression and analysis of covariance for change over time with the covariates gender, inhabited station, overwintering season and influence of physical activity and local sunshine radiation. Results We found overall longer times in bed (p = 0.004) and sleep time (p = 0.014) for women. The covariate gender had a significant influence on time in bed (p<0.001), sleep time (p<0.001), number of arousals (p = 0.04), sleep latency (p = 0.04), and sleep onset (p<0.001). Women separately (p = 0.02), but not men (p = 0.165), showed a linear increase in number of arousals. Physical activity decreased over overwintering time for men (p = 0.003), but not for women (p = 0.174). The decline in local sunshine radiation led to a 48 minutes longer time in bed (p<0.001), 3.8% lower sleep efficiency (p<0.001), a delay of 32 minutes in sleep onset (p<0.001), a delay of 54 minutes in sleep offset (p<0.001), and 11% less daily energy expenditure (p<0.001), for all participants in reaction to the Antarctic winter’s darkness-phase. Conclusions Overwinterings at the Stations Neumayer II and III are associated with significant changes in sleep patterns, with dependences from overwintering time and local sunshine radiation. Gender appears to be an influence, as women showed a declining sleep quality, despite that their physical activity remained unchanged, suggesting other causes such as a higher susceptibility to psycho-social stress and changes in environmental circadian rhythm during long-term isolation in Antarctica. PMID:26918440

Memory suppression trades prolonged fear and sleep-dependent fear plasticity for the avoidance of current fear

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kuriyama, Kenichi; Honma, Motoyasu; Yoshiike, Takuya; Kim, Yoshiharu

2013-07-01

Sleep deprivation immediately following an aversive event reduces fear by preventing memory consolidation during homeostatic sleep. This suggests that acute insomnia might act prophylactically against the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) even though it is also a possible risk factor for PTSD. We examined total sleep deprivation and memory suppression to evaluate the effects of these interventions on subsequent aversive memory formation and fear conditioning. Active suppression of aversive memory impaired retention of event memory. However, although the remembered fear was more reduced in sleep-deprived than sleep-control subjects, suppressed fear increased, and seemed to abandon the sleep-dependent plasticity of fear. Active memory suppression, which provides a psychological model for Freud's ego defense mechanism, enhances fear and casts doubt on the potential of acute insomnia as a prophylactic measure against PTSD. Our findings bring into question the role of sleep in aversive-memory consolidation in clinical PTSD pathophysiology.

Treatment of GABA from Fermented Rice Germ Ameliorates Caffeine-Induced Sleep Disturbance in Mice

PubMed Central

Mabunga, Darine Froy N.; Gonzales, Edson Luck T.; Kim, Hee Jin; Choung, Se Young

2015-01-01

γ-Aminobutyric acid (GABA), a major inhibitory neurotransmitter in the mammalian central nervous system, is involved in sleep physiology. Caffeine is widely used psychoactive substance known to induce wakefulness and insomnia to its consumers. This study was performed to examine whether GABA extracts from fermented rice germ ameliorates caffeine-induced sleep disturbance in mice, without affecting spontaneous locomotor activity and motor coordination. Indeed, caffeine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) delayed sleep onset and reduced sleep duration of mice. Conversely, rice germ ferment extracts-GABA treatment (10, 30, or 100 mg/kg, p.o.), especially at 100 mg/kg, normalized the sleep disturbance induced by caffeine. In locomotor tests, rice germ ferment extracts-GABA slightly but not significantly reduced the caffeine-induced increase in locomotor activity without affecting motor coordination. Additionally, rice germ ferment extracts-GABA per se did not affect the spontaneous locomotor activity and motor coordination of mice. In conclusion, rice germ ferment extracts-GABA supplementation can counter the sleep disturbance induced by caffeine, without affecting the general locomotor activities of mice. PMID:25995826

Mars 520-d mission simulation reveals protracted crew hypokinesis and alterations of sleep duration and timing.

PubMed

Basner, Mathias; Dinges, David F; Mollicone, Daniel; Ecker, Adrian; Jones, Christopher W; Hyder, Eric C; Di Antonio, Adrian; Savelev, Igor; Kan, Kevin; Goel, Namni; Morukov, Boris V; Sutton, Jeffrey P

2013-02-12

The success of interplanetary human spaceflight will depend on many factors, including the behavioral activity levels, sleep, and circadian timing of crews exposed to prolonged microgravity and confinement. To address the effects of the latter, we used a high-fidelity ground simulation of a Mars mission to objectively track sleep-wake dynamics in a multinational crew of six during 520 d of confined isolation. Measurements included continuous recordings of wrist actigraphy and light exposure (4.396 million min) and weekly computer-based neurobehavioral assessments (n = 888) to identify changes in the crew's activity levels, sleep quantity and quality, sleep-wake periodicity, vigilance performance, and workload throughout the record-long 17 mo of mission confinement. Actigraphy revealed that crew sedentariness increased across the mission as evident in decreased waking movement (i.e., hypokinesis) and increased sleep and rest times. Light exposure decreased during the mission. The majority of crewmembers also experienced one or more disturbances of sleep quality, vigilance deficits, or altered sleep-wake periodicity and timing, suggesting inadequate circadian entrainment. The results point to the need to identify markers of differential vulnerability to hypokinesis and sleep-wake changes during the prolonged isolation of exploration spaceflight and the need to ensure maintenance of circadian entrainment, sleep quantity and quality, and optimal activity levels during exploration missions. Therefore, successful adaptation to such missions will require crew to transit in spacecraft and live in surface habitats that instantiate aspects of Earth's geophysical signals (appropriately timed light exposure, food intake, exercise) required for temporal organization and maintenance of human behavior.

Altered Sleep Homeostasis in Rev-erbα Knockout Mice.

PubMed

Mang, Géraldine M; La Spada, Francesco; Emmenegger, Yann; Chappuis, Sylvie; Ripperger, Jürgen A; Albrecht, Urs; Franken, Paul

2016-03-01

The nuclear receptor REV-ERBα is a potent, constitutive transcriptional repressor critical for the regulation of key circadian and metabolic genes. Recently, REV-ERBα's involvement in learning, neurogenesis, mood, and dopamine turnover was demonstrated suggesting a specific role in central nervous system functioning. We have previously shown that the brain expression of several core clock genes, including Rev-erbα, is modulated by sleep loss. We here test the consequences of a loss of REV-ERBα on the homeostatic regulation of sleep. EEG/EMG signals were recorded in Rev-erbα knockout (KO) mice and their wild type (WT) littermates during baseline, sleep deprivation, and recovery. Cortical gene expression measurements after sleep deprivation were contrasted to baseline. Although baseline sleep/wake duration was remarkably similar, KO mice showed an advance of the sleep/wake distribution relative to the light-dark cycle. After sleep onset in baseline and after sleep deprivation, both EEG delta power (1-4 Hz) and sleep consolidation were reduced in KO mice indicating a slower increase of homeostatic sleep need during wakefulness. This slower increase might relate to the smaller increase in theta and gamma power observed in the waking EEG prior to sleep onset under both conditions. Indeed, the increased theta activity during wakefulness predicted delta power in subsequent NREM sleep. Lack of Rev-erbα increased Bmal1, Npas2, Clock, and Fabp7 expression, confirming the direct regulation of these genes by REV-ERBα also in the brain. Our results add further proof to the notion that clock genes are involved in sleep homeostasis. Because accumulating evidence directly links REV-ERBα to dopamine signaling the altered homeostatic regulation of sleep reported here are discussed in that context. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Acoustic Enhancement of Sleep Slow Oscillations and Concomitant Memory Improvement in Older Adults

PubMed Central

Papalambros, Nelly A.; Santostasi, Giovanni; Malkani, Roneil G.; Braun, Rosemary; Weintraub, Sandra; Paller, Ken A.; Zee, Phyllis C.

2017-01-01

Acoustic stimulation methods applied during sleep in young adults can increase slow wave activity (SWA) and improve sleep-dependent memory retention. It is unknown whether this approach enhances SWA and memory in older adults, who generally have reduced SWA compared to younger adults. Additionally, older adults are at risk for age-related cognitive impairment and therefore may benefit from non-invasive interventions. The aim of this study was to determine if acoustic stimulation can increase SWA and improve declarative memory in healthy older adults. Thirteen participants 60–84 years old completed one night of acoustic stimulation and one night of sham stimulation in random order. During sleep, a real-time algorithm using an adaptive phase-locked loop modeled the phase of endogenous slow waves in midline frontopolar electroencephalographic recordings. Pulses of pink noise were delivered when the upstate of the slow wave was predicted. Each interval of five pulses (“ON interval”) was followed by a pause of approximately equal length (“OFF interval”). SWA during the entire sleep period was similar between stimulation and sham conditions, whereas SWA and spindle activity were increased during ON intervals compared to matched periods during the sham night. The increases in SWA and spindle activity were sustained across almost the entire five-pulse ON interval compared to matched sham periods. Verbal paired-associate memory was tested before and after sleep. Overnight improvement in word recall was significantly greater with acoustic stimulation compared to sham and was correlated with changes in SWA between ON and OFF intervals. Using the phase-locked-loop method to precisely target acoustic stimulation to the upstate of sleep slow oscillations, we were able to enhance SWA and improve sleep-dependent memory storage in older adults, which strengthens the theoretical link between sleep and age-related memory integrity. PMID:28337134

Neuroligin-1 links neuronal activity to sleep-wake regulation.

PubMed

El Helou, Janine; Bélanger-Nelson, Erika; Freyburger, Marlène; Dorsaz, Stéphane; Curie, Thomas; La Spada, Francesco; Gaudreault, Pierre-Olivier; Beaumont, Éric; Pouliot, Philippe; Lesage, Frédéric; Frank, Marcos G; Franken, Paul; Mongrain, Valérie

2013-06-11

Maintaining wakefulness is associated with a progressive increase in the need for sleep. This phenomenon has been linked to changes in synaptic function. The synaptic adhesion molecule Neuroligin-1 (NLG1) controls the activity and synaptic localization of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, which activity is impaired by prolonged wakefulness. We here highlight that this pathway may underlie both the adverse effects of sleep loss on cognition and the subsequent changes in cortical synchrony. We found that the expression of specific Nlg1 transcript variants is changed by sleep deprivation in three mouse strains. These observations were associated with strain-specific changes in synaptic NLG1 protein content. Importantly, we showed that Nlg1 knockout mice are not able to sustain wakefulness and spend more time in nonrapid eye movement sleep than wild-type mice. These changes occurred with modifications in waking quality as exemplified by low theta/alpha activity during wakefulness and poor preference for social novelty, as well as altered delta synchrony during sleep. Finally, we identified a transcriptional pathway that could underlie the sleep/wake-dependent changes in Nlg1 expression and that involves clock transcription factors. We thus suggest that NLG1 is an element that contributes to the coupling of neuronal activity to sleep/wake regulation.

Neuroligin-1 links neuronal activity to sleep-wake regulation

PubMed Central

El Helou, Janine; Bélanger-Nelson, Erika; Freyburger, Marlène; Dorsaz, Stéphane; Curie, Thomas; La Spada, Francesco; Gaudreault, Pierre-Olivier; Beaumont, Éric; Pouliot, Philippe; Lesage, Frédéric; Frank, Marcos G.; Franken, Paul; Mongrain, Valérie

2013-01-01

Maintaining wakefulness is associated with a progressive increase in the need for sleep. This phenomenon has been linked to changes in synaptic function. The synaptic adhesion molecule Neuroligin-1 (NLG1) controls the activity and synaptic localization of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, which activity is impaired by prolonged wakefulness. We here highlight that this pathway may underlie both the adverse effects of sleep loss on cognition and the subsequent changes in cortical synchrony. We found that the expression of specific Nlg1 transcript variants is changed by sleep deprivation in three mouse strains. These observations were associated with strain-specific changes in synaptic NLG1 protein content. Importantly, we showed that Nlg1 knockout mice are not able to sustain wakefulness and spend more time in nonrapid eye movement sleep than wild-type mice. These changes occurred with modifications in waking quality as exemplified by low theta/alpha activity during wakefulness and poor preference for social novelty, as well as altered delta synchrony during sleep. Finally, we identified a transcriptional pathway that could underlie the sleep/wake-dependent changes in Nlg1 expression and that involves clock transcription factors. We thus suggest that NLG1 is an element that contributes to the coupling of neuronal activity to sleep/wake regulation. PMID:23716671

Cortical dendritic activity correlates with spindle-rich oscillations during sleep in rodents.

PubMed

Seibt, Julie; Richard, Clément J; Sigl-Glöckner, Johanna; Takahashi, Naoya; Kaplan, David I; Doron, Guy; de Limoges, Denis; Bocklisch, Christina; Larkum, Matthew E

2017-09-25

How sleep influences brain plasticity is not known. In particular, why certain electroencephalographic (EEG) rhythms are linked to memory consolidation is poorly understood. Calcium activity in dendrites is known to be necessary for structural plasticity changes, but this has never been carefully examined during sleep. Here, we report that calcium activity in populations of neocortical dendrites is increased and synchronised during oscillations in the spindle range in naturally sleeping rodents. Remarkably, the same relationship is not found in cell bodies of the same neurons and throughout the cortical column. Spindles during sleep have been suggested to be important for brain development and plasticity. Our results provide evidence for a physiological link of spindles in the cortex specific to dendrites, the main site of synaptic plasticity.Different stages of sleep, marked by particular electroencephalographic (EEG) signatures, have been linked to memory consolidation, but underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Here, the authors show that dendritic calcium synchronisation correlates with spindle-rich sleep phases.

Deep sleep after social stress: NREM sleep slow-wave activity is enhanced in both winners and losers of a conflict.

PubMed

Kamphuis, Jeanine; Lancel, Marike; Koolhaas, Jaap M; Meerlo, Peter

2015-07-01

Sleep is considered to be a recovery process of prior wakefulness. Not only duration of the waking period affects sleep architecture and sleep EEG, the quality of wakefulness is also highly important. Studies in rats have shown that social defeat stress, in which experimental animals are attacked and defeated by a dominant conspecific, is followed by an acute increase in NREM sleep EEG slow wave activity (SWA). However, it is not known whether this effect is specific for the stress of social defeat or a result of the conflict per se. In the present experiment, we examined how sleep is affected in both the winners and losers of a social conflict. Sleep-wake patterns and sleep EEG were recorded in male wild-type Groningen rats that were subjected to 1h of social conflict in the middle of the light phase. All animals were confronted with a conspecific of similar aggression level and the conflict took place in a neutral arena where both individuals had an equal chance to either win or lose the conflict. NREM sleep SWA was significantly increased after the social conflict compared to baseline values and a gentle stimulation control condition. REM sleep was significantly suppressed in the first hours after the conflict. Winners and losers did not differ significantly in NREM sleep time, NREM sleep SWA and REM sleep time immediately after the conflict. Losers tended to have slightly more NREM sleep later in the recovery period. This study shows that in rats a social conflict with an unpredictable outcome has quantitatively and qualitatively largely similar acute effects on subsequent sleep in winners and losers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sleep and wakefulness in somnambulism: a spectral analysis study.

PubMed

Guilleminault, C; Poyares, D; Aftab, F A; Palombini, L; Abat, F

2001-08-01

The sleep structure and the dynamics of EEG slow-wave activity (SWA) were investigated in 12 young adults and age- and gender-matched controls. Polysomnography was performed in subjects with well-documented chronic sleepwalking and in matched controls. Blinded visual scoring was performed using the international criteria from the Rechtschaffen and Kales atlas [A manual of standardized technology, techniques and scoring systems for sleep stages of human subjects. Los Angeles: UCLA Brain Information Service, Brain Research Institute, 1968.] and by determining the presence of microarousals as defined in the American Sleep Disorders Association (ASDA) atlas [Sleep 15 (1992) 173.]. An evaluation of SWA overnight was performed on total nocturnal sleep to determine if a difference existed between groups of subjects, since sleepwalking usually originates with slow-wave sleep. Investigation of the delta power in successive nonoverlapping 4-second windows in the 32 seconds just prior to EMG activity associated with a confusional arousal was also conducted. One central EEG lead was used for all analyses. Somnambulistic individuals experienced more disturbed sleep than controls during the first NREM-REM sleep cycle. They had a higher number of ASDA arousals and presented lower peak of SWA during the first cycle that led to a lower SWA decline overnight. When the investigation focused on the short segment immediately preceding a confusional arousal, they presented an important increase in the relative power of low delta (0.75-2 Hz) just prior to the confusional arousal. Sleepwalkers undergo disturbed nocturnal sleep at the beginning of the night. The increased power of low delta just prior to the confusional arousal experienced may not be related to Stages 3-4 NREM sleep. We hypothesize that it may be translated as a cortical reaction to brain activation.

Interictal spiking increases with sleep depth in temporal lobe epilepsy.

PubMed

Malow, B A; Lin, X; Kushwaha, R; Aldrich, M S

1998-12-01

To test the hypothesis that deepening sleep activates focal interictal epileptiform discharges (IEDs), we performed EEG-polysomnography in 21 subjects with medically refractory temporal lobe epilepsy. At the time of study, subjects were seizure-free for > or =24 h and were taking stable doses of antiepileptic medications (AEDs). Sleep depth was measured by log delta power (LDP). Visual sleep scoring and visual detection of IEDs also were performed. Logistic-regression analyses of IED occurrence in relation to LDP were carried out for two groups of subjects, nine with frequent IEDs (group 1) and 12 with rare IEDs (group 2). The LDP differentiated visually scored non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep stages (p = 0.0001). The IEDs were most frequent in NREM stages 3/4 and least frequent in REM sleep. Within NREM sleep, in both groups, IEDs were more frequent at higher levels of LDP (p < 0.05). In group 1, after accounting for the level of LDP, IEDs were more frequent (a) on the ascending limb of LDP and with more rapid increases in LDP (p = 0.007), (b) in NREM than in REM sleep (p = 0.002), and (c) closer to sleep onset (p < 0.0001). Fewer than 1% of IEDs occurred within 10 s of an EEG arousal. Processes underlying the deepening of NREM sleep, including progressive hyperpolarization in thalamocortical projection neurons, may contribute to IED activation in partial epilepsy. Time from sleep onset and NREM versus REM sleep also influence IED occurrence.

Improving Cardiometabolic Health with Diet, Physical Activity, and Breaking Up Sitting: What about Sleep?

PubMed Central

Vincent, Grace E.; Jay, Sarah M.; Sargent, Charli; Vandelanotte, Corneel; Ridgers, Nicola D.; Ferguson, Sally A.

2017-01-01

Cardiometabolic disease poses a serious health and economic burden worldwide and its prevalence is predicted to increase. Prolonged sitting, lack of physical activity, poor diet, and short sleep duration are ubiquitous behaviors in modern society, and all are independent risk factors in the development of cardiometabolic disease. Existing evidence demonstrates that breaking up prolonged periods of sitting is beneficial for cardiometabolic health, however, studies have not controlled for prior sleep duration. This article examines how prolonged sitting and short sleep duration independently contribute to cardiometabolic risk, and how breaking up sitting and obtaining adequate sleep may reduce this risk. We suggest that as prolonged sitting and short sleep duration influence the same cardiometabolic parameters, there is potential for short sleep to attenuate the positive impact of breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity. Likewise, breaking up prolonged sitting and obtaining adequate sleep together could improve predictors of cardiometabolic disease, i.e., the combined effect may be stronger than either alone. To explore these perspectives, we propose a research agenda to investigate the relationship between breaking up prolonged sitting with physical activity and short sleep duration. This will provide an evidence-base for informing the design of interventions to reduce the burden of cardiometabolic disease on communities worldwide. PMID:29167645

Associations between physical activity, sedentary time, sleep duration and daytime sleepiness in US adults.

PubMed

McClain, James J; Lewin, Daniel S; Laposky, Aaron D; Kahle, Lisa; Berrigan, David

2014-09-01

To examine the associations between objectively measured physical activity (PA) or sedentary behavior and self-reported sleep duration or daytime sleepiness in a nationally representative sample of healthy US adults (N=2128). We report analyses of four aspects of sedentary behavior and PA derived from accelerometry data (minutes of sedentary time, activity counts/minute, Minutes of Moderate and Vigorous PA [MVPA], and MVPA in 10-minute bouts) versus self-report of sleep duration and frequency of daytime sleepiness from the 2005-2006 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Age and sex dependence of associations between PA and sleep were observed. Aspects of PA were significantly lower in adults reporting more frequent daytime sleepiness in younger (20-39) and older (≥ 60) age groups, but not in middle-aged (40-59), respondents. In younger respondents, PA increased with sleep duration, but in middle aged and older respondents PA was either unrelated to sleep duration or lower in those reporting ≥ 8 h of sleep. Objectively measured sedentary time showed limited evidence of associations with sleep duration. Further research delineating the relationships between sleep and PA is important because both activities have been implicated in diverse health outcomes as well as in the etiology of obesity. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Zinc-containing yeast extract promotes nonrapid eye movement sleep in mice.

PubMed

Cherasse, Yoan; Saito, Hitomi; Nagata, Nanae; Aritake, Kosuke; Lazarus, Michael; Urade, Yoshihiro

2015-10-01

Zinc is an essential trace element for humans and animals, being located, among other places, in the synaptic vesicles of cortical glutamatergic neurons and hippocampal mossy fibers in the brain. Extracellular zinc has the potential to interact with and modulate many different synaptic targets, including glutamate and GABA receptors. Because of the central role of these neurotransmitters in brain activity, we examined in this study the sleep-promoting activity of zinc by monitoring locomotor activity and electroencephalogram after its administration to mice. Zinc-containing yeast extract (40 and 80 mg/kg) dose dependently increased the total amount of nonrapid eye movement sleep and decreased the locomotor activity. However, this preparation did not change the amount of rapid eye movement sleep or show any adverse effects such as rebound of insomnia during a period of 24 h following the induction of sleep; whereas the extracts containing other divalent cations (manganese, iron, and copper) did not decrease the locomotor activity. This is the first evidence that zinc can induce sleep. Our data open the way to new types of food supplements designed to improve sleep. © 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

Transcranial Electrical Currents to Probe EEG Brain Rhythms and Memory Consolidation during Sleep in Humans

PubMed Central

Marshall, Lisa; Kirov, Roumen; Brade, Julian; Mölle, Matthias; Born, Jan

2011-01-01

Previously the application of a weak electric anodal current oscillating with a frequency of the sleep slow oscillation (∼0.75 Hz) during non-rapid eye movement sleep (NonREM) sleep boosted endogenous slow oscillation activity and enhanced sleep-associated memory consolidation. The slow oscillations occurring during NonREM sleep and theta oscillations present during REM sleep have been considered of critical relevance for memory formation. Here transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) oscillating at 5 Hz, i.e., within the theta frequency range (theta-tDCS) is applied during NonREM and REM sleep. Theta-tDCS during NonREM sleep produced a global decrease in slow oscillatory activity conjoint with a local reduction of frontal slow EEG spindle power (8–12 Hz) and a decrement in consolidation of declarative memory, underlining the relevance of these cortical oscillations for sleep-dependent memory consolidation. In contrast, during REM sleep theta-tDCS appears to increase global gamma (25–45 Hz) activity, indicating a clear brain state-dependency of theta-tDCS. More generally, results demonstrate the suitability of oscillating-tDCS as a tool to analyze functions of endogenous EEG rhythms and underlying endogenous electric fields as well as the interactions between EEG rhythms of different frequencies. PMID:21340034

Sleep, serotonin, and suicide in Japan.

PubMed

Kohyama, Jun

2011-01-01

This article reviews evidence supporting the hypothesis that suicide rates in Japan could be reduced by elevating serotonin levels via increasing the average duration of sleep. Seven major relevant findings were apparent in the literature: 1) Sleep loss is associated with suicide, but the direction of causality is equivocal. 2) Decreased serotonergic activity may be involved in suicidal behavior. 3) Sleep debt may decrease serotonergic activity. 4) The suicide rate in Japan has remained at a heightened level for the past 12 years. 5) The average sleep duration in Japan has decreased over the past 40 years. 6) The average sleep duration in Japan is among the lowest in the world. 7) The average sleep duration in Japan plateaued in 1995 and has been relatively stable since. From the research reviewed, two major problematic issues were apparent: 1) Most people in Japan receive inadequate sleep. 2) Individuals whose sleep is inadequate are unlikely to be sufficiently physically active to stimulate serotonergic systems to a desirable level. I propose that public health initiatives encouraging a longer duration of sleep may provide a relatively simple way of addressing the disturbing current trend in Japan. The combination of actigraph and brain serotonin level measurement could allow large population-based cohort studies to be designed, to elucidate the causal links between sleep duration, serotonin levels, and suicide rates.

Response of genioglossus muscle to increasing chemical drive in sleeping obstructive apnea patients.

PubMed

Loewen, Andrea H S; Ostrowski, Michele; Laprairie, John; Maturino, Frances; Hanly, Patrick J; Younes, Magdy

2011-08-01

Subjects with a collapsible upper airway must activate their pharyngeal dilators sufficiently in response to increasing chemical drive if they are to maintain airway patency without arousal from sleep. Little is known about the response of pharyngeal dilators to increasing chemical drive in these subjects. We wished to determine, in obstructive apnea patients, the response of the genioglossus to increasing chemical drive and the contribution of mechanoreceptor feedback to this response. Physiological study. University-based sleep laboratory. 20 patients with obstructive apnea. Genioglossus activity was monitored during overnight polysomnography on optimal continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Intermittently, inspired gases were altered to produce different levels of ventilatory stimulation. CPAP was then briefly reduced to 1.0 cm H(2)O (dial-down), inducing an obstruction. Without mechanoreceptor feedback (i.e., on CPAP) the increase in genioglossus activity as ventilation increased from 6.1 ± 1.4 to 16.1 ± 4.8 L/min was modest (ΔTonic activity 0.3% ± 0.5%maximum; ΔPhasic activity 1.7% ± 3.4%maximum). Genioglossus activity increased immediately upon dial-down, reflecting mechanoreceptor feedback, but only when ventilation before dial-down exceeded a threshold value. This threshold varied among patients and, once surpassed, genioglossus activity increased briskly with further increases in chemical drive (1.1% ± 0.84%GG(MAX) per L/min increase in V(E)). In sleeping obstructive apnea patients: (1) Mechanoreceptor feedback is responsible for most of the genioglossus response to chemical drive. (2) Mechanoreceptor feedback is effective only above a threshold chemical drive, which varies greatly among patients. These findings account in part for the highly variable relation between pharyngeal mechanical abnormalities and apnea severity.

Sustained Sleep Fragmentation Induces Sleep Homeostasis in Mice

PubMed Central

Baud, Maxime O.; Magistretti, Pierre J.; Petit, Jean-Marie

2015-01-01

Study Objectives: Sleep fragmentation (SF) is an integral feature of sleep apnea and other prevalent sleep disorders. Although the effect of repetitive arousals on cognitive performance is well documented, the effects of long-term SF on electroencephalography (EEG) and molecular markers of sleep homeostasis remain poorly investigated. To address this question, we developed a mouse model of chronic SF and characterized its effect on EEG spectral frequencies and the expression of genes previously linked to sleep homeostasis including clock genes, heat shock proteins, and plasticity-related genes. Design: N/A. Setting: Animal sleep research laboratory. Participants : Sixty-six C57BL6/J adult mice. Interventions: Instrumental sleep disruption at a rate of 60/h during 14 days Measurements and Results: Locomotor activity and EEG were recorded during 14 days of SF followed by recovery for 2 days. Despite a dramatic number of arousals and decreased sleep bout duration, SF minimally reduced total quantity of sleep and did not significantly alter its circadian distribution. Spectral analysis during SF revealed a homeostatic drive for slow wave activity (SWA; 1–4 Hz) and other frequencies as well (4–40 Hz). Recordings during recovery revealed slow wave sleep consolidation and a transient rebound in SWA, and paradoxical sleep duration. The expression of selected genes was not induced following chronic SF. Conclusions: Chronic sleep fragmentation (SF) increased sleep pressure confirming that altered quality with preserved quantity triggers core sleep homeostasis mechanisms. However, it did not induce the expression of genes induced by sleep loss, suggesting that these molecular pathways are not sustainably activated in chronic diseases involving SF. Citation: Baud MO, Magistretti PJ, Petit JM. Sustained sleep fragmentation induces sleep homeostasis in mice. SLEEP 2015;38(4):567–579. PMID:25325477

Is Homeostatic Sleep Regulation Under Low Sleep Pressure Modified by Age?

PubMed Central

Munch, Mirjam; Knoblauch, Vera; Blatter, Katharina; Wirz-Justice, Anna; Cajochen, Christian

2007-01-01

Study Objectives: We have previously shown that healthy older volunteers react with an attenuated frontal predominance of sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) delta activity in response to high sleep pressure. Here, we investigated age-related changes in homeostatic sleep regulation under low sleep pressure conditions, with respect to regional EEG differences and their dynamics. Design: Analysis of the sleep EEG during an 8-hour baseline night, during a 40-hour multiple nap protocol (150 minutes of wakefulness and 75 minutes of sleep) and during the following 8-hour recovery night under constant posture conditions. Setting: Centre for Chronobiology, Psychiatric University Clinics, Basel, Switzerland Participants: Sixteen young (20–31 years) and 15 older (57–74 years) healthy volunteers Interventions: N/A. Measurements and Results: All-night EEG spectra revealed an increase in spindle activity (13–15.25 Hz) for both age groups, but only in the young did we find a significant decrease of delta activity (0.5–1.25 Hz) in response to low sleep pressure conditions, predominantly in occipital brain regions. However, delta activity during the first non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep episode was equally reduced in both age groups. This response lasted significantly longer in the young (across the first 2 NREM sleep episodes) than in the older participants (only the first NREM sleep episode). Conclusion: The initial EEG delta response to low sleep pressure was similar in healthy older and young participants. Therefore, age-related sleep deteriorations cannot solely be attributed to alterations in the homeostatic sleep-regulatory system. It is, rather, the interplay of circadian and homeostatic factors of sleep regulation, which is changed with aging. Citation: Munch M; Knoblauch V; Blatter K et al. Is homeostatic sleep regulation under low sleep pressure modified by age? SLEEP 2007;30(6):781-792. PMID:17580600

Increased overall cortical connectivity with syndrome specific local decreases suggested by atypical sleep-EEG synchronization in Williams syndrome.

PubMed

Gombos, Ferenc; Bódizs, Róbert; Kovács, Ilona

2017-07-21

Williams syndrome (7q11.23 microdeletion) is characterized by specific alterations in neurocognitive architecture and functioning, as well as disordered sleep. Here we analyze the region, sleep state and frequency-specific EEG synchronization of whole night sleep recordings of 21 Williams syndrome and 21 typically developing age- and gender-matched subjects by calculating weighted phase lag indexes. We found broadband increases in inter- and intrahemispheric neural connectivity for both NREM and REM sleep EEG of Williams syndrome subjects. These effects consisted of increased theta, high sigma, and beta/low gamma synchronization, whereas alpha synchronization was characterized by a peculiar Williams syndrome-specific decrease during NREM states (intra- and interhemispheric centro-temporal) and REM phases of sleep (occipital intra-area synchronization). We also found a decrease in short range, occipital connectivity of NREM sleep EEG theta activity. The striking increased overall synchronization of sleep EEG in Williams syndrome subjects is consistent with the recently reported increase in synaptic and dendritic density in stem-cell based Williams syndrome models, whereas decreased alpha and occipital connectivity might reflect and underpin the altered microarchitecture of primary visual cortex and disordered visuospatial functioning of Williams syndrome subjects.

Chronic high-caloric diet modifies sleep homeostasis in mice.

PubMed

Panagiotou, Maria; Meijer, Johanna H; Deboer, Tom

2018-05-08

Obesity prevalence and sleep habit changes are commonplace nowadays, due to modern lifestyle. A bidirectional relationship likely exists between sleep quality and metabolic disruptions, that could impact quality of life. In our study, we investigated the effects of a chronic high-caloric diet on sleep architecture and sleep regulation in mice. We studied the effect of three months high-caloric diet (HCD, 45% fat) on sleep and the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) in C57BL/6J mice during 24-h baseline (BL) recordings, and after 6-h sleep deprivation (SD). We examined the effect of HCD on sleep homeostasis, by performing parameter estimation analysis and simulations of the sleep homeostatic Process S, a measure of sleep pressure, which is reflected in the non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep slow-wave-activity (SWA, EEG power density between 0.5-4.0 Hz). Compared to controls (n=11, 30.7±0.8g), mice fed with HCD (n=9, 47.6±0.8g) showed an increased likelihood of consecutive NREM-REM sleep cycles, increased REM sleep and decreased NREM sleep EEG SWA. After SD these effects were more pronounced. The simulation resulted in a close fit between the time course of SWA and Process S in both groups. HCD fed mice had a slower time constant (Ti = 15.98 h) for the increase in homeostatic sleep pressure compared to controls (5.95 h) indicating a reduced effect of waking on the increase in sleep pressure. Our results suggest that chronic HCD consumption impacts sleep regulation. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Effects of Aging on Cortical Neural Dynamics and Local Sleep Homeostasis in Mice

PubMed Central

Fisher, Simon P.; Cui, Nanyi; Peirson, Stuart N.; Foster, Russell G.

2018-01-01

Healthy aging is associated with marked effects on sleep, including its daily amount and architecture, as well as the specific EEG oscillations. Neither the neurophysiological underpinnings nor the biological significance of these changes are understood, and crucially the question remains whether aging is associated with reduced sleep need or a diminished capacity to generate sufficient sleep. Here we tested the hypothesis that aging may affect local cortical networks, disrupting the capacity to generate and sustain sleep oscillations, and with it the local homeostatic response to sleep loss. We performed chronic recordings of cortical neural activity and local field potentials from the motor cortex in young and older male C57BL/6J mice, during spontaneous waking and sleep, as well as during sleep after sleep deprivation. In older animals, we observed an increase in the incidence of non-rapid eye movement sleep local field potential slow waves and their associated neuronal silent (OFF) periods, whereas the overall pattern of state-dependent cortical neuronal firing was generally similar between ages. Furthermore, we observed that the response to sleep deprivation at the level of local cortical network activity was not affected by aging. Our data thus suggest that the local cortical neural dynamics and local sleep homeostatic mechanisms, at least in the motor cortex, are not impaired during healthy senescence in mice. This indicates that powerful protective or compensatory mechanisms may exist to maintain neuronal function stable across the life span, counteracting global changes in sleep amount and architecture. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The biological significance of age-dependent changes in sleep is unknown but may reflect either a diminished sleep need or a reduced capacity to generate deep sleep stages. As aging has been linked to profound disruptions in cortical sleep oscillations and because sleep need is reflected in specific patterns of cortical activity, we performed chronic electrophysiological recordings of cortical neural activity during waking, sleep, and after sleep deprivation from young and older mice. We found that all main hallmarks of cortical activity during spontaneous sleep and recovery sleep after sleep deprivation were largely intact in older mice, suggesting that the well-described age-related changes in global sleep are unlikely to arise from a disruption of local network dynamics within the neocortex. PMID:29581380

Effects of Aging on Cortical Neural Dynamics and Local Sleep Homeostasis in Mice.

PubMed

McKillop, Laura E; Fisher, Simon P; Cui, Nanyi; Peirson, Stuart N; Foster, Russell G; Wafford, Keith A; Vyazovskiy, Vladyslav V

2018-04-18

Healthy aging is associated with marked effects on sleep, including its daily amount and architecture, as well as the specific EEG oscillations. Neither the neurophysiological underpinnings nor the biological significance of these changes are understood, and crucially the question remains whether aging is associated with reduced sleep need or a diminished capacity to generate sufficient sleep. Here we tested the hypothesis that aging may affect local cortical networks, disrupting the capacity to generate and sustain sleep oscillations, and with it the local homeostatic response to sleep loss. We performed chronic recordings of cortical neural activity and local field potentials from the motor cortex in young and older male C57BL/6J mice, during spontaneous waking and sleep, as well as during sleep after sleep deprivation. In older animals, we observed an increase in the incidence of non-rapid eye movement sleep local field potential slow waves and their associated neuronal silent (OFF) periods, whereas the overall pattern of state-dependent cortical neuronal firing was generally similar between ages. Furthermore, we observed that the response to sleep deprivation at the level of local cortical network activity was not affected by aging. Our data thus suggest that the local cortical neural dynamics and local sleep homeostatic mechanisms, at least in the motor cortex, are not impaired during healthy senescence in mice. This indicates that powerful protective or compensatory mechanisms may exist to maintain neuronal function stable across the life span, counteracting global changes in sleep amount and architecture. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT The biological significance of age-dependent changes in sleep is unknown but may reflect either a diminished sleep need or a reduced capacity to generate deep sleep stages. As aging has been linked to profound disruptions in cortical sleep oscillations and because sleep need is reflected in specific patterns of cortical activity, we performed chronic electrophysiological recordings of cortical neural activity during waking, sleep, and after sleep deprivation from young and older mice. We found that all main hallmarks of cortical activity during spontaneous sleep and recovery sleep after sleep deprivation were largely intact in older mice, suggesting that the well-described age-related changes in global sleep are unlikely to arise from a disruption of local network dynamics within the neocortex. Copyright © 2018 McKillop et al.

[Microinjections of heat shock protein 70 kDa into the nucleus reticularis pontis oralis induce inhibition of rapid eye movement sleep in pigeons].

PubMed

Gusel'nikova, E A; Pastukhov, Iu F

2008-03-01

Recently it was indicated that microinjections of heat shock proteins 70 kDa (Hsp70) into the third ventricle of brain in pigeons results in an increase in the duration of slow wave sleep and a decrease in somato-visceral indices. It is suggested that Hsp70 effect may be related to GABA(A) receptors activation in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus. However, what transmitter mechanisms of activation are related to the removal effect (in 2-3 hrs) of rapid eye movement sleep inhibition still remains poorly understood. To solve this problem in the present study, microinjections of Hsp70 into the Nucleus reticularis pontis oralis (NRPO) were done. It is well known that cholinergic neurons of the NRPO are crucial for rapid eye movement sleep generation. The data show that Hsp70 produces more early (for first two hrs) a decrease in number of episodes and total time of rapid eye movement sleep, a diminution of electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectra in the 9-14 Hz band, a decrease in contractile muscle activity and brain temperature. It is suggested that Hsp70 effects are realized due to activation of GABA(A) receptors in the NRPO and induced inhibition of cholinergic mechanisms of rapid eye movement sleep triggering. The microinjections of Hsp70 into the NRPO increase the slow wave sleep total time with long latency (for 8-12 hrs). This effect may be related to influence of Hsp70 on neurons population, which are responsible for slow wave sleep maintenance outside the NRPO.

Sleep As A Strategy For Optimizing Performance.

PubMed

Yarnell, Angela M; Deuster, Patricia

2016-01-01

Recovery is an essential component of maintaining, sustaining, and optimizing cognitive and physical performance during and after demanding training and strenuous missions. Getting sufficient amounts of rest and sleep is key to recovery. This article focuses on sleep and discusses (1) why getting sufficient sleep is important, (2) how to optimize sleep, and (3) tools available to help maximize sleep-related performance. Insufficient sleep negatively impacts safety and readiness through reduced cognitive function, more accidents, and increased military friendly-fire incidents. Sufficient sleep is linked to better cognitive performance outcomes, increased vigor, and better physical and athletic performance as well as improved emotional and social functioning. Because Special Operations missions do not always allow for optimal rest or sleep, the impact of reduced rest and sleep on readiness and mission success should be minimized through appropriate preparation and planning. Preparation includes periods of "banking" or extending sleep opportunities before periods of loss, monitoring sleep by using tools like actigraphy to measure sleep and activity, assessing mental effectiveness, exploiting strategic sleep opportunities, and consuming caffeine at recommended doses to reduce fatigue during periods of loss. Together, these efforts may decrease the impact of sleep loss on mission and performance. 2016.

Understanding women's sleep management: beyond medicalization-healthicization?

PubMed

Hislop, Jenny; Arber, Sara

2003-11-01

This paper addresses sleep, which to date has been a neglected area within the sociology of health and illness. We explore the extent to which the concepts of medicalization and healthicization provide appropriate models for understanding the management of women's sleep disruption. The prescription of sleeping pills remains as an indicator of the medicalization of sleep, while the trend towards the healthicization of sleep as part of healthy lifestyle practice is reflected in the increased focus of the media, pharmaceutical and complementary health care industries on sleep. The paper analyses qualitative data on women aged 40 and over to argue that the medicalization-healthicization framework fails to encapsulate a complete understanding of how women manage sleep disruption within the social context of their lives. It suggests that by looking inside the world of women's sleep we uncover a hidden dimension of self-directed personalized activity which plays a key role in women's response to sleep disruption. We propose an alternative model for the management of women's sleep which incorporates a core of personalised activity, linked to strategies associated with healthicization and medicalization.

Sleep Drive Is Encoded by Neural Plastic Changes in a Dedicated Circuit.

PubMed

Liu, Sha; Liu, Qili; Tabuchi, Masashi; Wu, Mark N

2016-06-02

Prolonged wakefulness leads to an increased pressure for sleep, but how this homeostatic drive is generated and subsequently persists is unclear. Here, from a neural circuit screen in Drosophila, we identify a subset of ellipsoid body (EB) neurons whose activation generates sleep drive. Patch-clamp analysis indicates these EB neurons are highly sensitive to sleep loss, switching from spiking to burst-firing modes. Functional imaging and translational profiling experiments reveal that elevated sleep need triggers reversible increases in cytosolic Ca(2+) levels, NMDA receptor expression, and structural markers of synaptic strength, suggesting these EB neurons undergo "sleep-need"-dependent plasticity. Strikingly, the synaptic plasticity of these EB neurons is both necessary and sufficient for generating sleep drive, indicating that sleep pressure is encoded by plastic changes within this circuit. These studies define an integrator circuit for sleep homeostasis and provide a mechanism explaining the generation and persistence of sleep drive. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Short Meditation Trainings Enhance Non-REM Sleep Low-Frequency Oscillations

PubMed Central

Dentico, Daniela; Ferrarelli, Fabio; Riedner, Brady A.; Smith, Richard; Zennig, Corinna; Lutz, Antoine; Tononi, Giulio; Davidson, Richard J.

2016-01-01

Study Objectives We have recently shown higher parietal-occipital EEG gamma activity during sleep in long-term meditators compared to meditation-naive individuals. This gamma increase was specific for NREM sleep, was present throughout the entire night and correlated with meditation expertise, thus suggesting underlying long-lasting neuroplastic changes induced through prolonged training. The aim of this study was to explore the neuroplastic changes acutely induced by 2 intensive days of different meditation practices in the same group of practitioners. We also repeated baseline recordings in a meditation-naive cohort to account for time effects on sleep EEG activity. Design High-density EEG recordings of human brain activity were acquired over the course of whole sleep nights following intervention. Setting Sound-attenuated sleep research room. Patients or Participants Twenty-four long-term meditators and twenty-four meditation-naïve controls. Interventions Two 8-h sessions of either a mindfulness-based meditation or a form of meditation designed to cultivate compassion and loving kindness, hereafter referred to as compassion meditation. Measurements and Results We found an increase in EEG low-frequency oscillatory activities (1–12 Hz, centered around 7–8 Hz) over prefrontal and left parietal electrodes across whole night NREM cycles. This power increase peaked early in the night and extended during the third cycle to high-frequencies up to the gamma range (25–40 Hz). There was no difference in sleep EEG activity between meditation styles in long-term meditators nor in the meditation naïve group across different time points. Furthermore, the prefrontal-parietal changes were dependent on meditation life experience. Conclusions This low-frequency prefrontal-parietal activation likely reflects acute, meditation-related plastic changes occurring during wakefulness, and may underlie a top-down regulation from frontal and anterior parietal areas to the posterior parietal and occipital regions showing chronic, long-lasting plastic changes in long-term meditators. PMID:26900914

Effect of varying recording cable weight and flexibility on activity and sleep in mice.

PubMed

Tang, Xiangdong; Orchard, Stuart M; Liu, Xianling; Sanford, Larry D

2004-06-15

Sleep in mice has typically been determined from electroencephalograms and electromyograms recorded via cables in tethered animals. However, the relatively small physical size of mice can produce concerns in recording with cables that may not be seen in larger animals. To examine the influence of implantation and tethering on mice, we recorded activity and sleep in 2 strains while they were attached to 3 cable configurations that varied in weight and flexibility. Activity was recorded prior to surgery and after surgery without tethering. Afterward, the mice were habituated to 3 cable configurations (light [L]: 1.5 g; medium [M]: 2.2 g; heavy [H]: 3.0 g), and activity and sleep were recorded for 2 consecutive days under each configuration. N/A. Studies were conducted in 2 mouse strains that differ significantly in levels of spontaneous activity (more-active strain: BALB/cJ [C]; less-active strain: DBA/2J [D2]). N/A. Significant postsurgery reductions in activity in nontethered mice were found only in the more-active C strain. Activity in both strains was reduced in a graded manner as cable weight increased and flexibility decreased. In contrast, changes in sleep were not graded across cables, and changes in rapid eye movement sleep showed more variability. In addition, the effects of varying cables were not consistent across strains. The differential impact that variations in the weight and flexibility of recording cables can have on the amount and patterns of sleep is an important consideration in conducting and interpreting sleep studies in mice.

Analysis of EEG activity during sleep - brain hemisphere symmetry of two classes of sleep spindles

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Smolen, Magdalena M.

2009-01-01

This paper presents automatic analysis of some selected human electroencephalographic patterns during deep sleep using the Matching Pursuit (MP) algorithm. The periodicity of deep sleep EEG patterns was observed by calculating autocorrelation functions of their percentage contributions. The study confirmed the increasing trend of amplitude-weighted average frequency of sleep spindles from frontal to posterior derivations. The dominant frequencies from the left and the right brain hemisphere were strongly correlated.

Mobile phones and sleep - A review

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Supe, Sanjay S.

2010-01-01

The increasing use of mobile phones has raised concerns regarding the potential health effects of exposure to the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields. An increasing amount research related to mobile phone use has focussed on the possible effects of mobile phone exposure on human brain activity and function. In particular, the use of sleep research has become a more widely used technique for assessing the possible effects of mobile phones on human health and wellbeing especially in the investigation of potential changes in sleep architecture resulting from mobile phone use. Acute exposure to a mobile phone prior to sleep significantly enhances electroencephalogram spectral power in the sleep spindle frequency range. This mobile phone-induced enhancement in spectral power is largely transitory and does not linger throughout the night. Furthermore, a reduction in rapid eye movement sleep latency following mobile phone exposure was also found, although interestingly, neither this change in rapid eye movement sleep latency or the enhancement in spectral power following mobile phone exposure, led to changes in the overall quality of sleep. In conclusion, a short exposure to the radiofrequency electromagnetic fields emitted by a mobile phone handset immediately prior to sleep is sufficient to induce changes in brain activity in the initial part of sleep. The consequences or functional significance of this effect are currently unknown and it would be premature to draw conclusions about possible health consequences.

Development of REM sleep drive and clinical implications

PubMed Central

Kobayashi, T.; Good, C.; Mamiya, K.; Skinner, R.D.; Garcia-Rill, E.

2015-01-01

REM sleep in the human declines from about 50% of total sleep time (~8 hours) in the newborn to about 15% of total sleep time (~1 hour) in the adult, and this decrease takes place mainly between birth and the end of puberty. We hypothesize that, if this developmental decrease in REM drive does not occur, lifelong increases in REM sleep drive may ensue. In the rat, the developmental decrease in REM sleep occurs between 10 and 30 days after birth, declining from over 70% of total sleep time in the newborn to the adult level of about 15% of sleep time during this period. Rats aged 12–21 days were anaesthetized with Ketamine, decapitated and brainstem slices cut for intracellular recordings. We found that excitatory responses of pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) neurons to NMDA decrease, while responses to kainic acid increase, over this critical period. Serotonergic type 1 agonists have increasing inhibitory responses, while serotonergic type 2 agonists do not change, during this developmental period. The results suggest that, as PPN neurons develop, they are increasingly activated by kainic acid and increasingly inhibited by serotonergic type 1 receptors. These processes may be related to the developmental decrease in REM sleep. Developmental disturbances in each of these systems could induce differential increases in REM sleep drive, accounting for the post-pubertal onset of a number of different disorders manifesting increases in REM sleep drive. Examination of modulation by PPN projections to ascending and descending targets revealed the presence of common signals modulating both ascending arousal-related functions and descending postural/locomotor-related functions. PMID:14527968

Characterizing Sleep Issues Using Twitter.

PubMed

McIver, David J; Hawkins, Jared B; Chunara, Rumi; Chatterjee, Arnaub K; Bhandari, Aman; Fitzgerald, Timothy P; Jain, Sachin H; Brownstein, John S

2015-06-08

Sleep issues such as insomnia affect over 50 million Americans and can lead to serious health problems, including depression and obesity, and can increase risk of injury. Social media platforms such as Twitter offer exciting potential for their use in studying and identifying both diseases and social phenomenon. Our aim was to determine whether social media can be used as a method to conduct research focusing on sleep issues. Twitter posts were collected and curated to determine whether a user exhibited signs of sleep issues based on the presence of several keywords in tweets such as insomnia, "can't sleep", Ambien, and others. Users whose tweets contain any of the keywords were designated as having self-identified sleep issues (sleep group). Users who did not have self-identified sleep issues (non-sleep group) were selected from tweets that did not contain pre-defined words or phrases used as a proxy for sleep issues. User data such as number of tweets, friends, followers, and location were collected, as well as the time and date of tweets. Additionally, the sentiment of each tweet and average sentiment of each user were determined to investigate differences between non-sleep and sleep groups. It was found that sleep group users were significantly less active on Twitter (P=.04), had fewer friends (P<.001), and fewer followers (P<.001) compared to others, after adjusting for the length of time each user's account has been active. Sleep group users were more active during typical sleeping hours than others, which may suggest they were having difficulty sleeping. Sleep group users also had significantly lower sentiment in their tweets (P<.001), indicating a possible relationship between sleep and pyschosocial issues. We have demonstrated a novel method for studying sleep issues that allows for fast, cost-effective, and customizable data to be gathered.

The challenge of sleep management in military operations.

PubMed

Wesensten, Nancy J; Balkin, Thomas J

2013-01-01

It has long been known that short-term (days) insufficient sleep causes decrements in mental effectiveness that put individuals at increased risk of committing errors and causing accidents. More recently, it has been discovered that chronic poor sleep (over years) is associated with a variety of negative health outcomes (metabolic syndrome, obesity, degraded behavioral health). Implementing an effective sleep health program is, therefore, in the best interests of active duty personnel and their families both in the short- and long-term. Like managing physical activity or nutrition, effectively managing sleep health comes with its unique set of challenges arising from the fact that individuals who routinely do not obtain sufficient sleep are generally desensitized to feeling sleepy and are poor at judging their own performance capabilities--and individuals cannot be compelled to sleep. For these reasons, an optimally effective sleep health program requires 3 components: (1) a rigorous, evidence-based sleep education component to impart actionable knowledge about optimal sleep amounts, healthy sleep behaviors, the known benefits of sleep, the short- and long-term consequences of insufficient sleep, and to dispel myths about sleep; (2) a nonintrusive device that objectively and accurately measures sleep to empower the individual to track his/her own sleep/wake habits; and (3) a meaningful, actionable metric reflecting sleep/wake impact on daily effectiveness so that the individual sees the consequences of his/her sleep behavior and, therefore, can make informed sleep health choices.

Arginase activity and nitric oxide levels in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome

PubMed Central

Yüksel, Meral; Okur, Hacer Kuzu; Pelin, Zerrin; Öğünç, Ayliz Velioğlu; Öztürk, Levent

2014-01-01

OBJECTIVE: Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome is characterized by repetitive obstruction of the upper airways, and it is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. There have been several studies demonstrating low levels of nitric oxide in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome compared with healthy controls. In this study, we hypothesized that reduced nitric oxide levels would result in high arginase activity. Arginase reacts with L-arginine and produces urea and L-ornithine, whereas L-arginine is a substrate for nitric oxide synthase, which produces nitric oxide. METHODS: The study group consisted of 51 obstructive sleep apnea syndrome patients (M/F: 43/8; mean age 49±10 years of age) and 15 healthy control subjects (M/F: 13/3; mean age 46±14 years of age). Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome patients were divided into two subgroups based on the presence or absence of cardiovascular disease. Nitric oxide levels and arginase activity were measured via an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay of serum samples. RESULTS: Serum nitric oxide levels in the control subjects were higher than in the obstructive sleep apnea patients with and without cardiovascular diseases (p<0.05). Arginase activity was significantly higher (p<0.01) in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome patients without cardiovascular diseases compared with the control group. Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome patients with cardiovascular diseases had higher arginase activity than the controls (p<0.001) and the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome patients without cardiovascular diseases (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Low nitric oxide levels are associated with high arginase activity. The mechanism of nitric oxide depletion in sleep apnea patients suggests that increased arginase activity might reduce the substrate availability of nitric oxide synthase and thus could reduce nitric oxide levels. PMID:24714832

Sleep Duration, Schedule and Quality among Urban Chinese Children and Adolescents: Associations with Routine After-School Activities

PubMed Central

Jiang, Xiaoxiao; Hardy, Louise L.; Baur, Louise A.; Ding, Ding; Wang, Ling; Shi, Huijing

2015-01-01

Background With rapid urbanization accompanied by lifestyle changes, children and adolescents living in metropolitan areas are faced with many time use choices that compete with sleep. This study reports on the sleep hygiene of urban Chinese school students, and investigates the relationship between habitual after-school activities and sleep duration, schedule and quality on a regular school day. Methods Cross-sectional, school-based survey of school children (Grades 4–8) living in Shanghai, China, conducted in 2011. Self-reported data were collected on students’ sleep duration and timing, sleep quality, habitual after-school activities (i.e. homework, leisure-time physical activity, recreational screen time and school commuting time), and potential correlates. Results Mean sleep duration of this sample (mean age: 11.5-years; 48.6% girls) was 9 hours. Nearly 30% of students reported daytime tiredness. On school nights, girls slept less (p<0.001) and went to bed later (p<0.001), a sex difference that was more pronounced in older students. Age by sex interactions were observed for both sleep duration (p=0.005) and bedtime (p=0.002). Prolonged time spent on homework and mobile phone playing was related to shorter sleep duration and later bedtime. Adjusting for all other factors, with each additional hour of mobile phone playing, the odds of daytime tiredness and having difficulty maintaining sleep increased by 30% and 27% among secondary students, respectively. Conclusion There are sex differences in sleep duration, schedule and quality. Habitual activities had small but significant associations with sleep hygiene outcomes especially among secondary school students. Intervention strategies such as limiting children’s use of electronic screen devices after school are implicated. PMID:25611973

14 CFR 117.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... or physical performance capability resulting from lack of sleep or increased physical activity that... that provides a flightcrew member with a sleep opportunity. (1) Class 1 rest facility means a bunk or... ability to control light that provides a flightcrew member with the ability to sleep either in a bed, bunk...

14 CFR 117.3 - Definitions.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... capability resulting from lack of sleep or increased physical activity that can reduce a flightcrew member's... seat accommodation installed in an aircraft that provides a flightcrew member with a sleep opportunity... with the ability to sleep either in a bed, bunk or in a chair that allows for flat or near flat...

Phosphorylation of CaMKII in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus plays an important role in sleep-wake regulation.

PubMed

Cui, Su-Ying; Li, Sheng-Jie; Cui, Xiang-Yu; Zhang, Xue-Qiong; Yu, Bin; Sheng, Zhao-Fu; Huang, Yuan-Li; Cao, Qing; Xu, Ya-Ping; Lin, Zhi-Ge; Yang, Guang; Song, Jin-Zhi; Ding, Hui; Wang, Zi-Jun; Zhang, Yong-He

2016-02-01

The Ca(2+) modulation in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) plays an important role in sleep-wake regulation. Calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) is an important signal-transducing molecule that is activated by Ca(2+) . This study investigated the effects of intracellular Ca(2+) /CaMKII signaling in the DRN on sleep-wake states in rats. Maximum and minimum CaMKII phosphorylation was detected at Zeitgeber time 21 (ZT 21; wakefulness state) and ZT 3 (sleep state), respectively, across the light-dark rhythm in the DRN in rats. Six-hour sleep deprivation significantly reduced CaMKII phosphorylation in the DRN. Microinjection of the CAMKII activation inhibitor KN-93 (5 or 10 nmol) into the DRN suppressed wakefulness and enhanced rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMS) and non-REM sleep (NREMS). Application of a high dose of KN-93 (10 nmol) increased slow-wave sleep (SWS) time, SWS bouts, the mean duration of SWS, the percentage of SWS relative to total sleep, and delta power density during NREMS. Microinjection of CaCl2 (50 nmol) in the DRN increased CaMKII phosphorylation and decreased NREMS, SWS, and REMS. KN-93 abolished the inhibitory effects of CaCl2 on NREMS, SWS, and REMS. These data indicate a novel wake-promoting and sleep-suppressing role for the Ca(2+) /CaMKII signaling pathway in DRN neurons. We propose that the intracellular Ca(2+) /CaMKII signaling in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) plays wake-promoting and sleep-suppressing role in rats. Intra-DRN application of KN-93 (CaMKII activation inhibitor) suppressed wakefulness and enhanced rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMS) and non-REMS (NREMS). Intra-DRN application of CaCl2 attenuated REMS and NREMS. We think these findings should provide a novel cellular and molecular mechanism of sleep-wake regulation. © 2015 International Society for Neurochemistry.

Endogenous excitatory drive to the respiratory system in rapid eye movement sleep in cats.

PubMed

Orem, J; Lovering, A T; Dunin-Barkowski, W; Vidruk, E H

2000-09-01

A putative endogenous excitatory drive to the respiratory system in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep may explain many characteristics of breathing in that state, e.g. its irregularity and variable ventilatory responses to chemical stimuli. This drive is hypothetical, and determinations of its existence and character are complicated by control of the respiratory system by the oscillator and its feedback mechanisms. In the present study, endogenous drive was studied during apnoea caused by mechanical hyperventilation. We reasoned that if there was a REM-dependent drive to the respiratory system, then respiratory activity should emerge out of the background apnoea as a manifestation of the drive. Diaphragmatic muscle or medullary respiratory neuronal activity was studied in five intact, unanaesthetized adult cats who were either mechanically hyperventilated or breathed spontaneously in more than 100 REM sleep periods. Diaphragmatic activity emerged out of a background apnoea caused by mechanical hyperventilation an average of 34 s after the onset of REM sleep. Emergent activity occurred in 60 % of 10 s epochs in REM sleep and the amount of activity per unit time averaged approximately 40 % of eupnoeic activity. The activity occurred in episodes and was poorly related to pontogeniculo-occipital waves. At low CO2 levels, this activity was non-rhythmic. At higher CO2 levels (less than 0.5 % below eupnoeic end-tidal percentage CO2 levels in non-REM (NREM) sleep), activity became rhythmic. Medullary respiratory neurons were recorded in one of the five animals. Nineteen of twenty-seven medullary respiratory neurons were excited in REM sleep during apnoea. Excited neurons included inspiratory, expiratory and phase-spanning neurons. Excitation began about 43 s after the onset of REM sleep. Activity increased from an average of 6 impulses s-1 in NREM sleep to 15.5 impulses s-1 in REM sleep. Neuronal activity was non-rhythmic at low CO2 levels and became rhythmic when levels were less than 0.5 % below eupnoeic end-tidal levels in NREM sleep. The level of CO2 at which rhythmic neuronal activity developed corresponded to eupnoeic end-tidal CO2 levels in REM sleep. These results demonstrate an endogenous excitatory drive to the respiratory system in REM sleep and account for rapid and irregular breathing and the lower set-point to CO2 in that state.

[Facilitation of a state of wakefulness by semi-chronic treatment with sulbutiamin (Arcalion) in Macaca mulatta].

PubMed

Balzamo, E; Vuillon-Cacciuttolo, G

1982-12-01

Cortical electroencephalographic (EEG) activities and nycthemeral states of vigilance organization were studied in 6 adult rhesus monkeys during subchronic administration (10 days) of Sulbutiamin, a synthesized derivative of thiamine (300 mg/kg/day). Sulbutiamin induced the following modifications: (1) In the EEG activities: increase in occurrence of fast rhythms (over 28 c/sec) during waking and also during slow sleep (SS) in which their amplitude doubled. SS spindles increased in number and amplitude. (2) In vigilance organization: waking was enhanced all along the 24 h recording and SS was reorganized (particularly at night), mostly light sleep: large decrease in stage 2 duration, increase in stage 1. REM sleep duration remained stable. These changes, occurring at around day 5 of the treatment, were more pronounced on day 10 and disappeared 2-5 days after withdrawal. This study demonstrated the clear action of Sulbutiamin upon the mechanisms regulating waking and light sleep.

Altered Nocturnal Cardiovascular Control in Children With Sleep-Disordered Breathing.

PubMed

El-Hamad, Fatima; Immanuel, Sarah; Liu, Xiao; Pamula, Yvonne; Kontos, Anna; Martin, James; Kennedy, Declan; Kohler, Mark; Porta, Alberto; Baumert, Mathias

2017-10-01

To assess cardiovascular control during sleep in children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) and the effect of adenotonsillectomy in comparison to healthy nonsnoring children. Cardiorespiratory signals obtained from overnight polysomnographic recordings of 28 children with SDB and 34 healthy nonsnoring children were analyzed. We employed an autoregressive closed-loop model with heart period (RR) and pulse transit time (PTT) as outputs and respiration as an external input to obtain estimates of respiratory gain and baroreflex gain. Mean and variability of PTT were increased in children with SDB across all stages of sleep. Low frequency power of RR and PTT were attenuated during non-rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Baroreflex sensitivity was reduced in children with SDB in stage 2 sleep, while respiratory gain was increased in slow wave sleep. After adenotonsillectomy, these indices normalized in the SDB group attaining values comparable to those of healthy children. In children with mild-to-moderate SDB, vasomotor activity is increased and baroreflex sensitivity decreased during quiet, event-free non-REM sleep. Adenotonsillectomy appears to reverse this effect. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Role of inhibitory amino acids in control of hypoglossal motor outflow to genioglossus muscle in naturally sleeping rats.

PubMed

Morrison, Janna L; Sood, Sandeep; Liu, Hattie; Park, Eileen; Liu, Xia; Nolan, Philip; Horner, Richard L

2003-11-01

The hypoglossal motor nucleus innervates the genioglossus (GG) muscle of the tongue, a muscle that helps maintain an open airway for effective breathing. Rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, however, recruits powerful neural mechanisms that can abolish GG activity even during strong reflex stimulation such as by hypercapnia, effects that can predispose to sleep-related breathing problems in humans. We have developed an animal model to chronically manipulate neurotransmission at the hypoglossal motor nucleus using in vivo microdialysis in freely behaving rats. This study tests the hypothesis that glycine receptor antagonism at the hypoglossal motor nucleus, either alone or in combination with GABAA receptor antagonism, will prevent suppression of GG activity in natural REM sleep during room air and CO2-stimulated breathing. Rats were implanted with electroencephalogram and neck muscle electrodes to record sleep-wake states, and GG and diaphragm electrodes for respiratory muscle recording. Microdialysis probes were implanted into the hypoglossal motor nucleus for perfusion of artificial cerebrospinal fluid (ACSF) and strychnine (glycine receptor antagonist, 0.1 mM) either alone or combined with bicuculline (GABAA antagonist, 0.1 mM) during room air and CO2-stimulated breathing. Compared to ACSF controls, glycine receptor antagonism at the hypoglossal motor nucleus increased respiratory-related GG activity in room air (P = 0.010) but not hypercapnia (P = 0.221). This stimulating effect of strychnine in room air did not depend on the prevailing sleep-wake state (P = 0.625) indicating removal of a non-specific background inhibitory glycinergic tone. Nevertheless, GG activity remained minimal in those REM sleep periods without phasic twitches in GG muscle, with GG suppression from non-REM (NREM) sleep being > 85 % whether ACSF or strychnine was at the hypoglossal motor nucleus or the inspired gas was room air or 7 % CO2. While GG activity was minimal in these REM sleep periods, there was a small but measurable increase in GG activity after strychnine (P < 0.05). GG activity was also minimal, and effectively abolished, in the REM sleep periods without GG twitches with combined glycine and GABAA receptor antagonism at the hypoglossal motor nucleus. We conclude that these data in freely behaving rats confirm that inhibitory glycine and GABAA receptor mechanisms are present at the hypoglossal motor nucleus and are tonically active, but that such inhibitory mechanisms make only a small contribution to the marked suppression of GG activity and reflex responses observed in periods of natural REM sleep.

A Preliminary Investigation of Accelerometer-Derived Sleep and Physical Activity Following Sport-Related Concussion.

PubMed

Sufrinko, Alicia M; Howie, Erin K; Elbin, R J; Collins, Michael W; Kontos, Anthony P

2018-03-29

Describe changes in postconcussion activity levels and sleep throughout recovery in a sample of pediatric sport-related concussion (SRC) patients, and examine the predictive value of accelerometer-derived activity and sleep on subsequent clinical outcomes at a follow-up clinic visit. Outpatient concussion clinic. Twenty athletes aged 12 to 19 years with diagnosed SRC. Prospective study including visit 1 (<72 hours postinjury) and visit 2 (6-18 days postinjury). Linear regressions used to predict scores (ie, neurocognitive, vestibular/oculomotor) at visit 2 from accelerometer-derived data collected 0 to 6 days postinjury. Linear mixed models evaluated changes in activity and sleep across recovery. Symptom, neurocognitive, and vestibular/oculomotor scores; sleep and activity data (Actigraph GT3x+) RESULTS:: The maximum intensity of physical activity increased (P = .009) and time in bed decreased throughout recovery (P = .026). Several physical activity metrics from 0 to 6 days postinjury were predictive of worse vestibular/oculomotor scores at visit 2 (P < .05). Metrics indicative of poor sleep 0 to 6 days postinjury were associated with worse reaction time at visit 2 (P < .05). This exploratory study suggests physical activity and sleep change from the acute to subacute postinjury time period in adolescent SRC patients. In our small sample, excess physical activity and poor sleep the first week postinjury may be associated with worse outcomes at follow-up in the subacute stage of recovery. This study further supported the feasibility of research utilizing wearable technology in concussion patients, and future research in a large, diverse sample of concussion patients examined at concise time intervals postinjury is needed.

Sleep disruption increases seizure susceptibility: Behavioral and EEG evaluation of an experimental model of sleep apnea.

PubMed

Hrnčić, Dragan; Grubač, Željko; Rašić-Marković, Aleksandra; Šutulović, Nikola; Šušić, Veselinka; Bjekić-Macut, Jelica; Stanojlović, Olivera

2016-03-01

Sleep disruption accompanies sleep apnea as one of its major symptoms. Obstructive sleep apnea is particularly common in patients with refractory epilepsy, but causing factors underlying this are far from being resolved. Therefore, translational studies regarding this issue are important. Our aim was to investigate the effects of sleep disruption on seizure susceptibility of rats using experimental model of lindane-induced refractory seizures. Sleep disruption in male Wistar rats with implanted EEG electrodes was achieved by treadmill method (belt speed set on 0.02 m/s for working and 0.00 m/s for stop mode, respectively). Animals were assigned to experimental conditions lasting 6h: 1) sleep disruption (sleep interrupted, SI; 30s working and 90 s stop mode every 2 min; 180 cycles in total); 2) activity control (AC, 10 min working and 30 min stop mode, 9 cycles in total); 3) treadmill chamber control (TC, only stop mode). Afterwards, the animals were intraperitoneally treated with lindane (L, 4 mg/kg, SI+L, AC+L and TC+L groups) or dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO, SIc, ACc and TCc groups). Convulsive behavior was assessed by seizure incidence, latency time to first seizure, and its severity during 30 min after drug administration. Number and duration of ictal periods were determined in recorded EEGs. Incidence and severity of lindane-induced seizures were significantly increased, latency time significantly decreased in animals undergoing sleep disruption (SI+L group) compared with the animals from TC+L. Seizure latency was also significantly decreased in SI+L compared to AC+L groups. Number of ictal periods were increased and duration of it presented tendency to increase in SI+L comparing to AC+L. No convulsive signs were observed in TCc, ACc and SIc groups, as well as no ictal periods in EEG. These results indicate sleep disruption facilitates induction of epileptic activity in rodent model of lindane-epilepsy enabling translational research of this phenomenon. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Local Use-Dependent Sleep in Wakefulness Links Performance Errors to Learning

PubMed Central

Quercia, Angelica; Zappasodi, Filippo; Committeri, Giorgia; Ferrara, Michele

2018-01-01

Sleep and wakefulness are no longer to be considered as discrete states. During wakefulness brain regions can enter a sleep-like state (off-periods) in response to a prolonged period of activity (local use-dependent sleep). Similarly, during nonREM sleep the slow-wave activity, the hallmark of sleep plasticity, increases locally in brain regions previously involved in a learning task. Recent studies have demonstrated that behavioral performance may be impaired by off-periods in wake in task-related regions. However, the relation between off-periods in wake, related performance errors and learning is still untested in humans. Here, by employing high density electroencephalographic (hd-EEG) recordings, we investigated local use-dependent sleep in wake, asking participants to repeat continuously two intensive spatial navigation tasks. Critically, one task relied on previous map learning (Wayfinding) while the other did not (Control). Behaviorally awake participants, who were not sleep deprived, showed progressive increments of delta activity only during the learning-based spatial navigation task. As shown by source localization, delta activity was mainly localized in the left parietal and bilateral frontal cortices, all regions known to be engaged in spatial navigation tasks. Moreover, during the Wayfinding task, these increments of delta power were specifically associated with errors, whose probability of occurrence was significantly higher compared to the Control task. Unlike the Wayfinding task, during the Control task neither delta activity nor the number of errors increased progressively. Furthermore, during the Wayfinding task, both the number and the amplitude of individual delta waves, as indexes of neuronal silence in wake (off-periods), were significantly higher during errors than hits. Finally, a path analysis linked the use of the spatial navigation circuits undergone to learning plasticity to off periods in wake. In conclusion, local sleep regulation in wakefulness, associated with performance failures, could be functionally linked to learning-related cortical plasticity. PMID:29666574

Sleep duration moderates the association between insula activation and risky decisions under stress in adolescents and adults.

PubMed

Uy, Jessica Phuong; Galván, Adriana

2017-01-27

Insufficient sleep has been associated with increased risk-taking and poor decision-making, enhanced physiological responses to stress, and attenuated anterior insula (AI) activity to risk. The AI has also been linked to risky decision-making under acute stress. However, it is yet unknown how naturalistic sleep habits affect risky decision-making and AI activity when individuals feel stressed. In the current study, a daily diary approach was used to document participants' daily stress. Adolescents and adults reported their recent sleep duration and completed two fMRI visits during which they performed a risky decision-making task: once each when they endorsed a high and low level of stress. Results revealed that, regardless of age, individuals who reported receiving more sleep took fewer non-advantageous risks during high stress relative to those who reported receiving fewer hours of sleep per night while sleep duration was not associated with risky behavior under low stress. Among individuals who reported less sleep, those who exhibited reduced AI activation during risk-taking under high stress also took more disadvantageous risks whereas this effect was attenuated for those who reported longer sleep duration. Moreover, longer sleep duration was associated with greater functional coupling between the AI and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) under high stress whereas sleep duration was not associated with AI-DLPFC functional coupling under low stress. These findings suggest that naturalistic sleep duration may amplify the effects of daily stress and alter risky decision-making behavior through interactions with the AI. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Oscillatory theta activity during memory formation and its impact on overnight consolidation: a missing link?

PubMed

Heib, Dominik P J; Hoedlmoser, Kerstin; Anderer, Peter; Gruber, Georg; Zeitlhofer, Josef; Schabus, Manuel

2015-08-01

Sleep has been shown to promote memory consolidation driven by certain oscillatory patterns, such as sleep spindles. However, sleep does not consolidate all newly encoded information uniformly but rather "selects" certain memories for consolidation. It is assumed that such selection depends on salience tags attached to the new memories before sleep. However, little is known about the underlying neuronal processes reflecting presleep memory tagging. The current study sought to address the question of whether event-related changes in spectral theta power (theta ERSP) during presleep memory formation could reflect memory tagging that influences subsequent consolidation during sleep. Twenty-four participants memorized 160 word pairs before sleep; in a separate laboratory visit, they performed a nonlearning control task. Memory performance was tested twice, directly before and after 8 hr of sleep. Results indicate that participants who improved their memory performance overnight displayed stronger theta ERSP during the memory task in comparison with the control task. They also displayed stronger memory task-related increases in fast sleep spindle activity. Furthermore, presleep theta activity was directly linked to fast sleep spindle activity, indicating that processes during memory formation might indeed reflect memory tagging that influences subsequent consolidation during sleep. Interestingly, our results further indicate that the suggested relation between sleep spindles and overnight performance change is not as direct as once believed. Rather, it appears to be mediated by processes beginning during presleep memory formation. We conclude that theta ERSP during presleep memory formation reflects cortico-hippocampal interactions that lead to a better long-term accessibility by tagging memories for sleep spindle-related reprocessing.

Choline acetyltransferase expression during periods of behavioral activity and across natural sleep-wake states in the basal forebrain.

PubMed

Greco, M A; McCarley, R W; Shiromani, P J

1999-01-01

The present study examined whether the expression of the messenger RNA encoding the protein responsible for acetylcholine synthesis is associated with sleep-wakefulness. Choline acetyltransferase messenger RNA levels were analysed using a semi-quantitative assay in which reverse transcription was coupled to complementary DNA amplification using the polymerase chain reaction. To examine the relationship between steady-state messenger RNA and behavioral activity, rats were killed during the day (4.00 p.m.) or night (4.00 a.m.), and tissue from the vertical and horizontal limbs of the diagonal bands of Broca was analysed. Choline acetyltransferase messenger RNA levels were higher during the day than during the night. The second study examined more closely the association between choline acetyltransferase messenger RNA levels and individual bouts of wakefulness, slow-wave sleep or rapid eye movement sleep. Choline acetyltransferase messenger RNA levels were low during wakefulness, intermediate in slow-wave sleep and high during rapid eye movement sleep. In contrast, protein activity, measured at a projection site of cholinergic neurons of the basal forebrain, was higher during wakefulness than during sleep. These findings suggest that choline acetyltransferase protein and messenger RNA levels exhibit an inverse relationship during sleep and wakefulness. The increased messenger RNA expression during sleep is consistent with a restorative function of sleep.

Sleep-related changes in cardiovascular autonomic regulation in left coronary artery ligation rats: Neural mechanism facilitating arrhythmia after myocardial infarction.

PubMed

Lin, Wei-Lun; Lo, Li-Wei; Chen, Hau-Ruey; Lai, Chun-Ting; Yamada, Shinya; Liu, Shin-Huei; Chou, Yu-Hui; Chen, Shih-Ann; Fu, Yun-Ching; Kuo, Terry B J

2016-12-15

Autonomic imbalance with increased sympathetic and decreased parasympathetic activities is observed in patients after myocardial infarction (MI). We aimed to investigate sleep-related changed in autonomic regulation in left coronary artery (LCA) ligation rats. Wireless transmission of polysomnographic recording was performed in sham and LCA ligation male rats during normal daytime sleep with and without atenolol treatment. Spectral analyses of the electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram (EMG) were evaluated to define active waking (AW), quiet and paradoxical sleeps (QS, PS). Cardiac autonomic activities were measured by analyzing the power spectrum of heart rate variability (HRV). EEG, EMG and HRV were recorded over 6h for consecutive 3days in all groups. In LCA ligation group, there were higher LF and LF/HF ratio on QS phase, but not AW and PS phases, compared to atenolol treated sham and LCA ligation groups, respectively. The HF component was not significantly changed on all groups in both sleep and awake phases. Sleep interruption was more frequent in LCA ligation rats compared to sham, and it was not found in LCA ligation with atenolol treatment group. Increased AW, PS and decreased QS time were noted in LCA ligation group, compared to sham and it was restored to baseline in LCA ligation with atenolol treatment group. Our results demonstrate significant sleep fragmentations with sympathetic hyperactivity during QS stages after MI, and atenolol could restore the autonomic dysfunction and sleep disturbance. The finding explains the cause of sleep-related fetal arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death after MI. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Propofol Anesthesia and Sleep: A High-Density EEG Study

PubMed Central

Murphy, Michael; Bruno, Marie-Aurelie; Riedner, Brady A.; Boveroux, Pierre; Noirhomme, Quentin; Landsness, Eric C.; Brichant, Jean-Francois; Phillips, Christophe; Massimini, Marcello; Laureys, Steven; Tononi, Giulio; Boly, Melanie

2011-01-01

Study Objectives: The electrophysiological correlates of anesthetic sedation remain poorly understood. We used high-density electroencephalography (hd-EEG) and source modeling to investigate the cortical processes underlying propofol anesthesia and compare them to sleep. Design: 256-channel EEG recordings in humans during propofol anesthesia. Setting: Hospital operating room. Patients or Participants: 8 healthy subjects (4 males) Interventions: N/A Measurements and Results: Initially, propofol induced increases in EEG power from 12–25 Hz. Loss of consciousness (LOC) was accompanied by the appearance of EEG slow waves that resembled the slow waves of NREM sleep. We compared slow waves in propofol to slow waves recorded during natural sleep and found that both populations of waves share similar cortical origins and preferentially propagate along the mesial components of the default network. However, propofol slow waves were spatially blurred compared to sleep slow waves and failed to effectively entrain spindle activity. Propofol also caused an increase in gamma (25–40 Hz) power that persisted throughout LOC. Source modeling analysis showed that this increase in gamma power originated from the anterior and posterior cingulate cortices. During LOC, we found increased gamma functional connectivity between these regions compared to the wakefulness. Conclusions: Propofol anesthesia is a sleep-like state and slow waves are associated with diminished consciousness even in the presence of high gamma activity. Citation: Murphy M; Bruno MA; Riedner BA; Boveroux P; Noirhomme Q; Landsness EC; Brichant JF; Phillips C; Massimini M; Laureys S; Tononi G; Boly M. Propofol anesthesia and sleep: a high-density EEG study. SLEEP 2011;34(3):283-291. PMID:21358845

Identification of cholinergic and non-cholinergic neurons in the pons expressing phosphorylated cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein as a function of rapid eye movement sleep.

PubMed

Datta, S; Siwek, D F; Stack, E C

2009-09-29

Recent studies have shown that in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT), increased neuronal activity and kainate receptor-mediated activation of intracellular protein kinase A (PKA) are important physiological and molecular steps for the generation of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. In the present study performed on rats, phosphorylated cyclic AMP response element-binding protein (pCREB) immunostaining was used as a marker for increased intracellular PKA activation and as a reflection of increased neuronal activity. To identify whether activated cells were either cholinergic or noncholinergic, the PPT and laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDT) cells were immunostained for choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) in combination with pCREB or c-Fos. The results demonstrated that during high rapid eye movement sleep (HR, approximately 27%), significantly higher numbers of cells expressed pCREB and c-Fos in the PPT, of which 95% of pCREB-expressing cells were ChAT-positive. With HR, the numbers of pCREB-positive cells were also significantly higher in the medial pontine reticular formation (mPRF), pontine reticular nucleus oral (PnO), and dorsal subcoeruleus nucleus (SubCD) but very few in the locus coeruleus (LC) and dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN). Conversely, with low rapid eye movement sleep (LR, approximately 2%), the numbers of pCREB expressing cells were very few in the PPT, mPRF, PnO, and SubCD but significantly higher in the LC and DRN. The results of regression analyses revealed significant positive relationships between the total percentages of REM sleep and numbers of ChAT+/pCREB+ (Rsqr=0.98) cells in the PPT and pCREB+ cells in the mPRF (Rsqr=0.88), PnO (Rsqr=0.87), and SubCD (Rsqr=0.84); whereas significantly negative relationships were associated with the pCREB+ cells in the LC (Rsqr=0.70) and DRN (Rsqr=0.60). These results provide evidence supporting the hypothesis that during REM sleep, the PPT cholinergic neurons are active, whereas the LC and DRN neurons are inactive. More importantly, the regression analysis indicated that pCREB activation in approximately 98% of PPT cholinergic neurons, was caused by REM sleep. Moreover the results indicate that during REM sleep, PPT intracellular PKA activation and a transcriptional cascade involving pCREB occur exclusively in the cholinergic neurons.

Sleep Disturbance in Female Flight Attendants and Teachers.

PubMed

Grajewski, Barbara; Whelan, Elizabeth A; Nguyen, Mimi M; Kwan, Lorna; Cole, Roger J

2016-07-01

Flight attendants (FAs) may experience circadian disruption due to travel during normal sleep hours and through multiple time zones. This study investigated whether FAs are at higher risk for sleep disturbance compared to teachers, as assessed by questionnaire, diary, and activity monitors. Sleep/wake cycles of 45 FAs and 25 teachers were studied. For one menstrual cycle, participants wore an activity monitor and kept a daily diary. Sleep metrics included total sleep in the main sleep period (MSP), sleep efficiency (proportion of MSP spent sleeping), and nocturnal sleep fraction (proportion of sleep between 10 p.m. to 8 a.m. home time). Relationships between sleep metrics and occupation were analyzed with mixed and generalized linear models. Both actigraph and diary data suggest that FAs sleep longer than teachers. However, several actigraph indices of sleep disturbance indicated that FAs incurred significant impairment of sleep compared to teachers. FAs were more likely than teachers to have poor sleep efficiency [adjusted odds ratio (OR) for lowest quartile of sleep efficiency = 1.9, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.2 - 3.0] and to have a smaller proportion of their sleep between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. home time (adjusted OR for lowest quartile of nocturnal sleep fraction = 3.1, CI 1.1 -9.0). Study FAs experienced increased sleep disturbance compared to teachers, which may indicate circadian disruption. Grajewski B, Whelan EA, Nguyen MM, Kwan L, Cole RJ. Sleep disturbance in female flight attendants and teachers. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2016; 87(7)638-645.

Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption.

PubMed

Medic, Goran; Wille, Micheline; Hemels, Michiel Eh

2017-01-01

Sleep plays a vital role in brain function and systemic physiology across many body systems. Problems with sleep are widely prevalent and include deficits in quantity and quality of sleep; sleep problems that impact the continuity of sleep are collectively referred to as sleep disruptions. Numerous factors contribute to sleep disruption, ranging from lifestyle and environmental factors to sleep disorders and other medical conditions. Sleep disruptions have substantial adverse short- and long-term health consequences. A literature search was conducted to provide a nonsystematic review of these health consequences (this review was designed to be nonsystematic to better focus on the topics of interest due to the myriad parameters affected by sleep). Sleep disruption is associated with increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, metabolic effects, changes in circadian rhythms, and proinflammatory responses. In otherwise healthy adults, short-term consequences of sleep disruption include increased stress responsivity, somatic pain, reduced quality of life, emotional distress and mood disorders, and cognitive, memory, and performance deficits. For adolescents, psychosocial health, school performance, and risk-taking behaviors are impacted by sleep disruption. Behavioral problems and cognitive functioning are associated with sleep disruption in children. Long-term consequences of sleep disruption in otherwise healthy individuals include hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, weight-related issues, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and colorectal cancer. All-cause mortality is also increased in men with sleep disturbances. For those with underlying medical conditions, sleep disruption may diminish the health-related quality of life of children and adolescents and may worsen the severity of common gastrointestinal disorders. As a result of the potential consequences of sleep disruption, health care professionals should be cognizant of how managing underlying medical conditions may help to optimize sleep continuity and consider prescribing interventions that minimize sleep disruption.

Slow Wave Sleep and Long Duration Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitmire, Alexandra; Orr, Martin; Arias, Diana; Rueger, Melanie; Johnston, Smith; Leveton, Lauren

2012-01-01

While ground research has clearly shown that preserving adequate quantities of sleep is essential for optimal health and performance, changes in the progression, order and /or duration of specific stages of sleep is also associated with deleterious outcomes. As seen in Figure 1, in healthy individuals, REM and Non-REM sleep alternate cyclically, with stages of Non-REM sleep structured chronologically. In the early parts of the night, for instance, Non-REM stages 3 and 4 (Slow Wave Sleep, or SWS) last longer while REM sleep spans shorter; as night progresses, the length of SWS is reduced as REM sleep lengthens. This process allows for SWS to establish precedence , with increases in SWS seen when recovering from sleep deprivation. SWS is indeed regarded as the most restorative portion of sleep. During SWS, physiological activities such as hormone secretion, muscle recovery, and immune responses are underway, while neurological processes required for long term learning and memory consolidation, also occur. The structure and duration of specific sleep stages may vary independent of total sleep duration, and changes in the structure and duration have been shown to be associated with deleterious outcomes. Individuals with narcolepsy enter sleep through REM as opposed to stage 1 of NREM. Disrupting slow wave sleep for several consecutive nights without reducing total sleep duration or sleep efficiency is associated with decreased pain threshold, increased discomfort, fatigue, and the inflammatory flare response in skin. Depression has been shown to be associated with a reduction of slow wave sleep and increased REM sleep. Given research that shows deleterious outcomes are associated with changes in sleep structure, it is essential to characterize and mitigate not only total sleep duration, but also changes in sleep stages.

Short- and long-term health consequences of sleep disruption

PubMed Central

Medic, Goran; Wille, Micheline; Hemels, Michiel EH

2017-01-01

Sleep plays a vital role in brain function and systemic physiology across many body systems. Problems with sleep are widely prevalent and include deficits in quantity and quality of sleep; sleep problems that impact the continuity of sleep are collectively referred to as sleep disruptions. Numerous factors contribute to sleep disruption, ranging from lifestyle and environmental factors to sleep disorders and other medical conditions. Sleep disruptions have substantial adverse short- and long-term health consequences. A literature search was conducted to provide a nonsystematic review of these health consequences (this review was designed to be nonsystematic to better focus on the topics of interest due to the myriad parameters affected by sleep). Sleep disruption is associated with increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, metabolic effects, changes in circadian rhythms, and proinflammatory responses. In otherwise healthy adults, short-term consequences of sleep disruption include increased stress responsivity, somatic pain, reduced quality of life, emotional distress and mood disorders, and cognitive, memory, and performance deficits. For adolescents, psychosocial health, school performance, and risk-taking behaviors are impacted by sleep disruption. Behavioral problems and cognitive functioning are associated with sleep disruption in children. Long-term consequences of sleep disruption in otherwise healthy individuals include hypertension, dyslipidemia, cardiovascular disease, weight-related issues, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and colorectal cancer. All-cause mortality is also increased in men with sleep disturbances. For those with underlying medical conditions, sleep disruption may diminish the health-related quality of life of children and adolescents and may worsen the severity of common gastrointestinal disorders. As a result of the potential consequences of sleep disruption, health care professionals should be cognizant of how managing underlying medical conditions may help to optimize sleep continuity and consider prescribing interventions that minimize sleep disruption. PMID:28579842

Reduced Sleep During Social Isolation Leads to Cellular Stress and Induction of the Unfolded Protein Response.

PubMed

Brown, Marishka K; Strus, Ewa; Naidoo, Nirinjini

2017-07-01

Social isolation has a multitude of negative consequences on human health including the ability to endure challenges to the immune system, sleep amount and efficiency, and general morbidity and mortality. These adverse health outcomes are conserved in other social species. In the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster, social isolation leads to increased aggression, impaired memory, and reduced amounts of daytime sleep. There is a correlation between molecules affected by social isolation and those implicated in sleep in Drosophila. We previously demonstrated that acute sleep loss in flies and mice induced the unfolded protein response (UPR), an adaptive signaling pathway. One mechanism indicating UPR upregulation is elevated levels of the endoplasmic reticular chaperone BiP/GRP78. We previously showed that BiP overexpression in Drosophila led to increased sleep rebound. Increased rebound sleep has also been demonstrated in socially isolated (SI) flies. D. melanogaster were used to study the effect of social isolation on cellular stress. SI flies displayed an increase in UPR markers; there were higher BiP levels, increased phosphorylation of the translation initiation factor eIF2α, and increased splicing of xbp1. These are all indicators of UPR activation. In addition, the effects of isolation on the UPR were reversible; pharmacologically and genetically altering sleep in the flies modulated the UPR. The reduction in sleep observed in SI flies is a cellular stressor that results in UPR induction. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press [on behalf of the Sleep Research Society]. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Rapid Eye Movement Sleep in Relation to Overweight in Children and Adolescents

PubMed Central

Liu, Xianchen; Forbes, Erika E.; Ryan, Neal D.; Rofey, Dana; Hannon, Tamara S.; Dahl, Ronald E.

2009-01-01

Context Short sleep duration is associated with obesity, but few studies have examined the relationship between obesity and specific physiological stages of sleep. Objective To examine specific sleep stages, including rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and stages 1 through 4 of non-REM sleep, in relation to overweight in children and adolescents. Design, Setting, and Participants A total of 335 children and adolescents (55.2% male; aged 7-17 years) underwent 3 consecutive nights of standard polysomnography and weight and height assessments as part of a study on the development of internalizing disorders (depression and anxiety). Main Outcome Measures Body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) z score and weight status (normal, at risk for overweight, overweight) according to the body mass index percentile for age and sex. Results The body mass index z score was significantly related to total sleep time (β=-0.174), sleep efficiency (β=-0.027), and REM density (β=-0.256). Compared with normal-weight children, overweight children slept about 22 minutes less and had lower sleep efficiency, shorter REM sleep, lower REM activity and density, and longer latency to the first REM period. After adjustment for demographics, pubertal status, and psychiatric diagnosis, 1 hour less of total sleep was associated with approximately 2-fold increased odds of overweight (odds ratio=1.85), 1 hour less of REM sleep was associated with about 3-fold increased odds (odds ratio=2.91), and REM density and activity below the median increased the odds of overweight by 2-fold (odds ratio=2.18) and 3-fold (odds ratio=3.32), respectively. Conclusions Our results confirm previous epidemiological observations that short sleep time is associated with overweight in children and adolescents. A core aspect of the association between short sleep duration and overweight may be attributed to reduced REM sleep. Further studies are needed to investigate possible mechanisms underpinning the association between diminished REM sleep and endocrine and metabolic changes that may contribute to obesity. PMID:18678797

Chronic Low Quality Sleep Impairs Postural Control in Healthy Adults.

PubMed

Furtado, Fabianne; Gonçalves, Bruno da Silva B; Abranches, Isabela Lopes Laguardia; Abrantes, Ana Flávia; Forner-Cordero, Arturo

2016-01-01

The lack of sleep, both in quality and quantity, is an increasing problem in modern society, often related to workload and stress. A number of studies have addressed the effects of acute (total) sleep deprivation on postural control. However, up to date, the effects of chronic sleep deficits, either in quantity or quality, have not been analyzed. Thirty healthy adults participated in the study that consisted of registering activity with a wrist actigraph for more than a week before performing a series of postural control tests. Sleep and circadian rhythm variables were correlated and the sum of activity of the least active 5-h period, L5, a rhythm variable, obtained the greater coefficient value with sleep quality variables (wake after sleep onset WASO and efficiency sleep). Cluster analysis was performed to classify subjects into two groups based on L5 (low and high). The balance tests scores used to asses postural control were measured using Biodex Balance System and were compared between the two groups with different sleep quality. The postural tests were divided into dynamic (platform tilt with eyes open, closed and cursor) and static (clinical test of sensory integration). The results showed that during the tests with eyes closed, the group with worse sleep quality had also worse postural control performance. Lack of vision impairs postural balance more deeply in subjects with chronic sleep inefficiency. Chronic poor sleep quality impairs postural control similarly to total sleep deprivation.

Chronic Low Quality Sleep Impairs Postural Control in Healthy Adults

PubMed Central

Gonçalves, Bruno da Silva B.; Abranches, Isabela Lopes Laguardia; Abrantes, Ana Flávia

2016-01-01

The lack of sleep, both in quality and quantity, is an increasing problem in modern society, often related to workload and stress. A number of studies have addressed the effects of acute (total) sleep deprivation on postural control. However, up to date, the effects of chronic sleep deficits, either in quantity or quality, have not been analyzed. Thirty healthy adults participated in the study that consisted of registering activity with a wrist actigraph for more than a week before performing a series of postural control tests. Sleep and circadian rhythm variables were correlated and the sum of activity of the least active 5-h period, L5, a rhythm variable, obtained the greater coefficient value with sleep quality variables (wake after sleep onset WASO and efficiency sleep). Cluster analysis was performed to classify subjects into two groups based on L5 (low and high). The balance tests scores used to asses postural control were measured using Biodex Balance System and were compared between the two groups with different sleep quality. The postural tests were divided into dynamic (platform tilt with eyes open, closed and cursor) and static (clinical test of sensory integration). The results showed that during the tests with eyes closed, the group with worse sleep quality had also worse postural control performance. Lack of vision impairs postural balance more deeply in subjects with chronic sleep inefficiency. Chronic poor sleep quality impairs postural control similarly to total sleep deprivation. PMID:27732604

Motor Events during Healthy Sleep: A Quantitative Polysomnographic Study

PubMed Central

Frauscher, Birgit; Gabelia, David; Mitterling, Thomas; Biermayr, Marlene; Bregler, Deborah; Ehrmann, Laura; Ulmer, Hanno; Högl, Birgit

2014-01-01

Study Objectives: Many sleep disorders are characterized by increased motor activity during sleep. In contrast, studies on motor activity during physiological sleep are largely lacking. We quantitatively investigated a large range of motor phenomena during polysomnography in physiological sleep. Design: Prospective polysomnographic investigation. Setting: Academic referral sleep laboratory. Participants: One hundred healthy sleepers age 19-77 y were strictly selected from a representative population sample by a two-step screening procedure. Interventions: N/A. Measurements and Results: Polysomnography according to American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) standards was performed, and quantitative normative values were established for periodic limb movements in sleep (PLMS), high frequency leg movements (HFLM), fragmentary myoclonus (FM), neck myoclonus (NM), and rapid eye movement (REM)-related electromyographic (EMG) activity. Thirty-six subjects had a PLMS index > 5/h, 18 had a PLMS index > 15/h (90th percentile: 24.8/h). Thirty-three subjects had HFLM (90th percentile: four sequences/night). All subjects had FM (90th percentile 143.7/h sleep). Nine subjects fulfilled AASM criteria for excessive FM. Thirty-five subjects had NM (90th percentile: 8.8/h REM sleep). For REM sleep, different EMG activity measures for the mentalis and flexor digitorum superficialis muscles were calculated: the 90th percentile for phasic mentalis EMG activity for 30-sec epochs according to AASM recommendation was 15.6%, and for tonic mentalis EMG activity 2.6%. Twenty-five subjects exceeded the recently proposed phasic mentalis cutoff of 11%. None of the subjects exceeded the tonic mentalis cutoff of 9.6%. Conclusion: Quantification of motor phenomena is a basic prerequisite to develop normative values, and is a first step toward a more precise description of the various motor phenomena present during sleep. Because rates of motor events were unexpectedly high even in physiological sleep, the future use of normative values for both research and clinical routine is essential. Citation: Frauscher B; Gabelia D; Mitterling T; Biermayr M; Bregler D; Ehrmann L; Ulmer H; Högl B. Motor events during healthy sleep: a quantitative polysomnographic study. SLEEP 2014;37(4):763-773. PMID:24744455

Effects of chronic sleep fragmentation on wake-active neurons and the hypercapnic arousal response.

PubMed

Li, Yanpeng; Panossian, Lori A; Zhang, Jing; Zhu, Yan; Zhan, Guanxia; Chou, Yu-Ting; Fenik, Polina; Bhatnagar, Seema; Piel, David A; Beck, Sheryl G; Veasey, Sigrid

2014-01-01

Delayed hypercapnic arousals may occur in obstructive sleep apnea. The impaired arousal response is expected to promote more pronounced oxyhemoglobin desaturations. We hypothesized that long-term sleep fragmentation (SF) results in injury to or dysfunction of wake-active neurons that manifests, in part, as a delayed hypercapnic arousal response. Adult male mice were implanted for behavioral state recordings and randomly assigned to 4 weeks of either orbital platform SF (SF4wk, 30 events/h) or control conditions (Ct4wk) prior to behavioral, histological, and locus coeruleus (LC) whole cell electrophysiological evaluations. SF was successfully achieved across the 4 week study, as evidenced by a persistently increased arousal index, P < 0.01 and shortened sleep bouts, P < 0.05, while total sleep/wake times and plasma corticosterone levels were unaffected. A multiple sleep latency test performed at the onset of the dark period showed a reduced latency to sleep in SF4wk mice (P < 0.05). The hypercapnic arousal latency was increased, Ct4wk 64 ± 5 sec vs. SF4wk 154 ± 6 sec, P < 0.001, and remained elevated after a 2 week recovery (101 ± 4 sec, P < 0.001). C-fos activation in noradrenergic, orexinergic, histaminergic, and cholinergic wake-active neurons was reduced in response to hypercapnia (P < 0.05-0.001). Catecholaminergic and orexinergic projections into the cingulate cortex were also reduced in SF4wk (P < 0.01). In addition, SF4wk resulted in impaired LC neuron excitability (P < 0.01). Four weeks of sleep fragmentation (SF4wk) impairs arousal responses to hypercapnia, reduces wake neuron projections and locus coeruleus neuronal excitability, supporting the concepts that some effects of sleep fragmentation may contribute to impaired arousal responses in sleep apnea, which may not reverse immediately with therapy.

The Influence of CO2 on Genioglossus Muscle After-Discharge Following Arousal From Sleep.

PubMed

Cori, Jennifer M; Rochford, Peter D; O'Donoghue, Fergal J; Trinder, John; Jordan, Amy S

2017-11-01

Ventilatory after-discharge (sustained elevation of ventilation following stimulus removal) occurs during sleep but not when hypocapnia is present. Genioglossus after-discharge also occurs during sleep, but CO2 effects have not been assessed. The relevance is that postarousal after-discharge may protect against upper airway collapse. This study aimed to determine whether arousal elicits genioglossus after-discharge that persists into sleep, and whether it is influenced by CO2. Twenty-four healthy individuals (6 female) slept with a nasal mask and ventilator. Sleep (EEG, EOG, EMG), ventilation (pneumotachograph), end-tidal CO2 (PETCO2), and intramuscular genioglossus EMG were monitored. NREM eucapnia was determined during 5 minutes on continuous positive airway pressure (4 cmH2O). Inspiratory pressure support was increased until PETCO2 was ≥2 mm Hg below NREM eucapnia. Supplemental CO2 was added to reproduce normocapnia, without changing ventilator settings. Arousals were induced by auditory tones and genioglossus EMG compared during steady-state hypocapnia and normocapnia. Eleven participants (4 female) provided data. Prearousal PETCO2 was less (p < .05) during hypocapnia (40.74 ± 2.37) than normocapnia (43.82 ± 2.89), with differences maintained postarousal. After-discharge, defined as an increase in genioglossus activity above prearousal levels, occurred following the return to sleep. For tonic activity, after-discharge lasted four breaths irrespective of CO2 condition. For peak activity, after-discharge lasted one breath during hypocapnia and 6 breaths during normocapnia. However, when peak activity following the return to sleep was compared between CO2 conditions no individual breath differences were observed. Postarousal genioglossal after-discharge may protect against upper airway collapse during sleep. Steady-state CO2 levels minimally influence postarousal genioglossus after-discharge. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

A school-based physical activity promotion intervention in children: rationale and study protocol for the PREVIENE Project.

PubMed

Tercedor, Pablo; Villa-González, Emilio; Ávila-García, Manuel; Díaz-Piedra, Carolina; Martínez-Baena, Alejandro; Soriano-Maldonado, Alberto; Pérez-López, Isaac José; García-Rodríguez, Inmaculada; Mandic, Sandra; Palomares-Cuadros, Juan; Segura-Jiménez, Víctor; Huertas-Delgado, Francisco Javier

2017-09-26

The lack of physical activity and increasing time spent in sedentary behaviours during childhood place importance on developing low cost, easy-toimplement school-based interventions to increase physical activity among children. The PREVIENE Project will evaluate the effectiveness of five innovative, simple, and feasible interventions (active commuting to/from school, active Physical Education lessons, active school recess, sleep health promotion, and an integrated program incorporating all 4 interventions) to improve physical activity, fitness, anthropometry, sleep health, academic achievement, and health-related quality of life in primary school children. A total of 300 children (grade 3; 8-9 years of age) from six schools in Granada (Spain) will be enrolled in one of the 8-week interventions (one intervention per school; 50 children per school) or a control group (no intervention school; 50 children). Outcomes will include physical activity (measured by accelerometry), physical fitness (assessed using the ALPHA fitness battery), and anthropometry (height, weight and waist circumference). Furthermore, they will include sleep health (measured by accelerometers, a sleep diary, and sleep health questionnaires), academic achievement (grades from the official school's records), and health-related quality of life (child and parental questionnaires). To assess the effectiveness of the different interventions on objectively measured PA and the other outcomes, the generalized linear model will be used. The PREVIENE Project will provide the information about the effectiveness and implementation of different school-based interventions for physical activity promotion in primary school children.

Altered Sleep Homeostasis in Rev-erbα Knockout Mice

PubMed Central

Mang, Géraldine M.; La Spada, Francesco; Emmenegger, Yann; Chappuis, Sylvie; Ripperger, Jürgen A.; Albrecht, Urs; Franken, Paul

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: The nuclear receptor REV-ERBα is a potent, constitutive transcriptional repressor critical for the regulation of key circadian and metabolic genes. Recently, REV-ERBα's involvement in learning, neurogenesis, mood, and dopamine turnover was demonstrated suggesting a specific role in central nervous system functioning. We have previously shown that the brain expression of several core clock genes, including Rev-erbα, is modulated by sleep loss. We here test the consequences of a loss of REV-ERBα on the homeostatic regulation of sleep. Methods: EEG/EMG signals were recorded in Rev-erbα knockout (KO) mice and their wild type (WT) littermates during baseline, sleep deprivation, and recovery. Cortical gene expression measurements after sleep deprivation were contrasted to baseline. Results: Although baseline sleep/wake duration was remarkably similar, KO mice showed an advance of the sleep/wake distribution relative to the light-dark cycle. After sleep onset in baseline and after sleep deprivation, both EEG delta power (1–4 Hz) and sleep consolidation were reduced in KO mice indicating a slower increase of homeostatic sleep need during wakefulness. This slower increase might relate to the smaller increase in theta and gamma power observed in the waking EEG prior to sleep onset under both conditions. Indeed, the increased theta activity during wakefulness predicted delta power in subsequent NREM sleep. Lack of Rev-erbα increased Bmal1, Npas2, Clock, and Fabp7 expression, confirming the direct regulation of these genes by REV-ERBα also in the brain. Conclusions: Our results add further proof to the notion that clock genes are involved in sleep homeostasis. Because accumulating evidence directly links REV-ERBα to dopamine signaling the altered homeostatic regulation of sleep reported here are discussed in that context. Citation: Mang GM, La Spada F, Emmenegger Y, Chappuis S, Ripperger JA, Albrecht U, Franken P. Altered sleep homeostasis in Rev-erbα knockout mice. SLEEP 2016;39(3):589–601. PMID:26564124

Estimating sleep from multisensory armband measurements: validity and reliability in teens.

PubMed

Roane, Brandy M; Van Reen, Eliza; Hart, Chantelle N; Wing, Rena; Carskadon, Mary A

2015-12-01

Given the recognition that sleep may influence obesity risk, there is increasing interest in measuring sleep parameters within obesity studies. The goal of the current analyses was to determine whether the SenseWear(®) Pro3 Armband (armband), typically used to assess physical activity, is reliable at assessing sleep parameters. The armband was compared with the AMI Motionlogger(®) (actigraph), a validated activity monitor for sleep assessment, and with polysomnography, the gold standard for assessing sleep. Participants were 20 adolescents (mean age = 15.5 years) with a mean body mass index percentile of 63.7. All participants wore the armband and actigraph on their non-dominant arm while in-lab during a nocturnal polysomnographic recording (600 min). Epoch-by-epoch sleep/wake data and concordance of sleep parameters were examined. No significant sleep parameter differences were found between the armband and polysomnography; the actigraph tended to overestimate sleep and underestimate wake compared with polysomnography. Both devices showed high sleep sensitivity, but lower wake detection rates. Bland-Altman plots showed large individual differences in armband sleep parameter concordance rates. The armband did well estimating sleep overall, with group results more similar to polysomnography than the actigraph; however, the armband was less accurate at an individual level than the actigraph. © 2015 European Sleep Research Society.

Determining Resident Sleep During and After Call With Commercial Sleep Monitoring Devices.

PubMed

Morhardt, Duncan R; Luckenbaugh, Amy; Goldstein, Cathy; Faerber, Gary J

2017-08-01

To demonstrate that commercial activity monitoring devices (CAMDs) are practical for monitoring resident sleep while on call. Studies that have directly monitored resident sleep are limited, likely owing to both cost and difficulty in study interpretation. The advent of wearable CAMDs that estimate sleep presents the opportunity to more readily evaluate resident sleep in physically active settings and "home call," a coverage arrangement familiar to urology programs. Twelve urology residents were outfitted with Fitbit Flex devices during "home call" for a total of 57 (out of 64, or 89%) call or post-call night pairs. Residents were surveyed with the Stanford Sleepiness Scale (SSS), a single-question alertness survey. Time in bed (TIB) was "time to bed" to "rise for day." Fitbit accelerometers register activity as follows: (1) not moving; (2) minimal movement or restless; or (3) above threshold for accelerometer to register steps. Total sleep time (TST) was the number of minutes in level 1 activity during TIB. Sleep efficiency (SE) was defined as TST divided by TIB. While on call, 10 responding (of 12 available, 83%) residents on average reported TIB as 347 minutes, TST as 165 minutes, and had an SE of 47%. Interestingly, SSS responses did not correlate with sleep parameters. Post-call sleep demonstrated increases in TIB, SE, and TST (+23%, +15%, and +44%, respectively) while sleepiness was reduced by 22%. We demonstrate that urologic residents can consistently wear CAMDs while on home call. SSS did not correlate with Fitbit-estimated sleep duration. Further study with such devices may enhance sleep deprivation recognition to improve resident sleep. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of a Hypocretin/Orexin Antagonist on Neurocognitive Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-01

somnolence without cataplexy and, in rat, decreases active wake and increases the time spent in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and (REM) sleep (Brisbare-Roch...system results in a narcoleptic phenotype characterized by excessive sleepiness, fragmented sleep, abnormally timed Rapid- Eye -Movement (REM) sleep, and...spent in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and (REM) sleep with differential effects on various neurotransmitter systems. To date, no studies have reported

Topographic mapping of electroencephalography coherence in hypnagogic state.

PubMed

Tanaka, H; Hayashi, M; Hori, T

1998-04-01

The present study examined the topographic characteristics of hypnagogic electroencephalography (EEG), using topographic mapping of EEG power and coherence corresponding to nine EEG stages (Hori's hypnagogic EEG stages). EEG stages 1 and 2, the EEG stages 3-8, and the EEG stage 9 each correspond with standard sleep stage W, 1 and 2, respectively. The dominant topographic components of delta and theta activities increased clearly from the vertex sharp-wave stage (the EEG stages 6 and 7) in the anterior-central areas. The dominant topographic component of alpha 3 activities increased clearly from the EEG stage 9 in the anterior-central areas. The dominant topographic component of sigma activities increased clearly from the EEG stage 8 in the central-parietal area. These results suggested basic sleep process might start before the onset of sleep stage 2 or of the manually scored spindles.

Selective Coupling between Theta Phase and Neocortical Fast Gamma Oscillations during REM-Sleep in Mice

PubMed Central

Scheffzük, Claudia; Kukushka, Valeriy I.; Vyssotski, Alexei L.; Draguhn, Andreas

2011-01-01

Background The mammalian brain expresses a wide range of state-dependent network oscillations which vary in frequency and spatial extension. Such rhythms can entrain multiple neurons into coherent patterns of activity, consistent with a role in behaviour, cognition and memory formation. Recent evidence suggests that locally generated fast network oscillations can be systematically aligned to long-range slow oscillations. It is likely that such cross-frequency coupling supports specific tasks including behavioural choice and working memory. Principal Findings We analyzed temporal coupling between high-frequency oscillations and EEG theta activity (4–12 Hz) in recordings from mouse parietal neocortex. Theta was exclusively present during active wakefulness and REM-sleep. Fast oscillations occurred in two separate frequency bands: gamma (40–100 Hz) and fast gamma (120–160 Hz). Theta, gamma and fast gamma were more prominent during active wakefulness as compared to REM-sleep. Coupling between theta and the two types of fast oscillations, however, was more pronounced during REM-sleep. This state-dependent cross-frequency coupling was particularly strong for theta-fast gamma interaction which increased 9-fold during REM as compared to active wakefulness. Theta-gamma coupling increased only by 1.5-fold. Significance State-dependent cross-frequency-coupling provides a new functional characteristic of REM-sleep and establishes a unique property of neocortical fast gamma oscillations. Interactions between defined patterns of slow and fast network oscillations may serve selective functions in sleep-dependent information processing. PMID:22163023

The transcription factor DBP affects circadian sleep consolidation and rhythmic EEG activity.

PubMed

Franken, P; Lopez-Molina, L; Marcacci, L; Schibler, U; Tafti, M

2000-01-15

Albumin D-binding protein (DBP) is a PAR leucine zipper transcription factor that is expressed according to a robust circadian rhythm in the suprachiasmatic nuclei, harboring the circadian master clock, and in most peripheral tissues. Mice lacking DBP display a shorter circadian period in locomotor activity and are less active. Thus, although DBP is not essential for circadian rhythm generation, it does modulate important clock outputs. We studied the role of DBP in the circadian and homeostatic aspects of sleep regulation by comparing DBP deficient mice (dbp-/-) with their isogenic controls (dbp+/+) under light-dark (LD) and constant-dark (DD) baseline conditions, as well as after sleep loss. Whereas total sleep duration was similar in both genotypes, the amplitude of the circadian modulation of sleep time, as well as the consolidation of sleep episodes, was reduced in dbp-/- under both LD and DD conditions. Quantitative EEG analysis demonstrated a marked reduction in the amplitude of the sleep-wake-dependent changes in slow-wave sleep delta power and an increase in hippocampal theta peak frequency in dbp-/- mice. The sleep deprivation-induced compensatory rebound of EEG delta power was similar in both genotypes. In contrast, the rebound in paradoxical sleep was significant in dbp+/+ mice only. It is concluded that the transcriptional regulatory protein DBP modulates circadian and homeostatic aspects of sleep regulation.

American time use survey: sleep time and its relationship to waking activities.

PubMed

Basner, Mathias; Fomberstein, Kenneth M; Razavi, Farid M; Banks, Siobhan; William, Jeffrey H; Rosa, Roger R; Dinges, David F

2007-09-01

To gain some insight into how various behavioral (lifestyle) factors influence sleep duration, by investigation of the relationship of sleep time to waking activities using the American Time Use Survey (ATUS). Cross-sectional data from ATUS, an annual telephone survey of a population sample of US citizens who are interviewed regarding how they spent their time during a 24-hour period between 04:00 on the previous day and 04:00 on the interview day. Data were pooled from the 2003, 2004, and 2005 ATUS databases involving N=47,731 respondents older than 14 years of age. N/A. Adjusted multiple linear regression models showed that the largest reciprocal relationship to sleep was found for work time, followed by travel time, which included commute time. Only shorter than average sleepers (<7.5 h) spent more time socializing, relaxing, and engaging in leisure activities, while both short (<5.5 h) and long sleepers (> or =8.5 h) watched more TV than the average sleeper. The extent to which sleep time was exchanged for waking activities was also shown to depend on age and gender. Sleep time was minimal while work time was maximal in the age group 45-54 yr, and sleep time increased both with lower and higher age. Work time, travel time, and time for socializing, relaxing, and leisure are the primary activities reciprocally related to sleep time among Americans. These activities may be confounding the frequently observed association between short and long sleep on one hand and morbidity and mortality on the other hand and should be controlled for in future studies.

Tired and misconnected: A breakdown of brain modularity following sleep deprivation.

PubMed

Ben Simon, Eti; Maron-Katz, Adi; Lahav, Nir; Shamir, Ron; Hendler, Talma

2017-06-01

Sleep deprivation (SD) critically affects a range of cognitive and affective functions, typically assessed during task performance. Whether such impairments stem from changes to the brain's intrinsic functional connectivity remain largely unknown. To examine this hypothesis, we applied graph theoretical analysis on resting-state fMRI data derived from 18 healthy participants, acquired during both sleep-rested and sleep-deprived states. We hypothesized that parameters indicative of graph connectivity, such as modularity, will be impaired by sleep deprivation and that these changes will correlate with behavioral outcomes elicited by sleep loss. As expected, our findings point to a profound reduction in network modularity without sleep, evident in the limbic, default-mode, salience and executive modules. These changes were further associated with behavioral impairments elicited by SD: a decrease in salience module density was associated with worse task performance, an increase in limbic module density was predictive of stronger amygdala activation in a subsequent emotional-distraction task and a shift in frontal hub lateralization (from left to right) was associated with increased negative mood. Altogether, these results portray a loss of functional segregation within the brain and a shift towards a more random-like network without sleep, already detected in the spontaneous activity of the sleep-deprived brain. Hum Brain Mapp 38:3300-3314, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sleep Deprivation Decreases [11C]Raclopride’s Binding to Dopamine D2/D3 Receptors in the Human Brain

PubMed Central

Volkow, Nora D.; Wang, Gene-Jack; Telang, Frank; Fowler, Joanna S.; Logan, Jean; Wong, Christopher; Ma, Jim; Pradhan, Kith; Tomasi, Dardo; Thanos, Peter K.; Ferré, Sergi; Jayne, Millard

2009-01-01

Sleep deprivation can markedly impair human performance contributing to accidents and poor productivity. The mechanisms underlying this impairment are not well understood but brain dopamine systems have been implicated. Here we test whether one night of sleep deprivation changes dopamine brain activity. We studied fifteen healthy subjects using positron emission tomography and [11C]raclopride (dopamine D2/3 receptor radioligand) and [11C]cocaine (dopamine transporter radioligand). Subjects were tested twice; after one night of rested sleep and after on night of sleep deprivation. [11C]Raclopride’s specific binding in striatum and thalamus were significantly reduced after sleep deprivation and the magnitude of this reduction correlated with increases in fatigue (tiredness and sleepiness) and with deterioration in cognitive performance (visual attention and working memory). In contrast sleep deprivation did not affect the specific binding of [11C]cocaine in striatum. Since [11C]raclopride competes with endogenous dopamine for binding to D2/D3 receptors, we interpret the decreases in binding to reflect dopamine increases with sleep deprivation. However, we can not rule out the possibility that decreased [11C]raclopride binding reflects decreases in receptor levels or affinity. Sleep deprivation did not affect dopamine transporters (target for most wake-promoting medications) and thus dopamine increases are likely to reflect increases in dopamine cell firing and/or release rather than decreases in dopamine reuptake. Inasmuch as dopamine-enhancing drugs increase wakefulness we postulate that dopamine increases after sleep deprivation is a mechanism by which the brain maintains arousal as the drive to sleep increases but one that is insufficient to counteract behavioral and cognitive impairment. PMID:18716203

Changes in taste preference and steps taken after sleep curtailment.

PubMed

Smith, Shannon L; Ludy, Mary-Jon; Tucker, Robin M

2016-09-01

A substantial proportion of the population does not achieve the recommended amount of sleep. Previous work demonstrates that sleep alterations perturb energy balance by disrupting appetite hormones, increasing energy intake, and decreasing physical activity. This study explored the influence of sleep duration on taste perception as well as effects on dietary intake and physical activity. Participants (n=24 habitual short sleepers and n=27 habitual long sleepers, 82.4% female, 88.2% white, 25.2±7.7years) completed two randomized taste visits; one following short sleep duration (≤7h) and one following long sleep duration (>7h). Taste perception measures included sweet and salt detection thresholds (ascending 3-alternative, forced-choice method), as well as sweet preference (Monell 2-series, forced-choice, paired-comparison, tracking method). Steps and sleep were tracked via FitBit, an activity monitoring device. Dietary intake was assessed using 24-hour recalls and analyzed using Nutritionist Pro. Habitual long-sleepers had a higher sweet taste preference (p=0.042) and took fewer steps (p=0.036) following sleep curtailment compared to the night where they slept >7h but did not experience changes in dietary intake or detection thresholds. Habitual short-sleepers did not experience changes in taste perception, activity, or dietary intake following sleep alteration. Habitual long-sleepers may be at greater risk of gaining weight when typical sleep patterns are disrupted. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Continuous exposure to a novel stressor based on water aversion induces abnormal circadian locomotor rhythms and sleep-wake cycles in mice.

PubMed

Miyazaki, Koyomi; Itoh, Nanako; Ohyama, Sumika; Kadota, Koji; Oishi, Katsutaka

2013-01-01

Psychological stressors prominently affect diurnal rhythms, including locomotor activity, sleep, blood pressure, and body temperature, in humans. Here, we found that a novel continuous stress imposed by the perpetual avoidance of water on a wheel (PAWW) affected several physiological diurnal rhythms in mice. One week of PAWW stress decayed robust circadian locomotor rhythmicity, while locomotor activity was evident even during the light period when the mice are normally asleep. Daytime activity was significantly upregulated, whereas nighttime activity was downregulated, resulting in a low amplitude of activity. Total daily activity gradually decreased with increasing exposure to PAWW stress. The mice could be exposed to PAWW stress for over 3 weeks without adaptation. Furthermore, continuous PAWW stress enhanced food intake, but decreased body weight and plasma leptin levels, indicating that sleep loss and PAWW stress altered the energy balance in these mice. The diurnal rhythm of corticosterone levels was not severely affected. The body temperature rhythm was diurnal in the stressed mice, but significantly dysregulated during the dark period. Plasma catecholamines were elevated in the stressed mice. Continuous PAWW stress reduced the duration of daytime sleep, especially during the first half of the light period, and increased nighttime sleepiness. Continuous PAWW stress also simultaneously obscured sleep/wake and locomotor activity rhythms compared with control mice. These sleep architecture phenotypes under stress are similar to those of patients with insomnia. The stressed mice could be entrained to the light/dark cycle, and when they were transferred to constant darkness, they exhibited a free-running circadian rhythm with a timing of activity onset predicted by the phase of their entrained rhythms. Circadian gene expression in the liver and muscle was unaltered, indicating that the peripheral clocks in these tissues remained intact.

Sleep physiology and sleep disorders in childhood

PubMed Central

El Shakankiry, Hanan M

2011-01-01

Sleep has long been considered as a passive phenomenon, but it is now clear that it is a period of intense brain activity involving higher cortical functions. Overall, sleep affects every aspect of a child’s development, particularly higher cognitive functions. Sleep concerns are ranked as the fifth leading concern of parents. Close to one third of all children suffer from sleep disorders, the prevalence of which is increased in certain pediatric populations, such as children with special needs, children with psychiatric or medical diagnoses and children with autism or pervasive developmental disorders. The paper reviews sleep physiology and the impact, classification, and management of sleep disorders in the pediatric age group. PMID:23616721

Autonomic nervous system function, activity patterns, and sleep after physical or cognitive challenge in people with chronic fatigue syndrome.

PubMed

Cvejic, Erin; Sandler, Carolina X; Keech, Andrew; Barry, Benjamin K; Lloyd, Andrew R; Vollmer-Conna, Uté

2017-12-01

To explore changes in autonomic functioning, sleep, and physical activity during a post-exertional symptom exacerbation induced by physical or cognitive challenge in participants with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). Thirty-five participants with CFS reported fatigue levels 24-h before, immediately before, immediately after, and 24-h after the completion of previously characterised physical (stationary cycling) or cognitive (simulated driving) challenges. Participants also provided ratings of their sleep quality and sleep duration for the night before, and after, the challenge. Continuous ambulatory electrocardiography (ECG) and physical activity was recorded from 24-h prior, until 24-h after, the challenge. Heart rate (HR) and HR variability (HRV, as high frequency power in normalized units) was derived from the ECG trace for periods of wake and sleep. Both physical and cognitive challenges induced an immediate exacerbation of the fatigue state (p<0.001), which remained elevated 24-h post-challenge. After completing the challenges, participants spent a greater proportion of wakeful hours lying down (p=0.024), but did not experience significant changes in sleep quality or sleep duration. Although the normal changes in HR and HRV during the transition from wakefulness to sleep were evident, the magnitude of the increase in HRV was significantly lower after completing the challenge (p=0.016). Preliminary evidence of reduced nocturnal parasympathetic activity, and increased periods of inactivity, were found during post-exertional fatigue in a well-defined group of participants with CFS. Larger studies employing challenge paradigms are warranted to further explore the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of post-exertional fatigue in CFS. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sleep restriction and delayed sleep associate with psychological health and biomarkers of stress and inflammation in women.

PubMed

Tartar, Jaime L; Fins, Ana I; Lopez, Andrea; Sierra, Linett A; Silverman, Sarah A; Thomas, Samuel V; Craddock, Travis J A

2015-12-01

Despite strong associations between sleep duration and health, there is no clear understanding of how volitional chronic sleep restriction (CSR) alters the physiological processes that lead to poor health in women. We focused on biochemical and psychological factors that previous research suggests are essential to uncovering the role of sleep in health. Cross-sectional study. University-based. Sixty female participants (mean age, 19.3; SD, 2.1 years). We analyzed the association between self-reported volitional CSR and time to go to sleep on a series of sleep and psychological health measures as well as biomarkers of immune functioning/inflammation (interleukin [IL]-1β), stress (cortisol), and sleep regulation (melatonin). Across multiple measures, poor sleep was associated with decreased psychological health and a reduced perception of self-reported physical health. Volitional CSR was related to increased cortisol and increased IL-1β levels. We separately looked at individuals who experienced CSR with and without delayed sleep time and found that IL-1β levels were significantly elevated in CSR alone and in CSR combined with a late sleep time. Cortisol, however, was only elevated in those women who experienced CSR combined with a late sleep time. We did not observe any changes in melatonin across groups, and melatonin levels were not related to any sleep measures. New to our study is the demonstration of how an increase in a proinflammatory process and an increase in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity both relate to volitional CSR, with and without a delayed sleep time. We further show how these mechanisms relate back to psychological and self-reported health in young adult women. Copyright © 2015 National Sleep Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effects of Caffeine on Sleep and Maturational Markers in the Rat

PubMed Central

Olini, Nadja; Kurth, Salomé; Huber, Reto

2013-01-01

Adolescence is a critical period for brain maturation during which a massive reorganization of cortical connectivity takes place. In humans, slow wave activity (<4.5 Hz) during NREM sleep was proposed to reflect cortical maturation which relies on use-dependent processes. A stimulant like caffeine, whose consumption has recently increased especially in adolescents, is known to affect sleep wake regulation. The goal of this study was to establish a rat model allowing to assess the relationship between cortical maturation and sleep and to further investigate how these parameters are affected by caffeine consumption. To do so, we assessed sleep and markers of maturation by electrophysiological recordings, behavioral and structural readouts in the juvenile rat. Our results show that sleep slow wave activity follows a similar inverted U-shape trajectory as already known in humans. Caffeine treatment exerted short-term stimulating effects and altered the trajectory of slow wave activity. Moreover, caffeine affected behavioral and structural markers of maturation. Thus, caffeine consumption during a critical developmental period shows long lasting effects on sleep and brain maturation. PMID:24023748

Running Promotes Wakefulness and Increases Cataplexy in Orexin Knockout Mice

PubMed Central

España, Rodrigo A.; McCormack, Sarah L.; Mochizuki, Takatoshi; Scammell, Thomas E.

2007-01-01

Study Objective: People with narcolepsy and mice lacking orexin/hypocretin have disrupted sleep/wake behavior and reduced physical activity. Our objective was to identify physiologic mechanisms through which orexin deficiency reduces locomotor activity. Design: We examined spontaneous wheel running activity and its relationship to sleep/wake behavior in wild type (WT) and orexin knockout (KO) mice. Additionally, given that physical activity promotes alertness, we also studied whether orexin deficiency reduces the wake-promoting effects of exercise. Measurements and Results: Orexin KO mice ran 42% less than WT mice. Their ability to run appeared normal as they initiated running as often as WT mice and ran at normal speeds. However, their running bouts were considerably shorter, and they often had cataplexy or quick transitions into sleep after running. Wheel running increased the total amount of wakefulness in WT and orexin KO mice similarly, however, KO mice continued to have moderately fragmented sleep/wake behavior. Wheel running also doubled the amount of cataplexy by increasing the probability of transitioning into cataplexy. Conclusions: Orexin KO mice run significantly less than normal, likely due to sleepiness, imminent cataplexy, or a reduced motivation to run. Orexin is not required for the wake-promoting effects of wheel running given that both WT and KO mice had similar increases in wakefulness with running wheels. In addition, the clear increase in cataplexy with wheel running suggests the possibility that positive emotions or reward can trigger murine cataplexy, similar to that seen in people and dogs with narcolepsy. Citation: España RA; McCormack SL; Mochizuki T; Scammell TE. Running promotes wakefulness and increases cataplexy in orexin knockout mice. SLEEP 2007;30(11):1417-1425. PMID:18041476

Temporal Organization of the Sleep-Wake Cycle under Food Entrainment in the Rat

PubMed Central

Castro-Faúndez, Javiera; Díaz, Javier; Ocampo-Garcés, Adrián

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: To analyze the temporal organization of the sleep-wake cycle under food entrainment in the rat. Methods: Eighteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were chronically implanted for polysomnographic recording. During the baseline (BL) protocol, rats were recorded under a 12:12 light-dark (LD) schedule in individual isolation chambers with food and water ad libitum. Food entrainment was performed by means of a 4-h food restriction (FR) protocol starting at photic zeitgeber time 5. Eight animals underwent a 3-h phase advance of the FR protocol (A-FR). We compared the mean curves and acrophases of wakefulness, NREM sleep, and REM sleep under photic and food entrainment and after a phase advance in scheduled food delivery. We further evaluated the dynamics of REM sleep homeostasis and the NREM sleep EEG delta wave profile. Results: A prominent food-anticipatory arousal interval was observed after nine or more days of FR, characterized by increased wakefulness and suppression of REM sleep propensity and dampening of NREM sleep EEG delta activity. REM sleep exhibited a robust nocturnal phase preference under FR that was not explained by a nocturnal REM sleep rebound. The mean curve of sleep-wake states and NREM sleep EEG delta activity remained phase-locked to the timing of meals during the A-FR protocol. Conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis that under food entrainment, the sleep-wake cycle is coupled to a food-entrainable oscillator (FEO). Our findings suggest an unexpected interaction between FEO output and NREM sleep EEG delta activity generators. Citation: Castro-Faúndez J, Díaz J, Ocampo-Garcés A. Temporal organization of the sleep-wake cycle under food entrainment in the rat. SLEEP 2016;39(7):1451–1465. PMID:27091526

Deficiency of FK506-binding protein (FKBP) 51 alters sleep architecture and recovery sleep responses to stress in mice.

PubMed

Albu, Stefana; Romanowski, Christoph P N; Letizia Curzi, M; Jakubcakova, Vladimira; Flachskamm, Cornelia; Gassen, Nils C; Hartmann, Jakob; Schmidt, Mathias V; Schmidt, Ulrike; Rein, Theo; Holsboer, Florian; Hausch, Felix; Paez-Pereda, Marcelo; Kimura, Mayumi

2014-04-01

FK506-binding protein 51 (FKBP51) is a co-chaperone of the glucocorticoid receptor, functionally linked to its activity via an ultra-short negative feedback loop. Thus, FKBP51 plays an important regulatory role in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis necessary for stress adaptation and recovery. Previous investigations illustrated that HPA functionality is influenced by polymorphisms in the gene encoding FKBP51, which are associated with both increased protein levels and depressive episodes. Because FKBP51 is a key molecule in stress responses, we hypothesized that its deletion impacts sleep. To study FKBP51-involved changes in sleep, polysomnograms of FKBP51 knockout (KO) mice and wild-type (WT) littermates were compared at baseline and in the recovery phase after 6-h sleep deprivation (SD) and 1-h restraint stress (RS). Using another set of animals, the 24-h profiles of hippocampal free corticosterone levels were also determined. The most dominant effect of FKBP51 deletion appeared as increased nocturnal wake, where the bout length was significantly extended while non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREMS) and rapid eye movement sleep were rather suppressed. After both SD and RS, FKBP51KO mice exhibited less recovery or rebound sleep than WTs, although slow-wave activity during NREMS was higher in KOs, particularly after SD. Sleep compositions of KOs were nearly opposite to sleep profiles observed in human depression. This might result from lower levels of free corticosterone in FKBP51KO mice, confirming reduced HPA reactivity. The results indicate that an FKBP51 deletion yields a pro-resilience sleep phenotype. FKBP51 could therefore be a therapeutic target for stress-induced mood and sleep disorders. © 2013 European Sleep Research Society.

Rotating waves during human sleep spindles organize global patterns of activity that repeat precisely through the night

PubMed Central

Muller, Lyle; Piantoni, Giovanni; Koller, Dominik; Cash, Sydney S; Halgren, Eric; Sejnowski, Terrence J

2016-01-01

During sleep, the thalamus generates a characteristic pattern of transient, 11-15 Hz sleep spindle oscillations, which synchronize the cortex through large-scale thalamocortical loops. Spindles have been increasingly demonstrated to be critical for sleep-dependent consolidation of memory, but the specific neural mechanism for this process remains unclear. We show here that cortical spindles are spatiotemporally organized into circular wave-like patterns, organizing neuronal activity over tens of milliseconds, within the timescale for storing memories in large-scale networks across the cortex via spike-time dependent plasticity. These circular patterns repeat over hours of sleep with millisecond temporal precision, allowing reinforcement of the activity patterns through hundreds of reverberations. These results provide a novel mechanistic account for how global sleep oscillations and synaptic plasticity could strengthen networks distributed across the cortex to store coherent and integrated memories. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.17267.001 PMID:27855061

Why does serotonergic activity drastically decrease during REM sleep?

PubMed

Sato, Kohji

2013-10-01

Here, I postulate two hypotheses that can explain the missing link between sleep and the serotonergic system in terms of spine homeostasis and memory consolidation. As dendritic spines contain many kinds of serotonin receptors, and the activation of serotonin receptors generally increases the number of spines in the cortex and hippocampus, I postulate that serotonin neurons are down-regulated during sleep to decrease spine number, which consequently maintains the total spine number at a constant level. Furthermore, since synaptic consolidation during REM sleep needs long-term potentiation (LTP), and serotonin is reported to inhibit LTP in the cortex, I postulate that serotonergic activity must drastically decrease during REM sleep to induce LTP and do memory consolidation. Until now, why serotonergic neurons show these dramatic changes in the sleep-wake cycle remains unexplained; however, making these hypotheses, I can confer physiological meanings on these dramatic changes of serotonergic neurons in terms of spine homeostasis and memory consolidation. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Gray matter-specific changes in brain bioenergetics after acute sleep deprivation: a 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy study at 4 Tesla.

PubMed

Plante, David T; Trksak, George H; Jensen, J Eric; Penetar, David M; Ravichandran, Caitlin; Riedner, Brady A; Tartarini, Wendy L; Dorsey, Cynthia M; Renshaw, Perry F; Lukas, Scott E; Harper, David G

2014-12-01

A principal function of sleep may be restoration of brain energy metabolism caused by the energetic demands of wakefulness. Because energetic demands in the brain are greater in gray than white matter, this study used linear mixed-effects models to examine tissue-type specific changes in high-energy phosphates derived using 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) after sleep deprivation and recovery sleep. Experimental laboratory study. Outpatient neuroimaging center at a private psychiatric hospital. A total of 32 MRS scans performed in eight healthy individuals (mean age 35 y; range 23-51 y). Phosphocreatine (PCr) and β-nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) were measured using 31P MRS three dimensional-chemical shift imaging at high field (4 Tesla) after a baseline night of sleep, acute sleep deprivation (SD), and 2 nights of recovery sleep. Novel linear mixed-effects models were constructed using spectral and tissue segmentation data to examine changes in bioenergetics in gray and white matter. PCr increased in gray matter after 2 nights of recovery sleep relative to SD with no significant changes in white matter. Exploratory analyses also demonstrated that increases in PCr were associated with increases in electroencephalographic slow wave activity during recovery sleep. No significant changes in β-NTP were observed. These results demonstrate that sleep deprivation and subsequent recovery-induced changes in high-energy phosphates primarily occur in gray matter, and increases in PCr after recovery sleep may be related to sleep homeostasis. © 2014 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Sleep deprivation causes memory deficits by negatively impacting neuronal connectivity in hippocampal area CA1

PubMed Central

Havekes, Robbert; Park, Alan J; Tudor, Jennifer C; Luczak, Vincent G; Hansen, Rolf T; Ferri, Sarah L; Bruinenberg, Vibeke M; Poplawski, Shane G; Day, Jonathan P; Aton, Sara J; Radwańska, Kasia; Meerlo, Peter; Houslay, Miles D; Baillie, George S; Abel, Ted

2016-01-01

Brief periods of sleep loss have long-lasting consequences such as impaired memory consolidation. Structural changes in synaptic connectivity have been proposed as a substrate of memory storage. Here, we examine the impact of brief periods of sleep deprivation on dendritic structure. In mice, we find that five hours of sleep deprivation decreases dendritic spine numbers selectively in hippocampal area CA1 and increased activity of the filamentous actin severing protein cofilin. Recovery sleep normalizes these structural alterations. Suppression of cofilin function prevents spine loss, deficits in hippocampal synaptic plasticity, and impairments in long-term memory caused by sleep deprivation. The elevated cofilin activity is caused by cAMP-degrading phosphodiesterase-4A5 (PDE4A5), which hampers cAMP-PKA-LIMK signaling. Attenuating PDE4A5 function prevents changes in cAMP-PKA-LIMK-cofilin signaling and cognitive deficits associated with sleep deprivation. Our work demonstrates the necessity of an intact cAMP-PDE4-PKA-LIMK-cofilin activation-signaling pathway for sleep deprivation-induced memory disruption and reduction in hippocampal spine density. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.13424.001 PMID:27549340

Sedentary behavior and sleep efficiency in active community-dwelling older adults.

PubMed

Madden, Kenneth M; Ashe, Maureen C; Lockhart, Chris; Chase, Jocelyn M

2014-06-01

Previous studies have demonstrated that aerobic exercise interventions have a positive impact on sleep efficiency in older adults. However, little work has been done on the impact of sedentary behavior (sitting, watching television, etc.) on sleep efficiency. 54 Community-dwelling men and women >65 years of age living in Whistler, British Columbia (mean 71.5 years) were enrolled in this cross-sectional observational study. Measures of sleep efficiency as well as average waking sedentary (ST), light (LT), and moderate (MT) activity were recorded with Sensewear accelerometers worn continuously for 7 days. From the univariate regression analysis, there was no association between sleep efficiency and the predictors LT and MT. There was a small negative association between ST and sleep efficiency that remained significant in our multivariate regression model containing alcohol consumption, age and gender as covariates. (standardized β correlation coefficient -0.322, p=0.019). Although significant, this effect was small (an increase in sedentary time of 3 hours per day was associated with an approximately 5% reduction in sleep efficiency). This study found a small significant association between the time spent sedentary and sleep efficiency, despite high levels of activity in this older adult group.

Stationary gaze entropy predicts lane departure events in sleep-deprived drivers.

PubMed

Shiferaw, Brook A; Downey, Luke A; Westlake, Justine; Stevens, Bronwyn; Rajaratnam, Shantha M W; Berlowitz, David J; Swann, Phillip; Howard, Mark E

2018-02-02

Performance decrement associated with sleep deprivation is a leading contributor to traffic accidents and fatalities. While current research has focused on eye blink parameters as physiological indicators of driver drowsiness, little is understood of how gaze behaviour alters as a result of sleep deprivation. In particular, the effect of sleep deprivation on gaze entropy has not been previously examined. In this randomised, repeated measures study, 9 (4 male, 5 female) healthy participants completed two driving sessions in a fully instrumented vehicle (1 after a night of sleep deprivation and 1 after normal sleep) on a closed track, during which eye movement activity and lane departure events were recorded. Following sleep deprivation, the rate of fixations reduced while blink rate and duration as well as saccade amplitude increased. In addition, stationary and transition entropy of gaze also increased following sleep deprivation as well as with amount of time driven. An increase in stationary gaze entropy in particular was associated with higher odds of a lane departure event occurrence. These results highlight how fatigue induced by sleep deprivation and time-on-task effects can impair drivers' visual awareness through disruption of gaze distribution and scanning patterns.

Increased Reward-Related Behaviors during Sleep and Wakefulness in Sleepwalking and Idiopathic Nightmares.

PubMed

Perogamvros, Lampros; Aberg, Kristoffer; Gex-Fabry, Marianne; Perrig, Stephen; Cloninger, C Robert; Schwartz, Sophie

2015-01-01

We previously suggested that abnormal sleep behaviors, i.e., as found in parasomnias, may often be the expression of increased activity of the reward system during sleep. Because nightmares and sleepwalking predominate during REM and NREM sleep respectively, we tested here whether exploratory excitability, a waking personality trait reflecting high activity within the mesolimbic dopaminergic (ML-DA) system, may be associated with specific changes in REM and NREM sleep patterns in these two sleep disorders. Twenty-four unmedicated patients with parasomnia (12 with chronic sleepwalking and 12 with idiopathic nightmares) and no psychiatric comorbidities were studied. Each patient spent one night of sleep monitored by polysomnography. The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was administered to all patients and healthy controls from the Geneva population (n = 293). Sleepwalkers were more anxious than patients with idiopathic nightmares (Spielberger Trait anxiety/STAI-T), but the patient groups did not differ on any personality dimension as estimated by the TCI. Compared to controls, parasomnia patients (sleepwalkers together with patients with idiopathic nightmares) scored higher on the Novelty Seeking (NS) TCI scale and in particular on the exploratory excitability/curiosity (NS1) subscale, and lower on the Self-directedness (SD) TCI scale, suggesting a general increase in reward sensitivity and impulsivity. Furthermore, parasomnia patients tended to worry about social separation persistently, as indicated by greater anticipatory worry (HA1) and dependence on social attachment (RD3). Moreover, exploratory excitability (NS1) correlated positively with the severity of parasomnia (i.e., the frequency of self-reported occurrences of nightmares and sleepwalking), and with time spent in REM sleep in patients with nightmares. These results suggest that patients with parasomnia might share common waking personality traits associated to reward-related brain functions. They also provide further support to the notion that reward-seeking networks are active during human sleep.

Sleep and eating behavior in adults at risk for type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Kilkus, Jennifer M; Booth, John N; Bromley, Lindsay E; Darukhanavala, Amy P; Imperial, Jacqueline G; Penev, Plamen D

2012-01-01

Insufficient quantity and quality of sleep may modulate eating behavior, everyday physical activity, overall energy balance, and individual risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes. We examined the association of habitual sleep quantity and quality with the self-reported pattern of eating behavior in 53 healthy urban adults with parental history of type 2 diabetes (30 F/23 M; mean (s.d.) age: 27 (4) years; BMI: 23.9 (2.3) kg/m(2)) while taking into consideration the amount of their everyday physical activity. Participants completed 13 (3) days of sleep and physical activity monitoring by wrist actigraphy and waist accelerometry while following their usual lifestyle at home. Overnight laboratory polysomnography was used to screen for sleep disorders. Subjective sleep quality was measured with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Eating behavior was assessed using the original 51-item and the revised 18-item version of the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire including measures of cognitive restraint, disinhibition, hunger, and uncontrolled and emotional eating. In multivariable regression analyses adjusted for age, BMI, gender, race/ethnicity, level of education, habitual sleep time measured by wrist actigraphy and physical activity measured by waist accelerometry, lower subjective sleep quality was associated with increased hunger, more disinhibited, uncontrolled and emotional eating, and higher cognitive restraint. There was no significant association between the amount of sleep measured by wrist actigraphy and any of these eating behavior factors. Our findings indicate that small decrements in self-reported sleep quality can be a sensitive indicator for the presence of potentially problematic eating patterns in healthy urban adults with familial risk for type 2 diabetes.

Relationship between sleep stages and nocturnal trapezius muscle activity.

PubMed

Müller, Christian; Nicoletti, Corinne; Omlin, Sarah; Brink, Mark; Läubli, Thomas

2015-06-01

Former studies reported a relationship between increased nocturnal low level trapezius muscle activity and neck or shoulder pain but it has not been explored whether trapezius muscle relaxation is related to sleep stages. The goal of the present study was to investigate whether trapezius muscle activity is related to different sleep stages, as measured by polysomnography. Twenty one healthy subjects were measured on four consecutive nights in their homes, whereas the first night served as adaptation night. The measurements included full polysomnography (electroencephalography (EEG), electrooculography (EOG), electromyography (EMG) and electrocardiography (ECG)), as well as surface EMG of the m. trapezius descendens of the dominant arm. Periods with detectable EMG activity of the trapezius muscle lasted on average 1.5% of the length of the nights and only in four nights it lasted longer than 5% of sleeping time. Neither rest time nor the length of periods with higher activity levels of the trapezius muscle did significantly differ between sleep stages. We found no evidence that nocturnal trapezius muscle activity is markedly moderated by the different sleep stages. Thus the results support that EMG measurements of trapezius muscle activity in healthy subjects can be carried out without concurrent polysomnographic recordings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Can sleep deprivation studies explain why human adults sleep?

PubMed

Brown, Lee K

2012-11-01

This review will concentrate on the consequences of sleep deprivation in adult humans. These findings form a paradigm that serves to demonstrate many of the critical functions of the sleep states. The drive to obtain food, water, and sleep constitutes important vegetative appetites throughout the animal kingdom. Unlike nutrition and hydration, the reasons for sleep have largely remained speculative. When adult humans are nonspecifically sleep-deprived, systemic effects may include defects in cognition, vigilance, emotional stability, risk-taking, and, possibly, moral reasoning. Appetite (for foodstuffs) increases and glucose intolerance may ensue. Procedural, declarative, and emotional memory are affected. Widespread alterations of immune function and inflammatory regulators can be observed, and functional MRI reveals profound changes in regional cerebral activity related to attention and memory. Selective deprivation of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, on the contrary, appears to be more activating and to have lesser effects on immunity and inflammation. The findings support a critical need for sleep due to the widespread effects on the adult human that result from nonselective sleep deprivation. The effects of selective REM deprivation appear to be different and possibly less profound, and the functions of this sleep state remain enigmatic.

Estimating Sleep from Multisensory Armband Measurements: Validity and Reliability in Teens

PubMed Central

Roane, Brandy M.; Van Reen, Eliza; Hart, Chantelle N.; Wing, Rena; Carskadon, Mary A.

2015-01-01

SUMMARY Given the recognition that sleep may influence obesity risk, there is increasing interest in measuring sleep parameters within obesity studies. The goal of the current analyses was to determine whether the SenseWear® Pro3 Armband (armband), typically used to assess physical activity, is reliable at assessing sleep parameters. We compared the armband to the AMI Motionlogger® (actigraph), a validated activity monitor for sleep assessment and to polysomnography (PSG), the gold standard for assessing sleep. Participants were twenty adolescents (mean age=15.5 years) with a mean BMI %tile of 63.7. All participants wore the armband and actigraph on their non-dominant arm while in-lab during a nocturnal PSG recording (600 minutes). Epoch-by-epoch sleep/wake data and concordance of sleep parameters were examined. No significant sleep parameter differences were found between the armband and PSG; the actigraph tended to overestimate sleep and underestimate wake compared to PSG. Both devices showed high sleep sensitivity, but lower wake detection rates. Bland-Altman plots showed large individual differences in armband sleep parameter concordance rates. The armband did well estimating sleep overall with group results more similar to PSG than the actigraph; however, the armband was less accurate at an individual level than the actigraph. PMID:26126746

Orexin neurons are necessary for the circadian control of REM sleep.

PubMed

Kantor, Sandor; Mochizuki, Takatoshi; Janisiewicz, Agnieszka M; Clark, Erika; Nishino, Seiji; Scammell, Thomas E

2009-09-01

The orexin-producing neurons are hypothesized to be essential for the circadian control of sleep/wake behavior, but it remains unknown whether these rhythms are mediated by the orexin peptides or by other signaling molecules released by these neurons such as glutamate or dynorphin. To determine the roles of these neurotransmitters, we examined the circadian rhythms of sleep/wake behavior in mice lacking the orexin neurons (ataxin-3 [Atx] mice) and mice lacking just the orexin neuropeptides (orexin knockout [KO] mice). We instrumented mice for recordings of sleep-wake behavior, locomotor activity (LMA), and body temperature (Tb) and recorded behavior after 6 days in constant darkness. The amplitude of the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep rhythm was substantially reduced in Atx mice but preserved in orexin KO mice. This blunted rhythm in Atx mice was caused by an increase in the amount of REM sleep during the subjective night (active period) due to more transitions into REM sleep and longer REM sleep episodes. In contrast, the circadian variations of Tb, LMA, Wake, non-REM sleep, and cataplexy were normal, suggesting that the circadian timekeeping system and other output pathways are intact in both Atx and KO mice. These results indicate that the orexin neurons are necessary for the circadian suppression of REM sleep. Blunting of the REM sleep rhythm in Atx mice but not in orexin KO mice suggests that other signaling molecules such as dynorphin or glutamate may act in concert with orexins to suppress REM sleep during the active period.

Activity of dorsal raphe cells across the sleep–waking cycle and during cataplexy in narcoleptic dogs

PubMed Central

Wu, M-F; John, J; Boehmer, L N; Yau, D; Nguyen, G B; Siegel, J M

2004-01-01

Cataplexy, a symptom associated with narcolepsy, represents a unique dissociation of behavioural states. During cataplectic attacks, awareness of the environment is maintained, as in waking, but muscle tone is lost, as in REM sleep. We have previously reported that, in the narcoleptic dog, noradrenergic cells of the locus coeruleus cease discharge during cataplexy. In the current study, we report on the activity of serotonergic cells of the dorsal raphe nucleus. The discharge patterns of serotonergic dorsal raphe cells across sleep–waking states did not differ from those of dorsal raphe and locus coeruleus cells recorded in normal rats, cats and monkeys, with tonic discharge in waking, reduced activity in non-REM sleep and cessation of activity in REM sleep. However, in contrast with locus coeruleus cells, dorsal raphe REM sleep-off neurones did not cease discharge during cataplexy. Instead, discharge continued at a level significantly higher than that seen in REM sleep and comparable to that seen in non-REM sleep. We also identified several cells in the dorsal raphe whose pattern of activity was the opposite of that of the presumed serotonergic cells. These cells were maximally active in REM sleep and minimally active in waking and increased activity during cataplexy. The difference between noradrenergic and serotonergic cell discharge profiles in cataplexy suggests different roles for these cell groups in the normal regulation of environmental awareness and muscle tone and in the pathophysiology of narcolepsy. PMID:14678502

The effects of age and gender on sleep EEG power spectral density in the middle years of life (ages 20-60 years old)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carrier, J.; Land, S.; Buysse, D. J.; Kupfer, D. J.; Monk, T. H.

2001-01-01

The effects of age and gender on sleep EEG power spectral density were assessed in a group of 100 subjects aged 20 to 60 years. We propose a new statistical strategy (mixed-model using fixed-knot regression splines) to analyze quantitative EEG measures. The effect of gender varied according to frequency, but no interactions emerged between age and gender, suggesting that the aging process does not differentially influence men and women. Women had higher power density than men in delta, theta, low alpha, and high spindle frequency range. The effect of age varied according to frequency and across the night. The decrease in power with age was not restricted to slow-wave activity, but also included theta and sigma activity. With increasing age, the attenuation over the night in power density between 1.25 and 8.00 Hz diminished, and the rise in power between 12.25 and 14.00 Hz across the night decreased. Increasing age was associated with higher power in the beta range. These results suggest that increasing age may be related to an attenuation of homeostatic sleep pressure and to an increase in cortical activation during sleep.

The effect of 60-h sleep deprivation on cardiovascular regulation and body temperature.

PubMed

Vaara, Jani; Kyröläinen, Heikki; Koivu, Mikko; Tulppo, Mikko; Finni, Taija

2009-02-01

This study examined cardiovascular regulation and body temperature (BT) during 60 h of sleep deprivation in 20 young healthy cadets. Heart rate variability was measured during an active orthostatic test (AOT). Measurements were performed each day in the morning and evening after 2, 14, 26, 38, 50 and 60 h of sleep deprivation. In AOT, in the sitting and standing positions, heart rate decreased (P < 0.001), while high frequency and low frequency power increased (P < 0.05-0.001) during sleep deprivation. Body temperature also decreased (P < 0.001), but no changes were detected in blood pressure. In conclusion, the accumulation of 60 h of sleep loss resulted in increased vagal outflow, as evidenced by decreased heart rate. In addition, BT decreased during sleep deprivation. Thus, sleep deprivation causes alterations in autonomic regulation of the heart, and in thermoregulation.

Dopaminergic Modulation of Sleep-Wake States.

PubMed

Herrera-Solis, Andrea; Herrera-Morales, Wendy; Nunez-Jaramillo, Luis; Arias-Carrion, Oscar

2017-01-01

The role of dopamine in sleep-wake regulation is considered as a wakefulness-promoting agent. For the clinical treatment of excessive daytime sleepiness, drugs have been commonly used to increase dopamine release. However, sleep disorders or lack of sleep are related to several dopaminerelated disorders. The effects of dopaminergic agents, nevertheless, are mediated by two families of dopamine receptors, D1 and D2-like receptors; the first family increases adenylyl cyclase activity and the second inhibits adenylyl cyclase. For this reason, the dopaminergic agonist effects on sleep-wake cycle are complex. Here, we review the state-of-the-art and discuss the different effects of dopaminergic agonists in sleep-wake states, and propose that these receptors account for the affinity, although not the specificity, of several effects on the sleep-wake cycle. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Toll-Like Receptor 4 Is a Regulator of Monocyte and Electroencephalographic Responses to Sleep Loss

PubMed Central

Wisor, Jonathan P.; Clegern, William C.; Schmidt, Michelle A.

2011-01-01

Study Objectives: Sleep loss triggers changes in inflammatory signaling pathways in the brain and periphery. The mechanisms that underlie these changes are ill-defined. The Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) activates inflammatory signaling cascades in response to endogenous and pathogen-associated ligands known to be elevated in association with sleep loss. TLR4 is therefore a possible mediator of some of the inflammation-related effects of sleep loss. Here we describe the baseline electroencephalographic sleep phenotype and the biochemical and electroencephalographic responses to sleep loss in TLR4-deficient mice. Design, Measurements and Results: TLR4-deficient mice and wild type controls were subjected to electroencephalographic and electromyographic recordings during spontaneous sleep/wake cycles and during and after sleep restriction sessions of 3, 6, and 24-h duration, during which sleep was disrupted by an automated sleep restriction system. Relative to wild type control mice, TLR4-deficient mice exhibited an increase in the duration of the primary daily waking bout occurring at dark onset in a light/dark cycle. The amount of time spent in non-rapid eye movement sleep by TLR4-deficient mice was reduced in proportion to increased wakefulness in the hours immediately after dark onset. Subsequent to sleep restriction, EEG measures of increased sleep drive were attenuated in TLR4-deficient mice relative to wild-type mice. TLR4 was enriched 10-fold in brain cells positive for the cell surface marker CD11b (cells of the monocyte lineage) relative to CD11b-negative cells in wild type mouse brains. To assess whether this population was affected selectively by TLR4 knockout, flow cytometry was used to count F4/80- and CD45-positive cells in the brains of sleep deprived and time of day control mice. While wild-type mice exhibited a significant reduction in the number of CD11b-positive cells in the brain after 24-h sleep restriction, TLR4-deficient mice did not. Conclusion: These data demonstrate that innate immune signaling pathways active in the monocyte lineage, including presumably microglia, detect and mediate in part the cerebral reaction to sleep loss. Citation: Wisor JP; Clegern WC; Schmidt MA. Toll-like receptor 4 is a regulator of monocyte and electroencephalographic responses to sleep loss. SLEEP 2011;34(10):1335–1345. PMID:21966065

A Randomized Controlled Trial of Intensive Sleep Retraining (ISR): A Brief Conditioning Treatment for Chronic Insomnia

PubMed Central

Harris, Jodie; Lack, Leon; Kemp, Kristyn; Wright, Helen; Bootzin, Richard

2012-01-01

Study Objective: To investigate the effectiveness of intensive sleep retraining in comparison and combination with traditional behavioral intervention for chronic primary insomnia. Participants: Seventy-nine volunteers with chronic sleep-onset insomnia (with or without sleep maintenance difficulties) were randomly assigned either to intensive sleep retraining (ISR), stimulus control therapy (SCT), ISR plus SCT, or the control (sleep hygiene) treatment condition. Intervention: ISR treatment consisted of 50 sleep onset trials over a 25-h sleep deprivation period. Measurements and Results: Treatment response was assessed with sleep diary, activity monitoring, and questionnaire measures. The active treatment groups (ISR, SCT, ISR+SCT) all resulted in significant improvements in sleep onset latency and sleep efficiency, with moderate to large effect sizes from pre- to post-treatment. Wake time after sleep onset decreased significantly in the SCT and ISR+SCT groups. Total sleep time increased significantly in the ISR and ISR+SCT treatment groups. Participants receiving ISR (ISR, ISR+SCT) experienced rapidly improved SOL and TST during treatment, suggesting an advantage of rapid improvements in sleep in response to ISR. Although there were few statistically significant differences between groups on individual variables, ISR+SCT resulted in consistently larger effect sizes of change than other treatments, including questionnaire measures of sleep quality, sleep self-efficacy, and daytime functioning. The combination treatment group (ISR+SCT) showed trends to outperform other active treatment groups with fewer treatment dropouts, and a greater proportion of treatment responders with 61% reaching “good sleeper” status. Treatment gains achieved at post-treatment in the active treatment groups were largely maintained throughout follow-up periods to 6 months. Conclusion: This 25-hour intensive conditioning treatment for chronic insomnia can produce rapid improvements in sleep, daytime functioning, and psychological variables. Adding ISR to traditional interventions seems to result in a superior treatment response. Citation: Harris J; Lack L; Kemp K; Wright H; Bootzin R. A randomized controlled trial of intensive sleep retraining (ISR): a brief conditioning treatment for chronic insomnia. SLEEP 2012;35(1):49-60. PMID:22215918

Tumor Necrosis Factor Antagonism Normalizes Rapid Eye Movement Sleep in Alcohol Dependence

PubMed Central

Irwin, Michael R.; Olmstead, Richard; Valladares, Edwin M.; Breen, Elizabeth Crabb; Ehlers, Cindy L.

2009-01-01

Background In alcohol dependence, markers of inflammation are associated with increases in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is thought to be a prognostic indicator of alcohol relapse. This study was undertaken to test whether blockade of biologically active tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) normalizes REM sleep in alcohol-dependent adults. Methods In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial, 18 abstinent alcohol-dependent male adults received a single dose of etanercept (25 mg) versus placebo in a counterbalanced order. Polysomnographic sleep was measured at baseline and for 3 nights after the acute dose of etanercept or placebo. Results Compared with placebo, administration of etanercept produced significant decreases in the amount and percentage of REM sleep. Decreases in REM sleep were robust and approached low levels typically found in age-comparable control subjects. Individual differences in biologically active drug as indexed by circulating levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor II negatively correlated with the percentage of REM sleep. Conclusions Pharmacologic neutralization of TNF-α activity is associated with significant reductions in REM sleep in abstinent alcohol-dependent patients. These data suggest that circulating levels of TNF-α may have a physiologic role in the regulation of REM sleep in humans. PMID:19185287

Sleep disorders and inflammatory disease activity: chicken or the egg?

PubMed

Parekh, Parth J; Oldfield Iv, Edward C; Challapallisri, Vaishnavi; Ware, J Catsby; Johnson, David A

2015-04-01

Sleep dysfunction is a highly prevalent condition that has long been implicated in accelerating disease states characterized by having an inflammatory component such as systemic lupus erythematosus, HIV, and multiple sclerosis. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a chronic, debilitating disease that is characterized by waxing and waning symptoms, which are a direct result of increased circulating inflammatory cytokines. Recent studies have demonstrated sleep dysfunction and the disruption of the circadian rhythm to result in an upregulation of inflammatory cytokines. Not only does this pose a potential trigger for disease flares but also an increased risk of malignancy in this subset of patients. This begs to question whether or not there is a therapeutic role of sleep cycle and circadian rhythm optimization in the prevention of IBD flares. Further research is needed to clarify the role of sleep dysfunction and alterations of the circadian rhythm in modifying disease activity and also in reducing the risk of malignancy in patients suffering from IBD.

Sleep restriction alters the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response to stress

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Meerlo, P.; Koehl, M.; van der Borght, K.; Turek, F. W.

2002-01-01

Chronic sleep restriction is an increasing problem in many countries and may have many, as yet unknown, consequences for health and well being. Studies in both humans and rats suggest that sleep deprivation may activate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, one of the main neuroendocrine stress systems. However, few attempts have been made to examine how sleep loss affects the HPA axis response to subsequent stressors. Furthermore, most studies applied short-lasting total sleep deprivation and not restriction of sleep over a longer period of time, as often occurs in human society. Using the rat as our model species, we investigated: (i) the HPA axis activity during and after sleep deprivation and (ii) the effect of sleep loss on the subsequent HPA response to a novel stressor. In one experiment, rats were subjected to 48 h of sleep deprivation by placing them in slowly rotating wheels. Control rats were placed in nonrotating wheels. In a second experiment, rats were subjected to an 8-day sleep restriction protocol allowing 4 h of sleep each day. To test the effects of sleep loss on subsequent stress reactivity, rats were subjected to a 30-min restraint stress. Blood samples were taken at several time points and analysed for adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and corticosterone. The results show that ACTH and corticosterone concentrations were elevated during sleep deprivation but returned to baseline within 4 h of recovery. After 1 day of sleep restriction, the ACTH and corticosterone response to restraint stress did not differ between control and sleep deprived rats. However, after 48 h of total sleep deprivation and after 8 days of restricted sleep, the ACTH response to restraint was significantly reduced whereas the corticosterone response was unaffected. These results show that sleep loss not only is a mild activator of the HPA axis itself, but also affects the subsequent response to stress. Alterations in HPA axis regulation may gradually appear under conditions of long total sleep deprivation but also after repeated sleep curtailment.

Neurophysiological correlates of suicidal ideation in major depressive disorder: Hyperarousal during sleep

PubMed Central

Dolsen, Michael R.; Cheng, Philip; Arnedt, J. Todd; Swanson, Leslie; Casement, Melynda D.; Kim, Hyang Sook; Goldschmied, Jennifer R.; Hoffmann, Robert F.; Armitage, Roseanne; Deldin, Patricia J.

2017-01-01

Background Suicide is a major public health concern, and a barrier to reducing the suicide rate is the lack of objective predictors of risk. The present study considers whether quantitative sleep electroencephalography (EEG) may be a neurobiological correlate of suicidal ideation. Methods Participants included 84 (45 female, mean age=26.6) adults diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). The item that measures thoughts of death or suicide on the Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology (QIDS) was used to classify 47 participants as low suicidal ideation (24 females, mean age=26.1) and 37 as high suicidal ideation (21 females, mean age=27.3). Data were obtained from archival samples collected at the University of Michigan and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center between 2004 and 2012. Sleep EEG was quantified using power spectral analysis, and focused on alpha, beta, and delta frequencies. Results Results indicated that participants with high compared to low suicidal ideation experienced 1) increased fast frequency activity, 2) decreased delta activity, and 3) increased alpha-delta sleep after adjusting for age, sex, depression, and insomnia symptoms. Limitations Limitations include the exclusion of imminent suicidal intent, a single suicidal ideation item, and cross-sectional archival data. Conclusions This is one of the first studies to provide preliminary support that electrophysiological brain activity during sleep is associated with increased suicidal ideation in MDD, and may point toward central nervous system (CNS) hyperarousal during sleep as a neurobiological correlate of suicidal ideation. PMID:28192765

Estradiol and Progesterone Modulate Spontaneous Sleep Patterns and Recovery from Sleep Deprivation in Ovariectomized Rats

PubMed Central

Deurveilher, Samüel; Rusak, Benjamin; Semba, Kazue

2009-01-01

Study Objectives: Women undergo hormonal changes both naturally during their lives and as a result of sex hormone treatments. The objective of this study was to gain more knowledge about how these hormones affect sleep and responses to sleep loss. Design: Rats were ovariectomized and implanted subcutaneously with Silastic capsules containing oil vehicle, 17β-estradiol and/or progesterone. After 2 weeks, sleep/wake states were recorded during a 24-h baseline period, 6 h of total sleep deprivation induced by gentle handling during the light phase, and an 18-h recovery period. Measurements and Results: At baseline and particularly in the dark phase, ovariectomized rats treated with estradiol or estradiol plus progesterone spent more time awake at the expense of non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREMS) and/or REMS, whereas those given progesterone alone spent less time in REMS than ovariectomized rats receiving no hormones. Following sleep deprivation, all rats showed rebound increases in NREMS and REMS, but the relative increase in REMS was larger in females receiving hormones, especially high estradiol. In contrast, the normal increase in NREMS EEG delta power (an index of NREMS intensity) during recovery was attenuated by all hormone treatments. Conclusions: Estradiol promotes arousal in the active phase in sleep-satiated rats, but after sleep loss, both estradiol and progesterone selectively facilitate REMS rebound while reducing NREMS intensity. These results indicate that effects of ovarian hormones on recovery sleep differ from those on spontaneous sleep. The hormonal modulation of recovery sleep architecture may affect recovery of sleep related functions after sleep loss. Citation: Deurveilher S; Rusak B; Semba K. Estradiol and progesterone modulate spontaneous sleep patterns and recovery from sleep deprivation in ovariectomized rats. SLEEP 2009;32(7):865-877. PMID:19639749

Distinctive Recruitment of Endogenous Sleep-Promoting Neurons by Volatile Anesthetics and a Non-immobilizer

PubMed Central

Han, Bo; McCarren, Hilary S.; O'Neill, Dan; Kelz, Max B.

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND Numerous studies demonstrate that anesthetic-induced unconsciousness is accompanied by activation of hypothalamic sleep-promoting neurons, which occurs through both pre- and postsynaptic mechanisms. However, the correlation between drug exposure, neuronal activation, and onset of hypnosis remains incompletely understood. Moreover, the degree to which anesthetics activate both endogenous populations of GABAergic sleep-promoting neurons within the ventrolateral preoptic (VLPO) and median preoptic (MnPO) nuclei remains unknown. METHODS Mice were exposed to oxygen, hypnotic doses of isoflurane or halothane, or 1,2-dicholorhexafluorocyclobutane (F6), a nonimmobilizer. Hypothalamic brain slices prepared from anesthetic-naïve mice were also exposed to oxygen, volatile anesthetics, or F6 ex vivo, both in the presence and absence of tetrodotoxin. Double-label immunohistochemistry was performed to quantify the number of c-Fos-immunoreactive nuclei in the GABAergic subpopulation of neurons in the VLPO and the MnPO to test the hypothesis that volatile anesthetics, but not non-immobilizers, activate sleep-promoting neurons in both nuclei. RESULTS In vivo exposure to isoflurane and halothane doubled the fraction of active, c-Fos-expressing GABAergic neurons in the VLPO, while F6 failed to affect VLPO c-Fos expression. Both in the presence and absence of tetrodotoxin, isoflurane dose-dependently increased c-Fos expression in GABAergic neurons ex vivo, while F6 failed to alter expression. In GABAergic neurons of the MnPO, c-Fos expression increased with isoflurane and F6, but not with halothane exposure. CONCLUSIONS Anesthetic unconsciousness is not accompanied by global activation of all putative sleep-promoting neurons. However, within the VLPO hypnotic doses of volatile anesthetics, but not non-immobilizers, activate putative sleep-promoting neurons, correlating with the appearance of the hypnotic state. PMID:25057841

Magnolol, a major bioactive constituent of the bark of Magnolia officinalis, induces sleep via the benzodiazepine site of GABA(A) receptor in mice.

PubMed

Chen, Chang-Rui; Zhou, Xu-Zhao; Luo, Yan-Jia; Huang, Zhi-Li; Urade, Yoshihiro; Qu, Wei-Min

2012-11-01

Magnolol (6,6',7,12-tetramethoxy-2,2'-dimethyl-1-beta-berbaman, C(18)H(18)O(2)), an active ingredient of the bark of Magnolia officinalis, has been reported to exert potent anti-epileptic effects via the GABA(A) receptor. The receptor also mediates sleep in humans and animals. The aim of this study was to determine whether magnolol could modulate sleep behaviors by recording EEG and electromyogram in mice. The results showed that magnolol administered i.p. at a dose of 5 or 25 mg/kg could significantly shorten the sleep latency, increase the amount of non-rapid eye movement (non-REM, NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep for 3 h after administration with an increase in the number of NREM and REM sleep episodes. Magnolol at doses of 5 and 25 mg/kg increased the number of bouts of wakefulness but decreased their duration. On the other hand, magnolol increased the number of state transitions from wakefulness to NREM sleep and subsequently from NREM sleep to wakefulness. Immunohistochemical study showed that magnolol increased c-Fos expression in the neurons of ventrolateral preoptic area, a sleep center in the anterior hypothalamus, and decreased c-Fos expression in the arousal tuberomammillary nucleus, which was located in the caudolateral hypothalamus. The sleep-promoting effects and changes in c-Fos induced by magnolol were reversed by flumazenil, an antagonist at the benzodiazepine site of the GABA(A) receptor. These results indicate that magnolol increased NREM and REM sleep via the GABA(A) receptor. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Orexin Plays a Role in Growth Impediment Induced by Obstructive Sleep Breathing in Rats.

PubMed

Tarasiuk, Ariel; Levi, Avishag; Assadi, Mohammad H; Troib, Ariel; Segev, Yael

2016-04-01

The mechanisms linking sleep disordered breathing with impairment of sleep and bone metabolism/architecture are poorly understood. Here, we explored the role of the neuropeptide orexin, a respiratory homeostasis modulator, in growth retardation induced in an upper airway obstructed (AO) rat model. The tracheae of 22-day-old rats were narrowed; AO and sham-control animals were monitored for 5 to 7 w. Growth parameters, food intake, sleep/wake activity, and serum hormones were measured. After euthanasia, growth plate (GP) histology, morphometry, orexin receptors (OXR), and related mediators were analyzed. The effect of dual orexin receptor antagonist (almorexant 300 mg/kg) on sleep and GP histology were also investigated. The AO group slept 32% less; the time spent in slow wave and paradoxical sleep during light period and slow wave activity was reduced. The AO group gained 46% less body weight compared to the control group, despite elevated food intake; plasma ghrelin increased by 275% and leptin level decreased by 44%. The impediment of bone elongation and bone mass was followed by a 200% increase in OX1R and 38% reduction of local GP ghrelin proteins and growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a. Sry-related transcription factor nine (Sox9), a molecule mediating cartilage ossification, was downregulated and the level of transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma was upregulated, explaining the bone architecture abnormalities. Administration of almorexant restored sleep and improved GP width in AO animals. In AO animals, enhanced expression of orexin and OX1R plays a role in respiratory induced sleep and growth abnormalities. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Sleep-promoting effects of a GABA/5-HTP mixture: Behavioral changes and neuromodulation in an invertebrate model.

PubMed

Hong, Ki-Bae; Park, Yooheon; Suh, Hyung Joo

2016-04-01

This study was to investigate the sleep promoting effects of combined γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP), by examining neuronal processes governing mRNA level alterations, as well as assessing neuromodulator concentrations, in a fruit fly model. Behavioral assays were applied to investigate subjective nighttime activity, sleep episodes, and total duration of subjective nighttime sleep of two amino acids and GABA/5-HTP mixture with caffeine treated flies. Also, real-time PCR and HPLC analysis were applied to analyze the signaling pathway. Subjective nighttime activity and sleep patterns of individual flies significantly decreased with 1% GABA treatment in conjunction with 0.1% 5-HTP treatment (p<0.001). Furthermore, GABA/5-HTP mixture resulted in significant differences between groups related to sleep patterns (40%, p<0.017) and significantly induced subjective nighttime sleep in the awake model (p<0.003). These results related to transcript levels of the GABAB receptor (GABAB-R1) and serotonin receptor (5-HT1A), compared to the control group. In addition, GABA/5-HTP mixture significantly increased GABA levels 1h and 12h following treatment (2.1 fold and 1.2 fold higher than the control, respectively) and also increased 5-HTP levels (0 h: 1.01 μg/protein, 12h: 3.45 μg/protein). In this regard, we successfully demonstrated that using a GABA/5-HTP mixture modulates subjective nighttime activity, sleep episodes, and total duration of subjective nighttime sleep to a greater extent than single administration of each amino acid, and that this modulation occurs via GABAergic and serotonergic signaling. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Developmental Changes in Ultradian Sleep Cycles across Early Childhood.

PubMed

Lopp, Sean; Navidi, William; Achermann, Peter; LeBourgeois, Monique; Diniz Behn, Cecilia

2017-02-01

Nocturnal human sleep is composed of cycles between rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep. In adults, the structure of ultradian cycles between NREM and REM sleep is well characterized; however, less is known about the developmental trajectories of ultradian sleep cycles across early childhood. Cross-sectional studies indicate that the rapid ultradian cycling of active-quiet sleep in infancy shifts to a more adult-like pattern of NREM-REM sleep cycling by the school-age years, yet longitudinal studies elucidating the details of this transition are scarce. To address this gap, we examined ultradian cycling during nocturnal sleep following 13 h of prior wakefulness in 8 healthy children at 3 longitudinal points: 2Y (2.5-3.0 years of age), 3Y (3.5-4.0 years of age), and 5Y (5.5-6.0 years of age). We found that the length of ultradian cycles increased with age as a result of increased NREM sleep episode duration. In addition, we observed a significant decrease in the number of NREM sleep episodes as well as a nonsignificant trend for a decrease in the number of cycles with increasing age. Together, these findings suggest a concurrent change in which cycle duration increases and the number of cycles decreases across development. We also found that, consistent with data from adolescents and adults, the duration of NREM sleep episodes decreased with time since lights-off whereas the duration of REM sleep episodes increased over this time period. These results indicate the presence of circadian modulation of nocturnal sleep in preschool children. In addition to characterizing changes in ultradian cycling in healthy children ages 2 to 5 years, this work describes a developmental model that may provide insights into the emergence of normal adult REM sleep regulatory circuitry as well as potential trajectories of dysregulated ultradian cycles such as those associated with affective disorders.

Developmental Changes in Ultradian Sleep Cycles across Early Childhood: Preliminary Insights

PubMed Central

Lopp, Sean; Navidi, William; Achermann, Peter; LeBourgeois, Monique; Diniz Behn, Cecilia

2017-01-01

Nocturnal human sleep is composed of cycles between rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep. In adults, the structure of ultradian cycles between NREM and REM sleep is well characterized; however, less is known about the developmental trajectories of ultradian sleep cycles across early childhood. Cross-sectional studies indicate that the rapid ultradian cycling of active-quiet sleep in infancy shifts to a more adult-like pattern of NREM-REM sleep cycling by the school-age years, yet longitudinal studies elucidating the details of this transition are scarce. To address this gap, we examined ultradian cycling during nocturnal sleep following 13 h of prior wakefulness in 8 healthy children at 3 longitudinal points: 2Y (2.5-3.0 years of age), 3Y (3.5-4.0 years of age), and 5Y (5.5-6.0 years of age). We found that the length of ultradian cycles increased with age as a result of increased NREM sleep episode duration. In addition, we observed a significant decrease in the number of NREM sleep episodes as well as a nonsignificant trend for a decrease in the number of cycles with increasing age. Together, these findings suggest a concurrent change in which cycle duration increases and the number of cycles decreases across development. We also found that, consistent with data from adolescents and adults, the duration of NREM sleep episodes decreased with time since lights-off whereas the duration of REM sleep episodes increased over this time period. These results indicate the presence of circadian modulation of nocturnal sleep in preschool children. In addition to characterizing changes in ultradian cycling in healthy children ages 2 to 5 years, this work describes a developmental model that may provide insights into the emergence of normal adult REM sleep regulatory circuitry as well as potential trajectories of dysregulated ultradian cycles such as those associated with affective disorders. PMID:28088873

Technology Use and Sleep Quality in Preadolescence and Adolescence.

PubMed

Bruni, Oliviero; Sette, Stefania; Fontanesi, Lilybeth; Baiocco, Roberto; Laghi, Fiorenzo; Baumgartner, Emma

2015-12-15

The purpose of this study was to analyze differences between preadolescents and adolescents on the use of technology and to test the contribution of using Internet and mobile phone, and circadian preference on sleep quality. We recruited a sample of 850 (364 males) preadolescents and adolescents. Self-report questionnaires about sleep schedule, sleep wake behavior problems, circadian preferences, and the use of technology (e.g., Internet and mobile phone) were administered. Students were asked to fill out the School Sleep Habits Survey, a self-report questionnaire on the use of technology, the Mobile Phone Involvement Questionnaire (MPIQ), and the Shorter Promis Questionnaire (SPQ). Adolescents reported more sleep problems, a tendency toward eveningness, and an increase of Internet and phone activities, as well as social network activities, while preadolescents were more involved in gaming console and television viewing. The regression analysis performed separately in the two age groups showed that sleep quality was affected by the circadian preference (eveningness) in both groups. Adolescents' bad sleep quality was consistently associated with the mobile phone use and number of devices in the bedroom, while in preadolescents, with Internet use and turning-off time. The evening circadian preference, mobile phone and Internet use, numbers of other activities after 21:00, late turning off time, and number of devices in the bedroom have different negative influence on sleep quality in preadolescents and adolescents. © 2015 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Region-Specific Dissociation between Cortical Noradrenaline Levels and the Sleep/Wake Cycle

PubMed Central

Bellesi, Michele; Tononi, Giulio; Cirelli, Chiara; Serra, Pier Andrea

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: The activity of the noradrenergic system of the locus coeruleus (LC) is high in wake and low in sleep. LC promotes arousal and EEG activation, as well as attention, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. These functions rely on prefrontal cortex and are impaired by sleep deprivation, but the extent to which LC activity changes during wake remains unclear. Moreover, it is unknown whether noradrenergic neurons can sustain elevated firing during extended wake. Recent studies show that relative to LC neurons targeting primary motor cortex (M1), those projecting to medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) have higher spontaneous firing rates and are more excitable. These results suggest that noradrenaline (NA) levels should be higher in mPFC than M1, and that during prolonged wake LC cells targeting mPFC may fatigue more, but direct evidence is lacking. Methods: We performed in vivo microdialysis experiments in adult (9–10 weeks old) C57BL/6 mice implanted for chronic electroencephalographic recordings. Cortical NA levels were measured during spontaneous sleep and wake (n = 8 mice), and in the course of sleep deprivation (n = 6). Results: We found that absolute NA levels are higher in mPFC than in M1. Moreover, in both areas they decline during sleep and increase during wake, but these changes are faster in M1 than mPFC. Finally, by the end of sleep deprivation NA levels decline only in mPFC. Conclusions: Locus coeruleus (LC) neurons targeting prefrontal cortex may fatigue more markedly, or earlier, than other LC cells, suggesting one of the mechanisms underlying the cognitive impairment and the increased sleep presure associated with sleep deprivation. Commentary: A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 11. Citation: Bellesi M, Tononi G, Cirelli C, Serra PA. Region-specific dissociation between cortical noradrenaline levels and the sleep/wake cycle. SLEEP 2016;39(1):143–154. PMID:26237776

Frontal Underactivation During Working Memory Processing in Adults With Acute Partial Sleep Deprivation: A Near-Infrared Spectroscopy Study.

PubMed

Yeung, Michael K; Lee, Tsz L; Cheung, Winnie K; Chan, Agnes S

2018-01-01

Individuals with partial sleep deprivation may have working memory (WM) impairment, but the underlying neural mechanism of this phenomenon is relatively unknown. The present study examined neural processing during WM performance in individuals with and without partial sleep deprivation using near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). Forty college students (10 males) were equally split into Sufficient Sleep (SS) and Insufficient Sleep (IS) groups based on self-reports of previous night's sleep duration. Participants in the SS group obtained the recommended amounts of sleep according to various sleep organizations (i.e., >7.0 h), whereas those in the IS group obtained amounts of sleep no greater than the lower limit of the recommendation (i.e., ≤7.0 h). All participants underwent an n -back paradigm with a WM load (i.e., 3-back) and a control condition (i.e., 0-back) while their prefrontal hemodynamics were recorded by NIRS. The IS and SS groups performed the tasks comparably well. However, unlike the SS group, which exhibited bilateral frontal activation indicated by increased oxyhemoglobin concentration and decreased deoxyhemoglobin concentration during WM processing (i.e., 3-back > 0-back), the IS group did not exhibit such activation. In addition, levels of WM-related frontal activation, especially those on the left side, correlated with sleep duration the night before, even when habitual sleep duration was controlled for. The findings suggest the presence of frontal lobe dysfunction in the absence of evident WM difficulties in individuals with acute partial sleep deprivation. They also highlight the importance of a good night's sleep to brain health.

Age affects sleep microstructure more than sleep macrostructure.

PubMed

Schwarz, Johanna F A; Åkerstedt, Torbjörn; Lindberg, Eva; Gruber, Georg; Fischer, Håkan; Theorell-Haglöw, Jenny

2017-06-01

It is well known that the quantity and quality of physiological sleep changes across age. However, so far the effect of age on sleep microstructure has been mostly addressed in small samples. The current study examines the effect of age on several measures of sleep macro- and microstructure in 211 women (22-71 years old) of the 'Sleep and Health in Women' study for whom ambulatory polysomnography was registered. Older age was associated with significantly lower fast spindle (effect size f 2  = 0.32) and K-complex density (f 2  = 0.19) during N2 sleep, as well as slow-wave activity (log) in N3 sleep (f 2  = 0.21). Moreover, total sleep time (f 2  = 0.10), N3 sleep (min) (f 2  = 0.10), rapid eye movement sleep (min) (f 2  = 0.11) and sigma (log) (f 2  = 0.05) and slow-wave activity (log) during non-rapid eye movement sleep (f 2  = 0.09) were reduced, and N1 sleep (f 2  = 0.03) was increased in older age. No significant effects of age were observed on slow spindle density, rapid eye movement density and beta power (log) during non-rapid eye movement sleep. In conclusion, effect sizes indicate that traditional sleep stage scoring may underestimate age-related changes in sleep. © 2017 European Sleep Research Society.

Dopamine agonist suppression of rapid-eye-movement sleep is secondary to sleep suppression mediated via limbic structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miletich, R.S.

The effects of pergolide, a direct dopamine receptor agonist, on sleep and wakefulness, motor behavior and /sup 3/H-spiperone specific binding in limbic structures and striatum in rats was studied. The results show that pergolide induced a biphasic dose effect, with high doses increasing wakefulness and suppressing sleep while low dose decreased wakefulness, but increased sleep. It was shown that pergolide-induced sleep suppression was blocked by ..cap alpha..-glupenthixol and pimozide, two dopamine receptor antagonists. It was further shown that pergolide merely delayed the rebound resulting from rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep deprivation, that dopamine receptors stimulation had no direct effect on the period,more » phase or amplitude of the circadian rhythm of REM sleep propensity and that there was no alteration in the coupling of REM sleep episodes with S/sub 2/ episodes. Rapid-eye-movement sleep deprivation resulted in increased sensitivity to the pergolide-induced wakefulness stimulation and sleep suppression and pergolide-induced motor behaviors of locomotion and head bobbing. /sup 3/H-spiperone specific binding to dopamine receptors was shown to be altered by REM sleep deprivation in the subcortical limbic structures. It is concluded that the REM sleep suppressing action of dopamine receptor stimulation is secondary to sleep suppression per se and not secondary to a unique effect on the REM sleep. Further, it is suggested that the wakefulness stimulating action of dopamine receptor agonists is mediated by activation of the dopamine receptors in the terminal areas of the mesolimbocortical dopamine projection system.« less

Protein-Tyrosine Phosphatase-1B Mediates Sleep Fragmentation-Induced Insulin Resistance and Visceral Adipose Tissue Inflammation in Mice.

PubMed

Gozal, David; Khalyfa, Abdelnaby; Qiao, Zhuanghong; Akbarpour, Mahzad; Maccari, Rosanna; Ottanà, Rosaria

2017-09-01

Sleep fragmentation (SF) is highly prevalent and has emerged as an important contributing factor to obesity and metabolic syndrome. We hypothesized that SF-induced increases in protein tyrosine phosphatase-1B (PTP-1B) expression and activity underlie increased food intake, inflammation, and leptin and insulin resistance. Wild-type (WT) and ObR-PTP-1b-/- mice (Tg) were exposed to SF and control sleep (SC), and food intake was monitored. WT mice received a PTP-1B inhibitor (RO-7d; Tx) or vehicle (Veh). Upon completion of exposures, systemic insulin and leptin sensitivity tests were performed as well as assessment of visceral white adipose tissue (vWAT) insulin receptor sensitivity and macrophages (ATM) polarity. SF increased food intake in either untreated or Veh-treated WT mice. Leptin-induced hypothalamic STAT3 phosphorylation was decreased, PTP-1B activity was increased, and reduced insulin sensitivity emerged both systemic and in vWAT, with the latter displaying proinflammatory ATM polarity changes. All of the SF-induced effects were abrogated following PTP-1B inhibitor treatment and in Tg mice. SF induces increased food intake, reduced leptin signaling in hypothalamus, systemic insulin resistance, and reduced vWAT insulin sensitivity and inflammation that are mediated by increased PTP-1B activity. Thus, PTP-1B may represent a viable therapeutic target in the context of SF-induced weight gain and metabolic dysfunction. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

RESPIRATORY MODULATION OF LINGUAL MUSCLE ACTIVITY ACROSS SLEEP-WAKE STATES IN RATS

PubMed Central

Stettner, Georg M.; Rukhadze, Irma; Mann, Graziella L.; Lei, Yanlin; Kubin, Leszek

2013-01-01

In obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients, inspiratory activation (IA) of lingual muscles protects the upper airway from collapse. We aimed to determine when rats’ lingual muscles exhibit IA. In 5 Sprague-Dawley and 3 Wistar rats, we monitored cortical EEG and lingual, diaphragmatic and nuchal electromyograms (EMGs), and identified segments of records when lingual EMG exhibited IA. Individual segments lasted 2.4–269 s (median: 14.5 s), most (89%) occurred during slow-wave sleep (SWS), and they collectively occupied 0.3–6.1% of the total recording time. IA usually started to increase with a delay after SWS onset and ended with an arousal, or declined prior to rapid eye movement sleep. IA of lingual EMG was not accompanied by increased diaphragmatic activity or respiratory rate changes, but occurred when cortical EEG power was particularly low in a low beta-1 frequency range (12.5–16.4 Hz). A deep SWS-related activation of upper airway muscles may be an endogenous phenomenon designed to protect the upper airway against collapse. PMID:23732510

Melatonin and circadian rhythms in autism: Case report.

PubMed

Zuculo, Gabriela Melloni; Gonçalves, Bruno S B; Brittes, Clay; Menna-Barreto, Luiz; Pinato, Luciana

2017-01-01

Among the most co-occurring conditions in autism spectrum disorders (ASD), there are sleep disorders which may exacerbate associated behavioral disorders and lead to intensification of existing autistic symptoms. Several studies investigating the use of melatonin in the treatment of sleep disorders in ASD have shown comparative efficiency in sleep with little or no side effects. Here we report a case of ASD with non-24-hour rhythm and the effect of melatonin in circadian parameters by actigraphy. Visual analysis of the first 10 days recorded and the periodogram suggest that this patient showed a non-24-hour rhythm. This ASD subject showed before melatonin administration an activity/rest rhythm lower than 24 hours. The results show that melatonin increased approximately 4.7 times the regularity of circadian activity rhythm and resting staying on average between 00:00 and 06:00 and showed positive effects in improving the quality of sleep and behavior. So, the actigraphy showed an ASD subject with a non-24-hour activity/rest rhythm which changed this rhythm to a 24-hour rhythm after melatonin administration. This result reinforces the prospect of therapy with melatonin for synchronization (increased regularity) of endogenous rhythms and improve sleep quality and hence behavior and indicates the actigraphy as a choice tool to characterize several parameters of the activity/rest rhythm of ASD individuals.

Sleep/wake firing patterns of human genioglossus motor units.

PubMed

Bailey, E Fiona; Fridel, Keith W; Rice, Amber D

2007-12-01

Although studies of the principal tongue protrudor muscle genioglossus (GG) suggest that whole muscle GG electromyographic (EMG) activities are preserved in nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, it is unclear what influence sleep exerts on individual GG motor unit (MU) activities. We characterized the firing patterns of human GG MUs in wakefulness and NREM sleep with the aim of determining 1) whether the range of MU discharge patterns evident in wakefulness is preserved in sleep and 2) what effect the removal of the "wakefulness" input has on the magnitude of the respiratory modulation of MU activities. Microelectrodes inserted into the extrinsic tongue protrudor muscle, the genioglossus, were used to follow the discharge of single MUs. We categorized MU activities on the basis of the temporal relationship between the spike train and the respiration cycle and quantified the magnitude of the respiratory modulation of each MU using the eta (eta(2)) index, in wakefulness and sleep. The majority of MUs exhibited subtle increases or decreases in respiratory modulation but were otherwise unaffected by NREM sleep. In contrast, 30% of MUs exhibited marked sleep-associated changes in discharge frequency and respiratory modulation. We suggest that GG MUs should not be considered exclusively tonic or phasic; rather, the discharge pattern appears to be a flexible feature of GG activities in healthy young adults. Whether such flexibility is important in the response to changes in the chemical and/or mechanical environment and whether it is preserved as a function of aging or in individuals with obstructive sleep apnea are critical questions for future research.

Assessment of tolerance to the effects of methamphetamine on daytime and nighttime activity evaluated with actigraphy in rhesus monkeys.

PubMed

Berro, Laís F; Andersen, Monica L; Howell, Leonard L

2017-08-01

Methamphetamine is one of the most largely consumed illicit drugs, and its use is associated with abuse liability and several adverse health effects, such as sleep impairment. Importantly, sleep quality can influence addiction treatment outcomes. Evidence suggests that tolerance can develop to the sleep-disrupting effects of stimulant drugs. The aim of the present study was to investigate the development of tolerance to the actigraphy-based sleep-disrupting and stimulant effects of methamphetamine self-administration in rhesus monkeys. Methamphetamine (0.03 mg/kg/inf, i.v.) self-administration was carried out following three different protocols: 14 consecutive days of self-administration, 5 days/week for 3 weeks, with a 2-day interval between 5-day blocks of self-administration, and 3 days/week for 3 weeks, with a 4-day interval between 3-day blocks of self-administration. Daytime activity and activity-based sleep measures were evaluated with Actiwatch monitors a week before (baseline parameters) and throughout each protocol. Methamphetamine self-administration markedly disrupted sleep-like measures and increased daytime activity. Tolerance developed to those effects with repeated methamphetamine intake exceeding five consecutive days. Inclusion of washout periods (2 or 4 days) between blocks of methamphetamine self-administration attenuated the development of tolerance, with longer breaks from methamphetamine intake being more effective in maintaining the sleep-disrupting and stimulant effects of methamphetamine. Tolerance can develop to the stimulant and sleep-disrupting effects of methamphetamine self-administration. Interruption of drug intake extends the effects of methamphetamine on sleep-like measures and daytime activity.

Increased Sleep Depth in Developing Neural Networks: New Insights from Sleep Restriction in Children

PubMed Central

Kurth, Salome; Dean, Douglas C.; Achermann, Peter; O’Muircheartaigh, Jonathan; Huber, Reto; Deoni, Sean C. L.; LeBourgeois, Monique K.

2016-01-01

Brain networks respond to sleep deprivation or restriction with increased sleep depth, which is quantified as slow-wave activity (SWA) in the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG). When adults are sleep deprived, this homeostatic response is most pronounced over prefrontal brain regions. However, it is unknown how children’s developing brain networks respond to acute sleep restriction, and whether this response is linked to myelination, an ongoing process in childhood that is critical for brain development and cortical integration. We implemented a bedtime delay protocol in 5- to 12-year-old children to obtain partial sleep restriction (1-night; 50% of their habitual sleep). High-density sleep EEG was assessed during habitual and restricted sleep and brain myelin content was obtained using mcDESPOT magnetic resonance imaging. The effect of sleep restriction was analyzed using statistical non-parametric mapping with supra-threshold cluster analysis. We observed a localized homeostatic SWA response following sleep restriction in a specific parieto-occipital region. The restricted/habitual SWA ratio was negatively associated with myelin water fraction in the optic radiation, a developing fiber bundle. This relationship occurred bilaterally over parieto-temporal areas and was adjacent to, but did not overlap with the parieto-occipital region showing the most pronounced homeostatic SWA response. These results provide evidence for increased sleep need in posterior neural networks in children. Sleep need in parieto-temporal areas is related to myelin content, yet it remains speculative whether age-related myelin growth drives the fading of the posterior homeostatic SWA response during the transition to adulthood. Whether chronic insufficient sleep in the sensitive period of early life alters the anatomical generators of deep sleep slow-waves is an important unanswered question. PMID:27708567

Fos and serotonin immunoreactivity in the raphe nuclei of the cat during carbachol-induced active sleep: a double-labeling study.

PubMed

Yamuy, J; Sampogna, S; López-Rodríguez, F; Luppi, P H; Morales, F R; Chase, M H

1995-07-01

The microinjection of carbachol into the nucleus pontis oralis produces a state which is polygraphically and behaviorally similar to active sleep (rapid eye movement sleep). In the present study, using double-labeling techniques for serotonin and the protein product of c-fos (Fos), we sought to examine whether immunocytochemically identified serotonergic neurons of the raphe nuclei of the cat were activated, as indicated by their expression of c-fos, during this pharmacologically-induced behavioral state (active sleep-carbachol). Compared with control cats, which were injected with saline, active sleep-carbachol cats exhibited a significantly greater number of c-fos-expressing neurons in the raphe dorsalis, magnus and pallidus. Whereas most of the c-fos-expressing neurons in the raphe dorsalis were small, those in the raphe magnus were medium-sized and in the raphe pallidus they were small and medium-sized. The mean number of serotonergic neurons that expressed c-fos (i.e. double-labeled cells) was similar in control and active sleep-carbachol cats. These data indicate that there is an increased number of non-serotonergic, c-fos-expressing neurons in the raphe dorsalis, magnus and pallidus during the carbachol-induced state.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Direct Activation of Sleep-Promoting VLPO Neurons by Volatile Anesthetics Contributes to Anesthetic Hypnosis

PubMed Central

Moore, Jason T; Chen, Jingqiu; Han, Bo; Meng, Qing Cheng; Veasey, Sigrid C; Beck, Sheryl G; Kelz, Max B

2013-01-01

Summary Background Despite seventeen decades of continuous clinical use, the neuronal mechanisms through which volatile anesthetics act to produce unconsciousness remain obscure. One emerging possibility is that anesthetics exert their hypnotic effects by hijacking endogenous arousal circuits. A key sleep-promoting component of this circuitry is the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO), a hypothalamic region containing both state-independent neurons and neurons that preferentially fire during natural sleep. Results Using c-Fos immunohistochemistry as a biomarker for antecedent neuronal activity, we show that isoflurane and halothane increase the number of active neurons in the VLPO, but only when mice are sedated or unconscious. Destroying VLPO neurons produces an acute resistance to isoflurane-induced hypnosis. Electrophysiological studies prove that the neurons depolarized by isoflurane belong to the subpopulation of VLPO neurons responsible for promoting natural sleep, while neighboring non-sleep-active VLPO neurons are unaffected by isoflurane. Finally, we show that this anesthetic-induced depolarization is not solely due to a presynaptic inhibition of wake-active neurons as previously hypothesized, but rather is due to a direct postsynaptic effect on VLPO neurons themselves arising from the closing of a background potassium conductance. Conclusions Cumulatively, this work demonstrates that anesthetics are capable of directly activating endogenous sleep-promoting networks and that such actions contribute to their hypnotic properties. PMID:23103189

Who is sleepier on the night shift? The influence of bio-psycho-social factors on subjective sleepiness of female nurses during the night shift.

PubMed

Zion, Nataly; Drach-Zahavy, Anat; Shochat, Tamar

2018-07-01

Sleepiness is a common complaint during the night shift and may impair performance. The current study aims to identify bio-psycho-social factors associated with subjective sleepiness during the night shift. Ninety-two female nurses working rotating shifts completed a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Munich ChronoType Questionaire for shift workers, the Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index, and the Pre-sleep Arousal Scale. Subjective sleepiness was measured hourly during two night shifts using the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale, and activity monitors assessed sleep duration 24-h before each shift. Findings showed that increased sleepiness was associated with increased age in nurses with early chronotypes and with more children. High cognitive pre-sleep arousal, but not sleep, was associated with increased sleepiness, especially in late chronotypes. The impact of bio-psycho-social factors on night shift sleepiness is complex, and depends on mutual interactions between these factors. Nurses most prone to increased sleepiness must develop personal strategies for maintaining vigilance on the night shift. Practitioner Summary: This study aims to identify bio-psycho-social factors associated with subjective sleepiness of female nurses during the night shift. Increasing sleepiness was associated with increased age in nurses with early chronotypes and with more children. Increased cognitive pre-sleep arousal, but not sleep, was associated with increased sleepiness, especially in late chronotypes.

Masticatory Muscle Sleep Background EMG Activity is Elevated in Myofascial TMD Patients

PubMed Central

Raphael, Karen G.; Janal, Malvin N.; Sirois, David A.; Dubrovsky, Boris; Wigren, Pia E.; Klausner, Jack J.; Krieger, Ana C.; Lavigne, Gilles J.

2013-01-01

Despite theoretical speculation and strong clinical belief, recent research using laboratory polysomnographic (PSG) recording has provided new evidence that frequency of sleep bruxism (SB) masseter muscle events, including grinding or clenching of the teeth during sleep, is not increased for women with chronic myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD). The current case-control study compares a large sample of women suffering from chronic myofascial TMD (n=124) with a demographically matched control group without TMD (n=46) on sleep background electromyography (EMG) during a laboratory PSG study. Background EMG activity was measured as EMG root mean square (RMS) from the right masseter muscle after lights out. Sleep background EMG activity was defined as EMG RMS remaining after activity attributable to SB, other orofacial activity, other oromotor activity and movement artifacts were removed. Results indicated that median background EMG during these non SB-event periods was significantly higher (p<.01) for women with myofascial TMD (median=3.31 μV and mean=4.98 μV) than for control women (median=2.83 μV and mean=3.88 μV) with median activity in 72% of cases exceeding control activity. Moreover, for TMD cases, background EMG was positively associated and SB event-related EMG was negatively associated with pain intensity ratings (0–10 numerical scale) on post sleep waking. These data provide the foundation for a new focus on small, but persistent, elevations in sleep EMG activity over the course of the night as a mechanism of pain induction or maintenance. PMID:24237356

In Vivo Imaging of the Central and Peripheral Effects of Sleep Deprivation and Suprachiasmatic Nuclei Lesion on PERIOD-2 Protein in Mice.

PubMed

Curie, Thomas; Maret, Stephanie; Emmenegger, Yann; Franken, Paul

2015-09-01

That sleep deprivation increases the brain expression of various clock genes has been well documented. Based on these and other findings we hypothesized that clock genes not only underlie circadian rhythm generation but are also implicated in sleep homeostasis. However, long time lags have been reported between the changes in the clock gene messenger RNA levels and their encoded proteins. It is therefore crucial to establish whether also protein levels increase within the time frame known to activate a homeostatic sleep response. We report on the central and peripheral effects of sleep deprivation on PERIOD-2 (PER2) protein both in intact and suprachiasmatic nuclei-lesioned mice. In vivo and in situ PER2 imaging during baseline, sleep deprivation, and recovery. Mouse sleep-recording facility. Per2::Luciferase knock-in mice. N/A. Six-hour sleep deprivation increased PER2 not only in the brain but also in liver and kidney. Remarkably, the effects in the liver outlasted those observed in the brain. Within the brain the increase in PER2 concerned the cerebral cortex mainly, while leaving suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) levels unaffected. Against expectation, sleep deprivation did not increase PER2 in the brain of arrhythmic SCN-lesioned mice because of higher PER2 levels in baseline. In contrast, liver PER2 levels did increase in these mice similar to the sham and partially lesioned controls. Our results stress the importance of considering both sleep-wake dependent and circadian processes when quantifying clock-gene levels. Because sleep deprivation alters PERIOD-2 in the brain as well as in the periphery, it is tempting to speculate that clock genes constitute a common pathway mediating the shared and well-known adverse effects of both chronic sleep loss and disrupted circadian rhythmicity on metabolic health. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

2-AG into the lateral hypothalamus increases REM sleep and cFos expression in melanin concentrating hormone neurons in rats.

PubMed

Pérez-Morales, Marcel; De La Herrán-Arita, Alberto K; Méndez-Díaz, Mónica; Ruiz-Contreras, Alejandra E; Drucker-Colín, René; Prospéro-García, Oscar

2013-07-01

Orexins/hypocretins (OX) and melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) neurons located in the lateral hypothalamus seem to modulate different stages of the sleep-wake cycle. OX are necessary for wakefulness and MCH appears to regulate rapid eye movement sleep (REMS). Likewise, endocannabinoids, the endogenous ligands for cannabinoid receptors 1 and 2 (CB1R, CB2R), also modulate REMS in rats. Moreover, it has been shown that the activation of the CB1R in the lateral hypothalamus of rats excites MCH neurons while inhibiting OX neurons in in vitro preparations. Hence, we assessed the effects of 2-arachidonoylglicerol (2-AG, an endocannabinoid) in the lateral hypothalamus on the sleep-wake cycle of rats. We also utilized the CB1R inverse agonist AM251 to further support the involvement of this receptor, and we performed double immunofluorescence experiments to detect c-Fos, as a marker of neural activation, in OX and in MCH neurons to determine which neurons were activated. Our results indicate that 2-AG increases REMS through CB1R activation, and increases c-Fos expression in MCH neurons. These results suggest that endocannabinoid activation of the CB1R in the lateral hypothalamus, which activates MCH neurons, is one mechanism by which REMS is triggered. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Insufficient sleep in adolescents: causes and consequences.

PubMed

Owens, Judith A; Weiss, Miriam R

2017-08-01

Insufficient sleep poses an important and complicated set of health risks in the adolescent population. Not only is deficient sleep (defined as both sleep duration inadequate to meet sleep needs and sleep timing misaligned with the body's circadian rhythms) at epidemic levels in this population, but the contributing factors are both complex and numerous and there are a myriad of negative physical and mental health, safety and performance consequences. Causes of inadequate sleep identified in this population include internal biological processes such as the normal shift (delay) in circadian rhythm that occurs in association with puberty and a developmentally-based slowing of the "sleep drive", and external factors including extracurricular activities, excessive homework load, evening use of electronic media, caffeine intake and early school start times. Consequences range from inattentiveness, reduction in executive functioning and poor academic performance to increased risk of obesity and cardio-metabolic dysfunction, mood disturbances which include increased suicidal ideation, a higher risk of engaging in health risk behaviors such as alcohol and substance use, and increased rates of car crashes, occupational injuries and sports-related injuries. In response to these concerns, a number of promising measures have been proposed to reduce the burden of adolescent sleep loss, including healthy sleep education for students and families, and later school start times to allow adolescents to obtain sufficient and appropriately-timed sleep.

Effects of subacute ingestion of chlorogenic acids on sleep architecture and energy metabolism through activity of the autonomic nervous system: a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blinded cross-over trial.

PubMed

Park, Insung; Ochiai, Ryuji; Ogata, Hitomi; Kayaba, Momoko; Hari, Sayaka; Hibi, Masanobu; Katsuragi, Yoshihisa; Satoh, Makoto; Tokuyama, Kumpei

2017-04-01

Chlorogenic acids (CGA) are the most abundant polyphenols in coffee. Continuous consumption of CGA reduces body fat and body weight. Since energy metabolism and sleep are controlled by common regulatory factors, consumption of CGA might modulate sleep. Lack of sleep has been identified as a risk factor for obesity, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of ingesting CGA over 5 d on energy metabolism and sleep quality in humans. A total of nine healthy subjects (four male and five female) completed a placebo-controlled, double-blinded, cross-over intervention study. Subjects consumed a test beverage containing 0 or 600 mg of CGA for 5 d. On the fifth night, subjects stayed in a whole-room metabolic chamber to measure energy metabolism; sleep was evaluated using polysomnographic recording. It was found that CGA shortened sleep latency (9 (sem 2) v. 16 (sem 4) min, P<0·05) compared with the control, whereas no effect on sleep architecture, such as slow-wave sleep, rapid eye movement or waking after sleep onset, was observed. Indirect calorimetry revealed that consumption of CGA increased fat oxidation (510 (sem 84) kJ/8 h (122 (sem 20) kcal/8 h) v. 331 (sem 79) kJ/8 h (81 (sem 19) kcal/8 h), P<0·05) but did not affect energy expenditure during sleep. Consumption of CGA enhanced parasympathetic activity assessed from heart-rate variability during sleep (999 (sem 77) v. 919 (sem 54), P<0·05). A period of 5-d CGA consumption significantly increased fat oxidation during sleep, suggesting that beverages containing CGA may be beneficial to reduce body fat and prevent obesity. Consumption of CGA shortened sleep latency and did not adversely affect sleep quality.

Sleep intensity and the evolution of human cognition.

PubMed

Samson, David R; Nunn, Charles L

2015-01-01

Over the past four decades, scientists have made substantial progress in understanding the evolution of sleep patterns across the Tree of Life. Remarkably, the specifics of sleep along the human lineage have been slow to emerge. This is surprising, given our unique mental and behavioral capacity and the importance of sleep for individual cognitive performance. One view is that our species' sleep architecture is in accord with patterns documented in other mammals. We promote an alternative view, that human sleep is highly derived relative to that of other primates. Based on new and existing evidence, we specifically propose that humans are more efficient in their sleep patterns than are other primates, and that human sleep is shorter, deeper, and exhibits a higher proportion of REM than expected. Thus, we propose the sleep intensity hypothesis: Early humans experienced selective pressure to fulfill sleep needs in the shortest time possible. Several factors likely served as selective pressures for more efficient sleep, including increased predation risk in terrestrial environments, threats from intergroup conflict, and benefits arising from increased social interaction. Less sleep would enable longer active periods in which to acquire and transmit new skills and knowledge, while deeper sleep may be critical for the consolidation of those skills, leading to enhanced cognitive abilities in early humans. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Vascular compliance limits during sleep deprivation and recovery sleep.

PubMed

Phillips, Derrick J; Schei, Jennifer L; Rector, David M

2013-10-01

Our previous studies showed that evoked hemodynamic responses are smaller during wake compared to sleep; suggesting neural activity is associated with vascular expansion and decreased compliance. We explored whether prolonged activity during sleep deprivation may exacerbate vascular expansion and blunt hemodynamic responses. Evoked auditory responses were generated with periodic 65 dB speaker clicks over a 72-h period and measured with cortical electrodes. Evoked hemodynamic responses were measured simultaneously with optical techniques using three light-emitting diodes, and a photodiode. Animals were housed in separate 30×30×80 cm enclosures, tethered to a commutator system and maintained on a 12-h light/dark cycle. Food and water were available ad libitum. Seven adult female Sprague-Dawley rats. Following a 24-h baseline recording, sleep deprivation was initiated for 0 to 10 h by gentle handling, followed by a 24-h recovery sleep recording. Evoked electrical and hemodynamic responses were measured before, during, and after sleep deprivation. Following deprivation, evoked hemodynamic amplitudes were blunted. Steady-state oxyhemoglobin concentration increased during deprivation and remained high during the initial recovery period before returning to baseline levels after approximately 9-h. Sleep deprivation resulted in blood vessel expansion and decreased compliance while lower basal neural activity during recovery sleep may allow blood vessel compliance to recover. Chronic sleep restriction or sleep deprivation could push the vasculature to critical levels, limiting blood delivery, and leading to metabolic deficits with the potential for neural trauma.

The Effects of the Sleep Quality of 112 Emergency Health Workers in Kayseri, Turkey on Their Professional Life.

PubMed

Senol, Vesile; Soyuer, Ferhan; Guleser, Gulsum Nihal; Argun, Mahmut; Avsarogullari, Levent

2014-12-01

Sleep adequacy is one of the major determinants of a successful professional life. The aim of this study is to determine the sleep quality of emergency health workers and analyze its effects on their professional and social lives. The study was carried out on 121 voluntary emergency health workers in 112 Emergency Aid Stations in Kayseri, Turkey, in 2011. The data was collected through the Socio-Demographics Form and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and analyzed via SPSS 18.00. The statistical analysis involved percentage and frequency distributions, mean±standard deviations, a chi-square test, correlations, and logistic regression analysis. The mean score of the participants according to the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index was 4.14±3.09, and 28.9% of participants had poor sleep quality. Being single and being a woman accounted for 11% (p=0.009, 95% CI: 0.111-0.726) and 7% (p=0.003, 95% CI: 0.065-0.564) of poor sleep quality respectively. There was a positive correlation between sleep quality scores and negative effects on professional and social life activities. Negative effects on professional activities included increased loss of attention and concentration (40.0%, p=0,016), increased failure to take emergency actions (57.9%, p=0.001), reduced motivation (46.2%, p=0.004), reduced performance (41.4%, p=0.024), and low work efficiency (48.1%, p=0.008). Poor sleep quality generally negatively affected the daily life of the workers (51.6%, p=0.004), restricted their social life activities (45.7%, p=0.034), and caused them to experience communication difficulties (34.7%, p=0.229). One third of the emergency health workers had poor sleep quality and experienced high levels of sleep deficiency. Being a woman and being single were the most important factors in low sleep quality. Poor sleep quality continuously affected daily life and professional life negatively by leading to a serious level of fatigue, loss of attention-concentration, and low levels of motivation, performance and efficiency.

Testing the involvement of the prefrontal cortex in lucid dreaming: a tDCS study.

PubMed

Stumbrys, Tadas; Erlacher, Daniel; Schredl, Michael

2013-12-01

Recent studies suggest that lucid dreaming (awareness of dreaming while dreaming) might be associated with increased brain activity over frontal regions during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. By applying transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS), we aimed to manipulate the activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) during REM sleep to increase dream lucidity. Nineteen participants spent three consecutive nights in a sleep laboratory. On the second and third nights they randomly received either 1 mA tDCS for 10 min or sham stimulation during each REM period starting with the second one. According to the participants' self-ratings, tDCS over the DLPFC during REM sleep increased lucidity in dreams. The effects, however, were not strong and found only in frequent lucid dreamers. While this indicates some preliminary support for the involvement of the DLPFC in lucid dreaming, further research, controlling for indirect effects of stimulation and including other brain regions, is needed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Vi. Marital conflict, vagal regulation, and children's sleep: a longitudinal investigation.

PubMed

El-Sheikh, Mona; Hinnant, J Benjamin; Erath, Stephen A

2015-03-01

We examined longitudinal relations between adult interpartner conflict (referred to as marital conflict) and children's subsequent sleep minutes and quality assessed objectively via actigraphy, and tested parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) activity indexed through respiratory sinus arrhythmia reactivity (RSA-R) and initial sleep as moderators of predictive associations. At Wave 1 (W1), children (85 boys, 75 girls) with a mean age of 9.43 years (SD=.69) reported on marital conflict, and their sleep was assessed with actigraphs for seven nights. Sleep minutes, sleep efficiency, sleep activity, and number of long wake episodes were derived. RSA-R was measured in response to a lab challenge. Sleep parameters were assessed again 1 year later at Wave 2 (W2; mean age=10.39; SD=.64). Analyses consistently revealed 3-way interactions among W1 marital conflict, sleep, and RSA-R as predictors of W2 sleep parameters. Sleep was stable among children with more sleep minutes and better sleep quality at W1 or low exposure to marital conflict at W1. Illustrating conditional risk, marital conflict predicted increased sleep problems (reduced sleep minutes, worse sleep quality) at W2 among children with poorer sleep at W1 in conjunction with less apt physiological regulation (i.e., lower levels of RSA-R or less vagal withdrawal) at W1. Findings build on the scant literature and underscore the importance of simultaneous consideration of bioregulatory systems (PNS and initial sleep in this study) in conjunction with family processes in the prediction of children's later sleep parameters. © 2015 The Society for Research in Child Development, Inc.

Orexin and Epilepsy: Potential Role of REM Sleep.

PubMed

Ng, Marcus C

2017-03-01

Interest in orexin receptor antagonism as a novel mechanism of action against seizures and epilepsy has increased in recent years. Loss of orexinergic activity is associated with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep onset, and REM sleep is generally protective against seizures. This paper discusses the dynamic modulation of seizure threshold by orexin through a postulated "orexi-cortical" axis in which the specific type of orexinergic activity exquisitely regulates sleep-wake states to modify ascending subcortical influences on cortical synchronization with profound subsequent consequences on seizure threshold. This paper also explores the current state of research into experimental orexinergic modulation of seizure threshold and suggests possible future research directions to fully understand the promise and peril of orexinergic manipulation in seizures and epilepsy. © Sleep Research Society 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Sleep and the Price of Plasticity: From Synaptic and Cellular Homeostasis to Memory Consolidation and Integration

PubMed Central

Tononi, Giulio; Cirelli, Chiara

2014-01-01

Summary Sleep is universal, tightly regulated, and its loss impairs cognition. But why does the brain need to disconnect from the environment for hours every day? The synaptic homeostasis hypothesis (SHY) proposes that sleep is the price the brain pays for plasticity. During a waking episode, learning statistical regularities about the current environment requires strengthening connections throughout the brain. This increases cellular needs for energy and supplies, decreases signal-to-noise ratios, and saturates learning. During sleep, spontaneous activity renormalizes net synaptic strength and restores cellular homeostasis. Activity-dependent down-selection of synapses can also explain the benefits of sleep on memory acquisition, consolidation, and integration. This happens through the off-line, comprehensive sampling of statistical regularities incorporated in neuronal circuits over a lifetime. This review considers the rationale and evidence for SHY and points to open issues related to sleep and plasticity. PMID:24411729

Sleep and the price of plasticity: from synaptic and cellular homeostasis to memory consolidation and integration.

PubMed

Tononi, Giulio; Cirelli, Chiara

2014-01-08

Sleep is universal, tightly regulated, and its loss impairs cognition. But why does the brain need to disconnect from the environment for hours every day? The synaptic homeostasis hypothesis (SHY) proposes that sleep is the price the brain pays for plasticity. During a waking episode, learning statistical regularities about the current environment requires strengthening connections throughout the brain. This increases cellular needs for energy and supplies, decreases signal-to-noise ratios, and saturates learning. During sleep, spontaneous activity renormalizes net synaptic strength and restores cellular homeostasis. Activity-dependent down-selection of synapses can also explain the benefits of sleep on memory acquisition, consolidation, and integration. This happens through the offline, comprehensive sampling of statistical regularities incorporated in neuronal circuits over a lifetime. This Perspective considers the rationale and evidence for SHY and points to open issues related to sleep and plasticity. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Stilbene Glucoside, a Putative Sleep Promoting Constituent from Polygonum multiflorum Affects Sleep Homeostasis by Affecting the Activities of Lactate Dehydrogenase and Salivary Alpha Amylase.

PubMed

Wei, Qian; Ta, Guang; He, Wenjing; Wang, Wei; Wu, Qiucheng

2017-01-01

Chinese herbal medicine (CHM) has been used for treating insomnia for centuries. The most used CHM for insomnia was Polygonum multiflorum. However, the molecular mechanism for CHM preventing insomnia is unknown. Stilbene glucoside (THSG), an important active component of P. multiflorum, may play an important role for treating insomnia. To test the hypothesis, Kunming mice were treated with different dosages of THSG. To examine the sleep duration, a computer-controlled sleep-wake detection system was implemented. Electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram (EMG) electrodes were implanted to determine sleep-wake state. RT-PCR and Western blot was used to measure the levels of lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and saliva alpha amylase. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient was used to identify the strength of correlation between the variables. The results showed that THSG significantly prolonged the sleep time of the mice (p<0.01). THSG changed sleep profile by reducing wake and rapid eye movement (REM) period, and increasing non-REM period. RT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed that THSG could down-regulate the levels of LDH and saliva alpha amylase (p<0.05). The level of lactate and glucose was positively related with the activity of LDH and saliva alpha amylase (p<0.05), respectively. On the other hand, the activities of LDH and amylase were negatively associated with sleep duration (p<0.05). The levels of lactate and glucose affect sleep homeostasis. Thus, THSG may prevent insomnia by regulating sleep duration via LDH and salivary alpha amylase.

Upper airway muscles awake and asleep.

PubMed

Sériès, Frédéric

2002-06-01

Upper airway (UA) structures are involved in different respiratory and non-respiratory tasks. The coordination of agonist and antagonist UA dilators is responsible for their mechanical function and their ability to maintain UA patency throughout the respiratory cycle. The activity of these muscles is linked with central respiratory activity but also depends on UA pressure changes and is greatly influenced by sleep. UA muscles are involved in determining UA resistance and stability (i.e. closing pressure), and the effect of sleep on these variables may be accounted for by its effect on tonic and phasic skeletal muscle activities. The mechanical effects of UA dilator contraction also depend on their physiological properties (capacity to generate tension in vitro, activity of the anaerobic enzymatic pathway, histo-chemical characteristics that may differ between subjects who may or may not have sleep-related obstructive breathing disorders). These characteristics may represent an adaptive process to an increased resistive loading of these muscles. The apparent discrepancy between the occurrence of UA closure and an increased capacity to generate tension in sleep apnea patients may be due to a reduction in the effectiveness of UA muscle contraction in these patients; such an increase in tissue stiffness could be accounted for by peri-muscular tissue characteristics. Therefore, understanding of UA muscle physiological characteristics should take into account its capacity for force production and its mechanical coupling with other UA tissues. Important research goals for the future will be to integrate these issues with other physiological features of the disease, such as UA size and dimension, histological characteristics of UA tissues and the effect of sleep on muscle function. Such integration will better inform understanding of the role of pharyngeal UA muscles in the pathophysiology of the sleep apnea/hypopnea syndrome.

Pulse Wave Amplitude Drops during Sleep are Reliable Surrogate Markers of Changes in Cortical Activity

PubMed Central

Delessert, Alexandre; Espa, Fabrice; Rossetti, Andrea; Lavigne, Gilles; Tafti, Mehdi; Heinzer, Raphael

2010-01-01

Background: During sleep, sudden drops in pulse wave amplitude (PWA) measured by pulse oximetry are commonly associated with simultaneous arousals and are thought to result from autonomic vasoconstriction. In the present study, we determine whether PWA drops were associated with changes in cortical activity as determined by EEG spectral analysis. Methods: A 20% decrease in PWA was chosen as a minimum for a drop. A total of 1085 PWA drops from 10 consecutive sleep recordings were analyzed. EEG spectral analysis was performed over 5 consecutive epochs of 5 seconds: 2 before, 1 during, and 2 after the PWA drop. EEG spectral analysis was performed over delta, theta, alpha, sigma, and beta frequency bands. Within each frequency band, power density was compared across the five 5-sec epochs. Presence or absence of visually scored EEG arousals were adjudicated by an investigator blinded to the PWA signal and considered associated with PWA drop if concomitant. Results: A significant increase in EEG power density in all EEG frequency bands was found during PWA drops (P < 0.001) compared to before and after drop. Even in the absence of visually scored arousals, PWA drops were associated with a significant increase in EEG power density (P < 0.001) in most frequency bands. Conclusions: Drops in PWA are associated with a significant increase in EEG power density, suggesting that these events can be used as a surrogate for changes in cortical activity during sleep. This approach may prove of value in scoring respiratory events on limited-channel (type III) portable monitors. Citation: Delessert A; Espa F; Rossetti A; Lavigne G; Tafti M; Heinzer R. Pulse wave amplitude drops during sleep are reliable surrogate markers of changes in cortical activity. SLEEP 2010;33(12):1687-1692. PMID:21120131

Vascular Compliance Limits during Sleep Deprivation and Recovery Sleep

PubMed Central

Phillips, Derrick J.; Schei, Jennifer L.; Rector, David M.

2013-01-01

Study Objectives: Our previous studies showed that evoked hemodynamic responses are smaller during wake compared to sleep; suggesting neural activity is associated with vascular expansion and decreased compliance. We explored whether prolonged activity during sleep deprivation may exacerbate vascular expansion and blunt hemodynamic responses. Design: Evoked auditory responses were generated with periodic 65dB speaker clicks over a 72-h period and measured with cortical electrodes. Evoked hemodynamic responses were measured simultaneously with optical techniques using three light-emitting diodes, and a photodiode. Setting: Animals were housed in separate 30×30×80cm enclosures, tethered to a commutator system and maintained on a 12-h light/dark cycle. Food and water were available ad libitum. Patients or Participants: Seven adult female Sprague-Dawley rats. Interventions: Following a 24-h baseline recording, sleep deprivation was initiated for 0 to 10 h by gentle handling, followed by a 24-h recovery sleep recording. Evoked electrical and hemodynamic responses were measured before, during, and after sleep deprivation. Measurements and Results: Following deprivation, evoked hemodynamic amplitudes were blunted. Steady-state oxyhemoglobin concentration increased during deprivation and remained high during the initial recovery period before returning to baseline levels after approximately 9-h. Conclusions: Sleep deprivation resulted in blood vessel expansion and decreased compliance while lower basal neural activity during recovery sleep may allow blood vessel compliance to recover. Chronic sleep restriction or sleep deprivation could push the vasculature to critical levels, limiting blood delivery, and leading to metabolic deficits with the potential for neural trauma. Citation: Phillips DJ; Schei JL; Rector DM. Vascular compliance limits during sleep deprivation and recovery sleep. SLEEP 2013;36(10):1459-1470. PMID:24082305

Orexin Neurons Are Necessary for the Circadian Control of REM Sleep

PubMed Central

Kantor, Sandor; Mochizuki, Takatoshi; Janisiewicz, Agnieszka M.; Clark, Erika; Nishino, Seiji; Scammell, Thomas E.

2009-01-01

Study Objectives: The orexin-producing neurons are hypothesized to be essential for the circadian control of sleep/wake behavior, but it remains unknown whether these rhythms are mediated by the orexin peptides or by other signaling molecules released by these neurons such as glutamate or dynorphin. To determine the roles of these neurotransmitters, we examined the circadian rhythms of sleep/wake behavior in mice lacking the orexin neurons (ataxin-3 [Atx] mice) and mice lacking just the orexin neuropeptides (orexin knockout [KO] mice). Design: We instrumented mice for recordings of sleep-wake behavior, locomotor activity (LMA), and body temperature (Tb) and recorded behavior after 6 days in constant darkness. Results: The amplitude of the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep rhythm was substantially reduced in Atx mice but preserved in orexin KO mice. This blunted rhythm in Atx mice was caused by an increase in the amount of REM sleep during the subjective night (active period) due to more transitions into REM sleep and longer REM sleep episodes. In contrast, the circadian variations of Tb, LMA, Wake, non-REM sleep, and cataplexy were normal, suggesting that the circadian timekeeping system and other output pathways are intact in both Atx and KO mice. Conclusions: These results indicate that the orexin neurons are necessary for the circadian suppression of REM sleep. Blunting of the REM sleep rhythm in Atx mice but not in orexin KO mice suggests that other signaling molecules such as dynorphin or glutamate may act in concert with orexins to suppress REM sleep during the active period. Citation: Kantor S; Mochizuki T; Janisiewicz AM; Clark E; Nishino S; Scammell TE. Orexin neurons are necessary for the circadian control of REM sleep. SLEEP 2009;32(9):1127-1134. PMID:19750917

Brain extracellular glucose assessed by voltammetry throughout the rat sleep-wake cycle.

PubMed

Netchiporouk, L; Shram, N; Salvert, D; Cespuglio, R

2001-04-01

In the present study, cortical extracellular levels of glucose were monitored for the first time throughout the sleep-wake states of the freely moving rat. For this purpose, polygraphic recordings (electroencephalogram of the fronto-occipital cortices and electromyogram of the neck muscles) were achieved in combination with differential normal pulse voltammetry (DNPV) using a specific glucose sensor. Data obtained reveal that the basal extracellular glucose concentration in the conscious rat is 0.59 +/- 0.3 m M while under chloral hydrate anaesthesia (0.4 g/kg, i.p.) it increases up to 180% of its basal concentration. Regarding the sleep-wake cycle, the existence of spontaneous significant variations in the mean glucose level during slow-wave sleep (SWS = +13%) and paradoxical sleep (PS = -11%) compared with the waking state (100%) is also reported. It is to be noticed that during long periods of active waking, glucose level tends towards a decrease that becomes significant after 15 min (active waking = -32%). On the contrary, during long episodes of slow-wave sleep, it tends towards an increase which becomes significant after 12 min (SWS = +28%). It is suggested that voltammetric techniques using enzymatic biosensors are useful tools allowing direct glucose measurements in the freely moving animal. On the whole, paradoxical sleep is pointed out as a state highly dependent on the availability of energy and slow-wave sleep as a period of energy saving.

Endocannabinoid Signaling Regulates Sleep Stability.

PubMed

Pava, Matthew J; Makriyannis, Alexandros; Lovinger, David M

2016-01-01

The hypnogenic properties of cannabis have been recognized for centuries, but endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid) regulation of vigilance states is poorly characterized. We report findings from a series of experiments in mice measuring sleep with polysomnography after various systemic pharmacological manipulations of the endocannabinoid system. Rapid, unbiased scoring of vigilance states was achieved using an automated algorithm that we devised and validated. Increasing endocannabinoid tone with a selective inhibitor of monoacyglycerol lipase (JZL184) or fatty acid amide hydrolase (AM3506) produced a transient increase in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep due to an augmentation of the length of NREM bouts (NREM stability). Similarly, direct activation of type 1 cannabinoid (CB1) receptors with CP47,497 increased NREM stability, but both CP47,497 and JZL184 had a secondary effect that reduced NREM sleep time and stability. This secondary response to these drugs was similar to the early effect of CB1 blockade with the antagonist/inverse agonist AM281, which fragmented NREM sleep. The magnitude of the effects produced by JZL184 and AM281 were dependent on the time of day this drug was administered. While activation of CB1 resulted in only a slight reduction in gamma power, CB1 blockade had dramatic effects on broadband power in the EEG, particularly at low frequencies. However, CB1 blockade did not significantly reduce the rebound in NREM sleep following total sleep deprivation. These results support the hypothesis that endocannabinoid signaling through CB1 is necessary for NREM stability but it is not necessary for sleep homeostasis.

Endocannabinoid Signaling Regulates Sleep Stability

PubMed Central

Pava, Matthew J.; Makriyannis, Alexandros; Lovinger, David M.

2016-01-01

The hypnogenic properties of cannabis have been recognized for centuries, but endogenous cannabinoid (endocannabinoid) regulation of vigilance states is poorly characterized. We report findings from a series of experiments in mice measuring sleep with polysomnography after various systemic pharmacological manipulations of the endocannabinoid system. Rapid, unbiased scoring of vigilance states was achieved using an automated algorithm that we devised and validated. Increasing endocannabinoid tone with a selective inhibitor of monoacyglycerol lipase (JZL184) or fatty acid amide hydrolase (AM3506) produced a transient increase in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep due to an augmentation of the length of NREM bouts (NREM stability). Similarly, direct activation of type 1 cannabinoid (CB1) receptors with CP47,497 increased NREM stability, but both CP47,497 and JZL184 had a secondary effect that reduced NREM sleep time and stability. This secondary response to these drugs was similar to the early effect of CB1 blockade with the antagonist/inverse agonist AM281, which fragmented NREM sleep. The magnitude of the effects produced by JZL184 and AM281 were dependent on the time of day this drug was administered. While activation of CB1 resulted in only a slight reduction in gamma power, CB1 blockade had dramatic effects on broadband power in the EEG, particularly at low frequencies. However, CB1 blockade did not significantly reduce the rebound in NREM sleep following total sleep deprivation. These results support the hypothesis that endocannabinoid signaling through CB1 is necessary for NREM stability but it is not necessary for sleep homeostasis. PMID:27031992

Low physical activity and high screen time can increase the risks of mental health problems and poor sleep quality among Chinese college students.

PubMed

Wu, Xiaoyan; Tao, Shuman; Zhang, Yukun; Zhang, Shichen; Tao, Fangbiao

2015-01-01

To test the independent and interactive associations of physical activity (PA) and screen time (ST) with self-reported mental health and sleep quality among Chinese college students. Data were collected in October, 2013. The gender, age, residential background, body mass index (BMI), perceived family economy and perceived study burden were obtained from a total of 4747 college students (41.6% males and 58.4% females). The outcomes were self-reported PA status, ST, anxiety, depression, psychopathological symptoms and sleep quality. Analyses were conducted with logistic regression models. Overall, 16.3%, 15.9% and 17.3% of the students had psychological problems, such as anxiety, depression and psychopathological symptoms, respectively. The prevalence of poor sleep quality was 9.8%. High ST was significantly positively associated with anxiety (OR=1.38, 95%CI: 1.15-1.65), depression (OR=1.76, 95%CI: 1.47-2.09), psychopathological symptoms (OR=1.69, 95%CI: 1.43-2.01) and poor sleep quality (OR=1.32, 95%CI: 1.06-1.65). High PA was insignificantly negatively associated with anxiety, depression, psychopathological symptoms and poor sleep. Low PA and high ST were independently and interactively associated with increased risks of mental health problems and poor sleep quality (p<0.05 for all). Interventions are needed to reduce ST and increase PA in the lifestyles of young people. Future research should develop and measure the impacts of interventions and their potential consequences on sleep, health, and well being.

Obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

White, David P; Younes, Magdy K

2012-10-01

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common disorder characterized by repetitive collapse of the pharyngeal airway during sleep. Control of pharyngeal patency is a complex process relating primarily to basic anatomy and the activity of many pharyngeal dilator muscles. The control of these muscles is regulated by a number of processes including respiratory drive, negative pressure reflexes, and state (sleep) effects. In general, patients with OSA have an anatomically small airway the patency of which is maintained during wakefulness by reflex-driven augmented dilator muscle activation. At sleep onset, muscle activity falls, thereby compromising the upper airway. However, recent data suggest that the mechanism of OSA differs substantially among patients, with variable contributions from several physiologic characteristics including, among others: level of upper airway dilator muscle activation required to open the airway, increase in chemical drive required to recruit the pharyngeal muscles, chemical control loop gain, and arousal threshold. Thus, the cause of sleep apnea likely varies substantially between patients. Other physiologic mechanisms likely contributing to OSA pathogenesis include falling lung volume during sleep, shifts in blood volume from peripheral tissues to the neck, and airway edema. Apnea severity may progress over time, likely due to weight gain, muscle/nerve injury, aging effects on airway anatomy/collapsibility, and changes in ventilatory control stability. © 2012 American Physiological Society

Management of sleep-time masticatory muscle activity using stabilisation splints affects psychological stress.

PubMed

Takahashi, H; Masaki, C; Makino, M; Yoshida, M; Mukaibo, T; Kondo, Y; Nakamoto, T; Hosokawa, R

2013-12-01

To treat sleep bruxism (SB), symptomatic therapy using stabilisation splints (SS) is frequently used. However, their effects on psychological stress and sleep quality have not yet been examined fully. The objective of this study was to clarify the effects of SS use on psychological stress and sleep quality. The subjects (11 men, 12 women) were healthy volunteers. A crossover design was used. Sleep measurements were performed for three consecutive days or longer without (baseline) or with an SS or palatal splint (PS), and data for the final day were evaluated. We measured masseter muscle activity during sleep using portable electromyography to evaluate SB. Furthermore, to compare psychological stress before and after sleep, assessments were made based on STAI-JYZ and the measurement of salivary chromogranin A. To compare each parameter among the three groups (baseline, SS and PS), Friedman's and Dunn's tests were used. From the results of the baseline measurements, eight subjects were identified as high group and 15 as low group. Among the high group, a marked decrease in the number of bruxism events per hour and an increase in the difference in the total STAI Y-1 scores were observed in the SS group compared with those at baseline (P < 0·05). No significant difference was observed in sleep stages. SS use may be effective in reducing the number of SB events, while it may increase psychological stress levels, and SS use did not apparently influence sleep stages. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Changes in sleep theta rhythm are related to episodic memory impairment in early Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Hot, Pascal; Rauchs, Géraldine; Bertran, Françoise; Denise, Pierre; Desgranges, Béatrice; Clochon, Patrice; Eustache, Francis

2011-07-01

Impairments have been reported both in sleep structure and episodic memory in Alzheimer's disease [AD]. Our objective was to investigate the relationships between episodic memory deficits and electro-encephalography [EEG] abnormalities occurring during sleep in patients with early AD. Postlearning sleep was recorded in 14 patients with mild to moderate AD, and 14 healthy elderly controls after they performed an episodic memory task derived from the Grober and Buschke's procedure. For each sleep stage, the relative power and mean frequency in each band were analyzed. Relative to agematched controls, AD patients presented faster mean theta frequency in both REM sleep and slow wave sleep [SWS]. In AD patients, a correlative analysis revealed that faster theta frequency during SWS was associated with better delayed episodic recall. We assume that increased theta activity reflects changes in neuronal activity to maintain memory performance, indicating that compensatory mechanisms already described at the waking state could also be engaged during SWS. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Re-presentation of Olfactory Exposure Therapy Success Cues during Non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep did not Increase Therapy Outcome but Increased Sleep Spindles

PubMed Central

Rihm, Julia S.; Sollberger, Silja B.; Soravia, Leila M.; Rasch, Björn

2016-01-01

Exposure therapy induces extinction learning and is an effective treatment for specific phobias. Sleep after learning promotes extinction memory and benefits therapy success. As sleep-dependent memory-enhancing effects are based on memory reactivations during sleep, here we aimed at applying the beneficial effect of sleep on therapy success by cueing memories of subjective therapy success during non-rapid eye movement sleep after in vivo exposure-based group therapy for spider phobia. In addition, oscillatory correlates of re-presentation during sleep (i.e., sleep spindles and slow oscillations) were investigated. After exposure therapy, spider-phobic patients verbalized their subjectively experienced therapy success under presence of a contextual odor. Then, patients napped for 90 min recorded by polysomnography. Half of the sleep group received the odor during sleep while the other half was presented an odorless vehicle as control. A third group served as a wake control group without odor presentation. While exposure therapy significantly reduced spider-phobic symptoms in all subjects, these symptoms could not be further reduced by re-presenting the odor associated with therapy success, probably due to a ceiling effect of the highly effective exposure therapy. However, odor re-exposure during sleep increased left-lateralized frontal slow spindle (11.0–13.0 Hz) and right-lateralized parietal fast spindle (13.0–15.0 Hz) activity, suggesting the possibility of a successful re-presentation of therapy-related memories during sleep. Future studies need to further examine the possibility to enhance therapy success by targeted memory reactivation (TMR) during sleep. PMID:27445775

Repeating patterns of sleep restriction and recovery: Do we get used to it?

PubMed

Simpson, Norah S; Diolombi, Moussa; Scott-Sutherland, Jennifer; Yang, Huan; Bhatt, Vrushank; Gautam, Shiva; Mullington, Janet; Haack, Monika

2016-11-01

Despite its prevalence in modern society, little is known about the long-term impact of restricting sleep during the week and 'catching up' on weekends. This common sleep pattern was experimentally modeled with three weeks of 5 nights of sleep restricted to 4h followed by two nights of 8-h recovery sleep. In an intra-individual design, 14 healthy adults completed both the sleep restriction and an 8-h control condition, and the subjective impact and the effects on physiological markers of stress (cortisol, the inflammatory marker IL-6, glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity) were assessed. Sleep restriction was not perceived to be subjectively stressful and some degree of resilience or resistance to the effects of sleep restriction was observed in subjective domains. In contrast, physiological stress response systems remain activated with repeated exposures to sleep restriction and limited recovery opportunity. Morning IL-6 expression in monocytes was significantly increased during week 2 and 3 of sleep restriction, and remained increased after recovery sleep in week 2 (p<0.05) and week 3 (p<0.09). Serum cortisol showed a significantly dysregulated 24h-rhythm during weeks 1, 2, and 3 of sleep restriction, with elevated morning cortisol, and decreased cortisol in the second half of the night. Glucocorticoid sensitivity of monocytes was increased, rather than decreased, during the sleep restriction and sleep recovery portion of each week. These results suggest a disrupted interplay between the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal and inflammatory systems in the context of repeated exposure to sleep restriction and recovery. The observed dissociation between subjective and physiological responses may help explain why many individuals continue with the behavior pattern of restricting and recovering sleep over long time periods, despite a cumulative deleterious physiological effect. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Different types of avoidance behavior in rats produce dissociable post-training changes in sleep.

PubMed

Fogel, Stuart M; Smith, Carlyle T; Higginson, Caitlin D; Beninger, Richard J

2011-02-01

Avoidance learning affects post-training sleep, and post-training sleep deprivation impairs performance. However, not all rats learn to make avoidance responses, and some rats fail to escape; a definitive behavior of learned helplessness, a model of depression. This study investigated the changes in sleep associated with different behaviors adopted following avoidance training. Rats (n=53) were trained for 100 trials over 2 days (50 trials/day), followed by 23-24 h of post-training polysomnography, then re-tested (25 trials). At re-test, rats were categorized into: 1) Active Avoiders (AA; n=22), 2), Non-learning (NL; n=21), or 3) Escape Failures (EF; n=10). AA rats increased avoidances over days, whereas the NL and EF groups did not. EF rats increased escape failures over days, whereas the NL and AA rats did not. EF rats had increased rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in the first 4h on training day 1. They also had increased non-REM sleep in the first 4h and last 4h on both training days. AA rats had increased REM sleep 13-20 h post-training. The type of behavioral strategy adopted throughout training is associated with a unique pattern of changes in post-training sleep. Training-dependent changes in post-acquisition sleep may reflect distinct processes involved in the consolidation of these different memory traces. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effects of the Mars Exploration Rovers (MER) Work Schedule Regime on Locomotor Activity Circadian Rhythms, Sleep and Fatigue

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

DeRoshia, Charles W.; Colletti, Laura C.; Mallis, Melissa M.

2008-01-01

This study assessed human adaptation to a Mars sol by evaluating sleep metrics obtained by actigraphy and subjective responses in 22 participants, and circadian rhythmicity in locomotor activity in 9 participants assigned to Mars Exploration Rover (MER) operational work schedules (24.65 hour days) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2004. During MER operations, increased work shift durations and reduced sleep durations and time in bed were associated with the appearance of pronounced 12-hr (circasemidian) rhythms with reduced activity levels. Sleep duration, workload, and circadian rhythm stability have important implications for adaptability and maintenance of operational performance not only of MER operations personnel but also in space crews exposed to a Mars sol of 24.65 hours during future Mars missions.

Can Sleep and Resting Behaviours Be Used as Indicators of Welfare in Shelter Dogs (Canis lupus familiaris)?

PubMed

Owczarczak-Garstecka, Sara C; Burman, Oliver H P

2016-01-01

Previous research on humans and animals suggests that the analysis of sleep patterns may reliably inform us about welfare status, but little research of this kind has been carried out for non-human animals in an applied context. This study explored the use of sleep and resting behaviour as indicators of welfare by describing the activity patterns of dogs (Canis lupus familiaris) housed in rescue shelters, and comparing their sleep patterns to other behavioural and cognitive measures of welfare. Sleep and activity patterns were observed over five non-consecutive days in a population of 15 dogs. Subsequently, the characteristics of sleep and resting behaviour were described and the impact of activity on patterns of sleep and resting behaviour analysed. Shelter dogs slept for 2.8% of the day, 14.3% less than previously reported and experienced less sleep fragmentation at night (32 sleep bouts). There were no statistically significant relationships between behaviours exhibited during the day and sleep behaviour. A higher proportion of daytime resting behaviour was significantly associated with a positive judgement bias, less repetitive behaviour and increased time spent coded as 'relaxed' across days by shelter staff. These results suggest that, in the context of a busy shelter environment, the ability to rest more during the day could be a sign of improved welfare. Considering the non-linear relationship between sleep and welfare in humans, the relationship between sleep and behavioural indicators of welfare, including judgement bias, in shelter dogs may be more complex than this study could detect.

Excessive daytime sleepiness does not correlate with sympathetic nervous system activation and arterial stiffening in patients with mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnoea: A proof-of-principle study.

PubMed

Bisogni, Valeria; Pengo, Martino F; Drakatos, Panagis; Maiolino, Giuseppe; Kent, Brian; Rossitto, Giacomo; Steier, Joerg; Rossi, Gian Paolo

2017-06-01

Increased arterial stiffness and sympathetic nervous system activity, independent markers of cardiovascular risk, are common in patients with severe obstructive sleep apnoea, who have excessive daytime sleepiness. Among patients with mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnoea, however, it remains unknown whether arterial stiffness and/or increased sympathetic nervous system activity correlate with excessive daytime sleepiness. We measured heart rate variability, as an index of autonomic nervous system activity, and arterial stiffness index, as a marker of vascular damage and cardiovascular risk, in 56 men aged 18 to 75years, with mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnoea, and matched into two groups, "sleepy" (Epworth Sleepiness Scale≥10) and "non-sleepy" (Epworth Sleepiness Scale<10). We found no association of excessive daytime sleepiness with sympathetic nervous system activation (very low frequency power 18,947±11,207ms 2 vs 15,893±8,272ms 2 , p=0.28; low frequency (LH) power 17,753±8,441ms 2 vs 15,414±5,666ms 2 , p=0.26; high frequency (HF) power 7,527±1,979ms 2 vs 8,257±3,416ms 2 , p=0.36; LF/HF ratio 3.04±1.37 vs 2.55±1.01, p=0.15) and mean arterial stiffness index (6.97±0.83 vs 7.26±0.66, p=0.18) in mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnoea patients. Symptoms of excessive daytime sleepiness are not associated with sympathetic nervous system activation and arterial stiffness in male subjects with mild-to-moderate obstructive sleep apnoea. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Short sleep duration as a risk factor for hypercholesterolemia: analyses of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health.

PubMed

Gangwisch, James E; Malaspina, Dolores; Babiss, Lindsay A; Opler, Mark G; Posner, Kelly; Shen, Sa; Turner, J Blake; Zammit, Gary K; Ginsberg, Henry N

2010-07-01

To explore the relationship between sleep duration in adolescence and hypercholesterolemia in young adulthood. Experimental sleep restriction has been shown to significantly increase total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels in women. Short sleep duration has been found in cross sectional studies to be associated with higher total cholesterol and lower HDL cholesterol levels. Sleep deprivation could increase the risk for hypercholesterolemia by increasing appetite and dietary consumption of saturated fats, decreasing motivation to engage in regular physical activity, and increasing stress and resultant catecholamine induced lipolysis. No previous published population studies have examined the longitudinal relationship between sleep duration and high cholesterol. Multivariate longitudinal analyses stratified by sex of the ADD Health using logistic regression. United States nationally representative, school-based, probability-based sample. Adolescents (n = 14,257) in grades 7 to 12 at baseline (1994-95) and ages 18 to 26 at follow-up (2001-02). Among females, each additional hour of sleep was associated with a significantly decreased odds of being diagnosed with high cholesterol in young adulthood (OR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.75-0.96) after controlling for covariates. Additional sleep was associated with decreased, yet not statistically significant, odds ratios for hypercholesterolemia in males (OR = 0.91, 95% CI 0.79-1.05). Short sleep durations in adolescent women could be a significant risk factor for high cholesterol. Interventions that lengthen sleep could potentially serve as treatments and as primary preventative measures for hypercholesterolemia.

The Role of Implied Motion in Engaging Audiences for Health Promotion: Encouraging Naps on a College Campus

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mackert, Michael; Lazard, Allison; Guadagno, Marie; Hughes Wagner, Jessica

2014-01-01

Objective: Lack of sleep among college students negatively impacts health and academic outcomes. Building on research that implied motion imagery increases brain activity, this project tested visual design strategies to increase viewers' engagement with a health communication campaign promoting napping to improve sleep habits. Participants:…

Increased physical activity improves sleep and mood outcomes in inactive people with insomnia: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Hartescu, Iuliana; Morgan, Kevin; Stevinson, Clare D

2015-10-01

While high levels of activity and exercise training have been associated with improvements in sleep quality, minimum levels of activity likely to improve sleep outcomes have not been explored. A two-armed parallel randomized controlled trial (N=41; 30 females) was designed to assess whether increasing physical activity to the level recommended in public health guidelines can improve sleep quality among inactive adults meeting research diagnostic criteria for insomnia. The intervention consisted of a monitored program of ≥150 min of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity per week, for 6 months. The principal end-point was the Insomnia Severity Index at 6 months post-baseline. Secondary outcomes included measures of mood, fatigue and daytime sleepiness. Activity and light exposure were monitored throughout the trial using accelerometry and actigraphy. At 6 months post-baseline, the physical activity group showed significantly reduced insomnia symptom severity (F(8,26) = 5.16, P = 0.03), with an average reduction of four points on the Insomnia Severity Index; and significantly reduced depression and anxiety scores (F(6,28) = 5.61, P = 0.02; and F(6,28) = 4.41, P = 0.05, respectively). All of the changes were independent of daily light exposure. Daytime fatigue showed no significant effect of the intervention (F(8,26) = 1.84, P = 0.18). Adherence and retention were high. Internationally recommended minimum levels of physical activity improve daytime and night-time symptoms of chronic insomnia independent of daily light exposure levels. © 2015 European Sleep Research Society.

Motor Activity and Intra-Individual Variability According to Sleep-wake States in Preschool-aged Children with Iron-Deficiency Anemia in Infancy

PubMed Central

Angulo-Barroso, R.M.; Peirano, P.; Algarin, C.; Kaciroti, N.; Lozoff, B.

2013-01-01

Background A chronic or acute insult may affect the regulatory processes that guide motor and behavioral performance, leading to increased intra-individual variability (IIV). Increased variability is often interpreted as an indication of regulatory dysfunction. Iron plays an important role in the regulatory processes of the nervous system and affects motor activity. To our knowledge, no study has examined the long-lasting patterns and IIV of motor activity following iron-deficiency anemia in human infants. Aims This study compared 48-hour motor activity and variability in preschool-aged children with or without iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) in infancy. Methods Motor activity was recorded through actigraphs during two week-days in 47 4-year-old Chilean children (23 former IDA and 24 non-anemic in infancy). All were given oral iron as infants. Sleep-wake states were identified by means of automated software. The frequency of movement units per minute was determined for each waking/sleep state during the individual day and night periods; data were examined in blocks of 15 minutes. Analyses of mean frequency and duration and intra-individual variability were conducted using multivariate mixed models. Results For daytime sleep, former IDA children were more active without a difference in the total duration. They also spent less time awake throughout the individual day period. Motor activity intra-individual variability was higher in former IDA children. Conclusions The findings suggest that IDA in infancy sets the stage for long lasting dysfunction in the neural processes regulating sleep-wake states and spontaneous motor activity patterns. PMID:24041817

Motor activity and intra-individual variability according to sleep-wake states in preschool-aged children with iron-deficiency anemia in infancy.

PubMed

Angulo-Barroso, R M; Peirano, P; Algarin, C; Kaciroti, N; Lozoff, B

2013-12-01

A chronic or acute insult may affect the regulatory processes that guide motor and behavioral performance, leading to increased intra-individual variability (IIV). Increased variability is often interpreted as an indication of regulatory dysfunction. Iron plays an important role in the regulatory processes of the nervous system and affects motor activity. To our knowledge, no study has examined the long-lasting patterns and IIV of motor activity following iron-deficiency anemia in human infants. This study compared 48-h motor activity and variability in preschool-aged children with or without iron-deficiency anemia (IDA) in infancy. Motor activity was recorded through actigraphs during two week-days in 47 4-year-old Chilean children (23 former IDA and 24 non-anemic in infancy). All were given oral iron as infants. Sleep-wake states were identified by means of automated software. The frequency of movement units per minute was determined for each waking/sleep state during the individual day and night periods; data were examined in blocks of 15 min. Analyses of mean frequency and duration and intra-individual variability were conducted using multivariate mixed models. For daytime sleep, former IDA children were more active without a difference in the total duration. They also spent less time awake throughout the individual day period. Motor activity intra-individual variability was higher in former IDA children. The findings suggest that IDA in infancy sets the stage for long lasting dysfunction in the neural processes regulating sleep-wake states and spontaneous motor activity patterns. © 2013.

Nesfatin-1/NUCB2 as a potential new element of sleep regulation in rats.

PubMed

Vas, Szilvia; Ádori, Csaba; Könczöl, Katalin; Kátai, Zita; Pap, Dorottya; Papp, Rege S; Bagdy, György; Palkovits, Miklós; Tóth, Zsuzsanna E

2013-01-01

Millions suffer from sleep disorders that often accompany severe illnesses such as major depression; a leading psychiatric disorder characterized by appetite and rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) abnormalities. Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) and nesfatin-1/NUCB2 (nesfatin) are strongly co - expressed in the hypothalamus and are involved both in food intake regulation and depression. Since MCH was recognized earlier as a hypnogenic factor, we analyzed the potential role of nesfatin on vigilance. We subjected rats to a 72 h-long REMS deprivation using the classic flower pot method, followed by a 3 h-long 'rebound sleep'. Nesfatin mRNA and protein expressions as well as neuronal activity (Fos) were measured by quantitative in situ hybridization technique, ELISA and immunohistochemistry, respectively, in 'deprived' and 'rebound' groups, relative to controls sacrificed at the same time. We also analyzed electroencephalogram of rats treated by intracerebroventricularly administered nesfatin-1, or saline. REMS deprivation downregulated the expression of nesfatin (mRNA and protein), however, enhanced REMS during 'rebound' reversed this to control levels. Additionally, increased transcriptional activity (Fos) was demonstrated in nesfatin neurons during 'rebound'. Centrally administered nesfatin-1 at light on reduced REMS and intermediate stage of sleep, while increased passive wake for several hours and also caused a short-term increase in light slow wave sleep. The data designate nesfatin as a potential new factor in sleep regulation, which fact can also be relevant in the better understanding of the role of nesfatin in the pathomechanism of depression.

Adverse Effects of Two Nights of Sleep Restriction on the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis in Healthy Men

PubMed Central

Guyon, A.; Balbo, M.; Morselli, L. L.; Tasali, E.; Leproult, R.; L'Hermite-Balériaux, M.; Van Cauter, E.

2014-01-01

Context: Insufficient sleep is associated with increased cardiometabolic risk. Alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis may underlie this link. Objective: Our objective was to examine the impact of restricted sleep on daytime profiles of ACTH and cortisol concentrations. Methods: Thirteen subjects participated in 2 laboratory sessions (2 nights of 10 hours in bed versus 2 nights of 4 hours in bed) in a randomized crossover design. Sleep was polygraphically recorded. After the second night of each session, blood was sampled at 20-minute intervals from 9:00 am to midnight to measure ACTH and total cortisol. Saliva was collected every 20 minutes from 2:00 pm to midnight to measure free cortisol. Perceived stress, hunger, and appetite were assessed at hourly intervals by validated scales. Results: Sleep restriction was associated with a 19% increase in overall ACTH levels (P < .03) that was correlated with the individual amount of sleep loss (rSp = 0.63, P < .02). Overall total cortisol levels were also elevated (+21%; P = .10). Pulse frequency was unchanged for both ACTH and cortisol. Morning levels of ACTH were higher after sleep restriction (P < .04) without concomitant elevation of cortisol. In contrast, evening ACTH levels were unchanged while total and free cortisol increased by, respectively, 30% (P < .03) and 200% (P < .04). Thus, the amplitude of the circadian cortisol decline was dampened by sleep restriction (−21%; P < .05). Sleep restriction was not associated with higher perceived stress but resulted in an increase in appetite that was correlated with the increase in total cortisol. Conclusion: The impact of sleep loss on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity is dependent on time of day. Insufficient sleep dampens the circadian rhythm of cortisol, a major internal synchronizer of central and peripheral clocks. PMID:24823456

Adverse effects of two nights of sleep restriction on the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in healthy men.

PubMed

Guyon, A; Balbo, M; Morselli, L L; Tasali, E; Leproult, R; L'Hermite-Balériaux, M; Van Cauter, E; Spiegel, K

2014-08-01

Insufficient sleep is associated with increased cardiometabolic risk. Alterations in hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis may underlie this link. Our objective was to examine the impact of restricted sleep on daytime profiles of ACTH and cortisol concentrations. Thirteen subjects participated in 2 laboratory sessions (2 nights of 10 hours in bed versus 2 nights of 4 hours in bed) in a randomized crossover design. Sleep was polygraphically recorded. After the second night of each session, blood was sampled at 20-minute intervals from 9:00 am to midnight to measure ACTH and total cortisol. Saliva was collected every 20 minutes from 2:00 pm to midnight to measure free cortisol. Perceived stress, hunger, and appetite were assessed at hourly intervals by validated scales. Sleep restriction was associated with a 19% increase in overall ACTH levels (P < .03) that was correlated with the individual amount of sleep loss (rSp = 0.63, P < .02). Overall total cortisol levels were also elevated (+21%; P = .10). Pulse frequency was unchanged for both ACTH and cortisol. Morning levels of ACTH were higher after sleep restriction (P < .04) without concomitant elevation of cortisol. In contrast, evening ACTH levels were unchanged while total and free cortisol increased by, respectively, 30% (P < .03) and 200% (P < .04). Thus, the amplitude of the circadian cortisol decline was dampened by sleep restriction (-21%; P < .05). Sleep restriction was not associated with higher perceived stress but resulted in an increase in appetite that was correlated with the increase in total cortisol. The impact of sleep loss on hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal activity is dependent on time of day. Insufficient sleep dampens the circadian rhythm of cortisol, a major internal synchronizer of central and peripheral clocks.

Repetitive Traumatic Brain Injury (or Concussion) Increases Severity of Sleep Disturbance among Deployed Military Personnel

PubMed Central

Bryan, Craig J.

2013-01-01

Study Objectives: Considerable research indicates that sleep disturbances and insomnia are more common and severe among individuals following a traumatic brain injury (TBI). It remains unclear, however, how the experience of multiple TBIs affect sleep disturbances and insomnia. The current study investigated the incidence and severity of insomnia and sleep complaints among active-duty military personnel who have sustained multiple TBIs. Design and Setting: Upon intake at a military TBI clinic located in Iraq, 150 male military patients completed standardized self-report measures and clinical interviews. Measurements and Results: Patients were categorized into three groups according to history of TBI: zero TBIs (n = 18), single TBI (n = 54), multiple TBIs (n = 78). Rates of clinical insomnia significantly increased across TBI groups (P < 0.001):- 5.6% for no TBIs, 20.4% for single TBI, and 50.0% for multiple TBIs. Insomnia severity significantly increased across TBI groups even when controlling for depression, posttraumatic stress disorder, and concussion symptom severity (B = 1.134, standard error = 0.577, P = 0.049). Conclusions: Multiple TBIs are associated with increased risk for and severity of sleep disturbance among male military personnel. Citation: Bryan CJ. Repetitive traumatic brain injury (or concussion) increases severity of sleep disturbance among deployed military personnel. SLEEP 2013;36(6):941-946. PMID:23729938

Sleep and metabolic function.

PubMed

Morselli, Lisa L; Guyon, Aurore; Spiegel, Karine

2012-01-01

Evidence for the role of sleep on metabolic and endocrine function has been reported more than four decades ago. In the past 30 years, the prevalence of obesity and diabetes has greatly increased in industrialized countries, and self-imposed sleep curtailment, now very common, is starting to be recognized as a contributing factor, alongside with increased caloric intake and decreased physical activity. Furthermore, obstructive sleep apnea, a chronic condition characterized by recurrent upper airway obstruction leading to intermittent hypoxemia and sleep fragmentation, has also become highly prevalent as a consequence of the epidemic of obesity and has been shown to contribute, in a vicious circle, to the metabolic disturbances observed in obese patients. In this article, we summarize the current data supporting the role of sleep in the regulation of glucose homeostasis and the hormones involved in the regulation of appetite. We also review the results of the epidemiologic and laboratory studies that investigated the impact of sleep duration and quality on the risk of developing diabetes and obesity, as well as the mechanisms underlying this increased risk. Finally, we discuss how obstructive sleep apnea affects glucose metabolism and the beneficial impact of its treatment, the continuous positive airway pressure. In conclusion, the data available in the literature highlight the importance of getting enough good sleep for metabolic health.

Digital media use in the 2 h before bedtime is associated with sleep variables in university students

PubMed Central

Orzech, Kathryn M.; Grandner, Michael A.; Roane, Brandy M.; Carskadon, Mary A.

2016-01-01

Digital media use is widespread in University students, and use of digital media near bedtime has a broadly negative effect on sleep outcomes. Adequate and good quality sleep is important for physical and mental health, but few studies have rigorously measured both sleep and digital media use. In this study, we investigated whether self-reported sleep patterns were associated with digital media use in a first-year University student (N = 254, 48% male) population. Students tracked their sleep through daily online diaries and provided digital media use data in 15-min blocks for 2 h prior to bedtime on nine occasions. A longer duration of digital media use was associated with reduced total sleep time and later bedtime, while greater diversity of digital media use was associated with increased total sleep time and earlier bedtime. Analysis of activities in the last hour before bedtime indicated that activity type plays a role in digital media's effect on sleep, with computer work, surfing the Internet, and listening to music showing the strongest relationship to multiple sleep variables. These findings have implications for physical and mental health of University students and can inform design of devices to minimize negative effects of digital media on sleep. PMID:28163362

Digital media use in the 2 h before bedtime is associated with sleep variables in university students.

PubMed

Orzech, Kathryn M; Grandner, Michael A; Roane, Brandy M; Carskadon, Mary A

2016-02-01

Digital media use is widespread in University students, and use of digital media near bedtime has a broadly negative effect on sleep outcomes. Adequate and good quality sleep is important for physical and mental health, but few studies have rigorously measured both sleep and digital media use. In this study, we investigated whether self-reported sleep patterns were associated with digital media use in a first-year University student (N = 254, 48% male) population. Students tracked their sleep through daily online diaries and provided digital media use data in 15-min blocks for 2 h prior to bedtime on nine occasions. A longer duration of digital media use was associated with reduced total sleep time and later bedtime, while greater diversity of digital media use was associated with increased total sleep time and earlier bedtime. Analysis of activities in the last hour before bedtime indicated that activity type plays a role in digital media's effect on sleep, with computer work, surfing the Internet, and listening to music showing the strongest relationship to multiple sleep variables. These findings have implications for physical and mental health of University students and can inform design of devices to minimize negative effects of digital media on sleep.

The effects of sleep restriction and altered sleep timing on energy intake and energy expenditure.

PubMed

McNeil, Jessica; Doucet, Éric; Brunet, Jean-François; Hintze, Luzia Jaeger; Chaumont, Isabelle; Langlois, Émilie; Maitland, Riley; Riopel, Alexandre; Forest, Geneviève

2016-10-01

Experimental evidence suggests that sleep restriction increases energy intake (EI) and may alter energy expenditure (EE). However, it is unknown whether the timing of a sleep restriction period impacts EI and EE the following day. Hence, we examined the effects of sleep restriction with an advanced wake-time or delayed bedtime on next day EI and EE. Twelve men and 6 women (age: 23±4years, body fat: 18.8±10.1%) participated in 3 randomized crossover sessions: control (habitual bed- and wake-times), 50% sleep restriction with an advanced wake-time and 50% sleep restriction with a delayed bedtime. Outcome variables included sleep architecture (polysomnography), EI (food menu), total EE and activity times (accelerometry). Carbohydrate intake was greater on day 2 in the delayed bedtime vs. control session (1386±513 vs. 1579±571kcal; P=0.03). Relative moderate-intensity physical activity (PA) time was greater in the delayed bedtime session vs. control and advanced wake-time sessions on day 1 (26.6±19.9 vs. 16.1±10.6 and 17.5±11.8%; P=0.01), whereas vigorous-intensity PA time was greater following advanced wake-time vs. delayed bedtime on day 1 (2.7±3.0 vs. 1.3±2.4%; P=0.004). Greater stage 1 sleep (β=110kcal, 95% CI for β=42 to 177kcal; P=0.004), and a trend for lower REM sleep (β=-20kcal, 95% CI for β=-41 to 2kcal; P=0.07), durations were associated with greater EI between sleep restriction sessions. These findings suggest that the timing of a sleep restriction period impacts energy balance parameters. Additional studies are needed to corroborate these findings, given the increasing prevalence of shift workers and incidences of sleep disorders and voluntary sleep restriction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Analysis of Slow-Wave Activity and Slow-Wave Oscillations Prior to Somnambulism

PubMed Central

Jaar, Olivier; Pilon, Mathieu; Carrier, Julie; Montplaisir, Jacques; Zadra, Antonio

2010-01-01

Study Objectivies: Several studies have investigated slow wave sleep EEG parameters, including slow-wave activity (SWA) in relation to somnambulism, but results have been both inconsistent and contradictory. The first goal of the present study was to conduct a quantitative analysis of sleepwalkers' sleep EEG by studying fluctuations in spectral power for delta (1-4 Hz) and slow delta (0.5-1 Hz) before the onset of somnambulistic episodes. A secondary aim was to detect slow-wave oscillations to examine changes in their amplitude and density prior to behavioral episodes. Participants: Twenty-two adult sleepwalkers were investigated polysomnographically following 25 h of sleep deprivation. Results: Analysis of patients' sleep EEG over the 200 sec prior to the episodes' onset revealed that the episodes were not preceded by a gradual increase in spectral power for either delta or slow delta over frontal, central, or parietal leads. However, time course comparisons revealed significant changes in the density of slow-wave oscillations as well as in very slow oscillations with significant increases occurring during the final 20 sec immediately preceding episode onset. Conclusions: The specificity of these sleep EEG parameters for the occurrence and diagnosis of NREM parasomnias remains to be determined. Citation: Jaar O; Pilon M; Carrier J; Montplaisir J; Zadra A. Analysis of slow-wave activity and slow-wave oscillations prior to somnambulism. SLEEP 2010;33(11):1511-1516. PMID:21102993

Sleep interacts with aβ to modulate intrinsic neuronal excitability.

PubMed

Tabuchi, Masashi; Lone, Shahnaz R; Liu, Sha; Liu, Qili; Zhang, Julia; Spira, Adam P; Wu, Mark N

2015-03-16

Emerging data suggest an important relationship between sleep and Alzheimer's disease (AD), but how poor sleep promotes the development of AD remains unclear. Here, using a Drosophila model of AD, we provide evidence suggesting that changes in neuronal excitability underlie the effects of sleep loss on AD pathogenesis. β-amyloid (Aβ) accumulation leads to reduced and fragmented sleep, while chronic sleep deprivation increases Aβ burden. Moreover, enhancing sleep reduces Aβ deposition. Increasing neuronal excitability phenocopies the effects of reducing sleep on Aβ, and decreasing neuronal activity blocks the elevated Aβ accumulation induced by sleep deprivation. At the single neuron level, we find that chronic sleep deprivation, as well as Aβ expression, enhances intrinsic neuronal excitability. Importantly, these data reveal that sleep loss exacerbates Aβ-induced hyperexcitability and suggest that defects in specific K(+) currents underlie the hyperexcitability caused by sleep loss and Aβ expression. Finally, we show that feeding levetiracetam, an anti-epileptic medication, to Aβ-expressing flies suppresses neuronal excitability and significantly prolongs their lifespan. Our findings directly link sleep loss to changes in neuronal excitability and Aβ accumulation and further suggest that neuronal hyperexcitability is an important mediator of Aβ toxicity. Taken together, these data provide a mechanistic framework for a positive feedback loop, whereby sleep loss and neuronal excitation accelerate the accumulation of Aβ, a key pathogenic step in the development of AD. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sleep Interacts with Aβ to Modulate Intrinsic Neuronal Excitability

PubMed Central

Tabuchi, Masashi; Lone, Shahnaz R.; Liu, Sha; Liu, Qili; Zhang, Julia; Spira, Adam P.; Wu, Mark N.

2015-01-01

SUMMARY Background Emerging data suggest an important relationship between sleep and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), but how poor sleep promotes the development of AD remains unclear. Results Here, using a Drosophila model of AD, we provide evidence suggesting that changes in neuronal excitability underlie the effects of sleep loss on AD pathogenesis. β-amyloid (Aβ) accumulation leads to reduced and fragmented sleep, while chronic sleep deprivation increases Aβ burden. Moreover, enhancing sleep reduces Aβ deposition. Increasing neuronal excitability phenocopies the effects of reducing sleep on Aβ, and decreasing neuronal activity blocks the elevated Aβ accumulation induced by sleep deprivation. At the single neuron level, we find that chronic sleep deprivation, as well as Aβ expression, enhances intrinsic neuronal excitability. Importantly, these data reveal that sleep loss exacerbates Aβ–induced hyperexcitability and suggest that defects in specific K+ currents underlie the hyperexcitability caused by sleep loss and Aβ expression. Finally, we show that feeding levetiracetam, an anti-epileptic medication, to Aβ-expressing flies suppresses neuronal excitability and significantly prolongs their lifespan. Conclusions Our findings directly link sleep loss to changes in neuronal excitability and Aβ accumulation and further suggest that neuronal hyperexcitability is an important mediator of Aβ toxicity. Taken together, these data provide a mechanistic framework for a positive feedback loop, whereby sleep loss and neuronal excitation accelerate the accumulation of Aβ, a key pathogenic step in the development of AD. PMID:25754641

A dynamic deep sleep stage in Drosophila.

PubMed

van Alphen, Bart; Yap, Melvyn H W; Kirszenblat, Leonie; Kottler, Benjamin; van Swinderen, Bruno

2013-04-17

How might one determine whether simple animals such as flies sleep in stages? Sleep in mammals is a dynamic process involving different stages of sleep intensity, and these are typically associated with measurable changes in brain activity (Blake and Gerard, 1937; Rechtschaffen and Kales, 1968; Webb and Agnew, 1971). Evidence for different sleep stages in invertebrates remains elusive, even though it has been well established that many invertebrate species require sleep (Campbell and Tobler, 1984; Hendricks et al., 2000; Shaw et al., 2000; Sauer et al., 2003). Here we used electrophysiology and arousal-testing paradigms to show that the fruit fly, Drosophila melanogaster, transitions between deeper and lighter sleep within extended bouts of inactivity, with deeper sleep intensities after ∼15 and ∼30 min of inactivity. As in mammals, the timing and intensity of these dynamic sleep processes in flies is homeostatically regulated and modulated by behavioral experience. Two molecules linked to synaptic plasticity regulate the intensity of the first deep sleep stage. Optogenetic upregulation of cyclic adenosine monophosphate during the day increases sleep intensity at night, whereas loss of function of a molecule involved in synaptic pruning, the fragile-X mental retardation protein, increases sleep intensity during the day. Our results show that sleep is not homogenous in insects, and suggest that waking behavior and the associated synaptic plasticity mechanisms determine the timing and intensity of deep sleep stages in Drosophila.

Orexin Plays a Role in Growth Impediment Induced by Obstructive Sleep Breathing in Rats

PubMed Central

Tarasiuk, Ariel; Levi, Avishag; Assadi, Mohammad H.; Troib, Ariel; Segev, Yael

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: The mechanisms linking sleep disordered breathing with impairment of sleep and bone metabolism/architecture are poorly understood. Here, we explored the role of the neuropeptide orexin, a respiratory homeostasis modulator, in growth retardation induced in an upper airway obstructed (AO) rat model. Methods: The tracheae of 22-day-old rats were narrowed; AO and sham-control animals were monitored for 5 to 7 w. Growth parameters, food intake, sleep/wake activity, and serum hormones were measured. After euthanasia, growth plate (GP) histology, morphometry, orexin receptors (OXR), and related mediators were analyzed. The effect of dual orexin receptor antagonist (almorexant 300 mg/kg) on sleep and GP histology were also investigated. Results: The AO group slept 32% less; the time spent in slow wave and paradoxical sleep during light period and slow wave activity was reduced. The AO group gained 46% less body weight compared to the control group, despite elevated food intake; plasma ghrelin increased by 275% and leptin level decreased by 44%. The impediment of bone elongation and bone mass was followed by a 200% increase in OX1R and 38% reduction of local GP ghrelin proteins and growth hormone secretagogue receptor 1a. Sry-related transcription factor nine (Sox9), a molecule mediating cartilage ossification, was downregulated and the level of transcription factor peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma was upregulated, explaining the bone architecture abnormalities. Administration of almorexant restored sleep and improved GP width in AO animals. Conclusions: In AO animals, enhanced expression of orexin and OX1R plays a role in respiratory induced sleep and growth abnormalities. Citation: Tarasiuk A, Levi A, Assadi MH, Troib A, Segev Y. Orexin plays a role in growth impediment induced by obstructive sleep breathing in rats. SLEEP 2016;39(4):887–897. PMID:26943473

Rhythmicity in Mice Selected for Extremes in Stress Reactivity: Behavioural, Endocrine and Sleep Changes Resembling Endophenotypes of Major Depression

PubMed Central

Ruschel, Jörg; Palme, Rupert; Holsboer, Florian; Kimura, Mayumi; Landgraf, Rainer

2009-01-01

Background Dysregulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, including hyper- or hypo-activity of the stress hormone system, plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of mood disorders such as major depression (MD). Further biological hallmarks of MD are disturbances in circadian rhythms and sleep architecture. Applying a translational approach, an animal model has recently been developed, focusing on the deviation in sensitivity to stressful encounters. This so-called ‘stress reactivity’ (SR) mouse model consists of three separate breeding lines selected for either high (HR), intermediate (IR), or low (LR) corticosterone increase in response to stressors. Methodology/Principle Findings In order to contribute to the validation of the SR mouse model, our study combined the analysis of behavioural and HPA axis rhythmicity with sleep-EEG recordings in the HR/IR/LR mouse lines. We found that hyper-responsiveness to stressors was associated with psychomotor alterations (increased locomotor activity and exploration towards the end of the resting period), resembling symptoms like restlessness, sleep continuity disturbances and early awakenings that are commonly observed in melancholic depression. Additionally, HR mice also showed neuroendocrine abnormalities similar to symptoms of MD patients such as reduced amplitude of the circadian glucocorticoid rhythm and elevated trough levels. The sleep-EEG analyses, furthermore, revealed changes in rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep as well as slow wave activity, indicative of reduced sleep efficacy and REM sleep disinhibition in HR mice. Conclusion/Significance Thus, we could show that by selectively breeding mice for extremes in stress reactivity, clinically relevant endophenotypes of MD can be modelled. Given the importance of rhythmicity and sleep disturbances as biomarkers of MD, both animal and clinical studies on the interaction of behavioural, neuroendocrine and sleep parameters may reveal molecular pathways that ultimately lead to the discovery of new targets for antidepressant drugs tailored to match specific pathologies within MD. PMID:19177162

State-dependent changes in cortical gain control as measured by auditory evoked responses to varying intensity stimuli.

PubMed

Phillips, Derrick J; Schei, Jennifer L; Meighan, Peter C; Rector, David M

2011-11-01

Auditory evoked potential (AEP) components correspond to sequential activation of brain structures within the auditory pathway and reveal neural activity during sensory processing. To investigate state-dependent modulation of stimulus intensity response profiles within different brain structures, we assessed AEP components across both stimulus intensity and state. We implanted adult female Sprague-Dawley rats (N = 6) with electrodes to measure EEG, EKG, and EMG. Intermittent auditory stimuli (6-12 s) varying from 50 to 75 dBa were delivered over a 24-h period. Data were parsed into 2-s epochs and scored for wake/sleep state. All AEP components increased in amplitude with increased stimulus intensity during wake. During quiet sleep, however, only the early latency response (ELR) showed this relationship, while the middle latency response (MLR) increased at the highest 75 dBa intensity, and the late latency response (LLR) showed no significant change across the stimulus intensities tested. During rapid eye movement sleep (REM), both ELR and LLR increased, similar to wake, but MLR was severely attenuated. Stimulation intensity and the corresponding AEP response profile were dependent on both brain structure and sleep state. Lower brain structures maintained stimulus intensity and neural response relationships during sleep. This relationship was not observed in the cortex, implying state-dependent modification of stimulus intensity coding. Since AEP amplitude is not modulated by stimulus intensity during sleep, differences between paired 75/50 dBa stimuli could be used to determine state better than individual intensities.

Comparison of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity during non-rapid eye movement sleep in guinea pigs and humans.

PubMed

Kato, Takafumi; Toyota, Risa; Haraki, Shingo; Yano, Hiroyuki; Higashiyama, Makoto; Ueno, Yoshio; Yano, Hiroshi; Sato, Fumihiko; Yatani, Hirofumi; Yoshida, Atsushi

2017-09-27

Rhythmic masticatory muscle activity can be a normal variant of oromotor activity, which can be exaggerated in patients with sleep bruxism. However, few studies have tested the possibility in naturally sleeping animals to study the neurophysiological mechanisms of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity. This study aimed to investigate the similarity of cortical, cardiac and electromyographic manifestations of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity occurring during non-rapid eye movement sleep between guinea pigs and human subjects. Polysomnographic recordings were made in 30 freely moving guinea pigs and in eight healthy human subjects. Burst cycle length, duration and activity of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity were compared with those for chewing. The time between R-waves in the electrocardiogram (RR interval) and electroencephalogram power spectrum were calculated to assess time-course changes in cardiac and cortical activities in relation to rhythmic masticatory muscle activity. In animals, in comparison with chewing, rhythmic masticatory muscle activity had a lower burst activity, longer burst duration and longer cycle length (P < 0.05), and greater variabilities were observed (P < 0.05). Rhythmic masticatory muscle activity occurring during non-rapid eye movement sleep [median (interquartile range): 5.2 (2.6-8.9) times per h] was preceded by a transient decrease in RR intervals, and was accompanied by a transient decrease in delta elelctroencephalogram power. In humans, masseter bursts of rhythmic masticatory muscle activity were characterized by a lower activity, longer duration and longer cycle length than those of chewing (P < 0.05). Rhythmic masticatory muscle activity during non-rapid eye movement sleep [1.4 (1.18-2.11) times per h] was preceded by a transient decrease in RR intervals and an increase in cortical activity. Rhythmic masticatory muscle activity in animals had common physiological components representing transient arousal-related rhythmic jaw motor activation in comparison to human subjects. © 2017 European Sleep Research Society.

Sleep duration, nap habits, and mortality in older persons.

PubMed

Cohen-Mansfield, Jiska; Perach, Rotem

2012-07-01

To examine the effect of nighttime sleep duration on mortality and the effect modification of daytime napping on the relationship between nighttime sleep duration and mortality in older persons. Prospective survey with 20-yr mortality follow-up. The Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Aging Study, a multidimensional assessment of a stratified random sample of the older Jewish population in Israel conducted between 1989-1992. There were 1,166 self-respondent, community-dwelling participants age 75-94 yr (mean, 83.40, standard deviation, 5.30). Nighttime sleep duration, napping, functioning (activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, Orientation Memory Concentration Test), health, and mortality. Duration of nighttime sleep of more than 9 hr was significantly related to increased mortality in comparison with sleeping 7-9 hr (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.31, P < 0.01) after adjusting for demographic, health, and function variables, whereas for short nighttime sleep of fewer than 7 hr mortality did not differ from that of 7-9 hr of sleep. For those who nap, sleeping more than 9 hr per night significantly increased mortality risk (HR = 1.385, P < 0.05) and shorter nighttime sleep reduced mortality significantly in the unadjusted model (HR = 0.71, P < 0.001) but only approached significance in the fully adjusted model (HR = 0.82, P = 0.054). For those who do not or sometimes nap, a short amount of sleep appears to be harmful up to age 84 yr and may be protective thereafter (HR = 1.51, confidence interval [CI] = 1.13-2.02, P < 0.01; HR = 0.76, CI = 0.49-1.17, in the fully adjusted model, respectively). The findings are novel in demonstrating the protective effect of short nighttime sleep duration in individuals who take daily naps and suggest that the examination of the effect of sleep needs to take into account sleep duration per 24 hr, rather than daytime napping or nighttime sleep per se. Cohen-Mansfield J; Perach R. Sleep duration, nap habits, and mortality in older persons. SLEEP 2012;35(7):1003-1009.

The Sleep-Time Cost of Parenting: Sleep Duration and Sleepiness Among Employed Parents in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Hagen, Erika W.; Mirer, Anna G.; Palta, Mari; Peppard, Paul E.

2013-01-01

Insufficient sleep is associated with poor health and increased mortality. Studies on whether parenthood (including consideration of number and ages of children) is associated with sleep duration or sleep problems are scant and inconclusive. Using data collected in the Wisconsin Sleep Cohort Study (n = 4,809) between 1989 and 2008, we examined cross-sectional associations of number and ages of children with self-reported parental sleep duration, daytime sleepiness, and dozing among employed adults. Longitudinal change in sleep duration over 19 years was examined to evaluate changes in parental sleep associated with children transitioning into adulthood (n = 833). Each child under age 2 years was associated with 13 fewer minutes of parental sleep per day (95% confidence interval (CI): 5, 21); each child aged 2–5 years was associated with 9 fewer minutes of sleep (95% CI: 5, 13); and each child aged 6–18 years was associated with 4 fewer minutes (95% CI: 2, 6). Adult children were not associated with shorter parental sleep duration. Parents of children over age 2 years were significantly more likely to experience daytime sleepiness and dozing during daytime activities. Parents of minor children at baseline had significantly greater increases in sleep duration over 19 years of follow-up. Parenting minor children is associated with shorter sleep duration. As children age into adulthood, the sleep duration of parents with more children approaches that of parents with fewer children. PMID:23378502

Chronic social stress leads to altered sleep homeostasis in mice.

PubMed

Olini, Nadja; Rothfuchs, Iru; Azzinnari, Damiano; Pryce, Christopher R; Kurth, Salome; Huber, Reto

2017-06-01

Disturbed sleep and altered sleep homeostasis are core features of many psychiatric disorders such as depression. Chronic uncontrollable stress is considered an important factor in the development of depression, but little is known on how chronic stress affects sleep regulation and sleep homeostasis. We therefore examined the effects of chronic social stress (CSS) on sleep regulation in mice. Adult male C57BL/6 mice were implanted for electrocortical recordings (ECoG) and underwent either a 10-day CSS protocol or control handling (CON). Subsequently, ECoG was assessed across a 24-h post-stress baseline, followed by a 4-h sleep deprivation, and then a 20-h recovery period. After sleep deprivation, CSS mice showed a blunted increase in sleep pressure compared to CON mice, as measured using slow wave activity (SWA, electroencephalographic power between 1-4Hz) during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Vigilance states did not differ between CSS and CON mice during post-stress baseline, sleep deprivation or recovery, with the exception of CSS mice exhibiting increased REM sleep during recovery sleep. Behavior during sleep deprivation was not affected by CSS. Our data provide evidence that CSS alters the homeostatic regulation of sleep SWA in mice. In contrast to acute social stress, which results in a faster SWA build-up, CSS decelerates the homeostatic build up. These findings are discussed in relation to the causal contribution of stress-induced sleep disturbance to depression. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Carotid body chemoreflex: a driver of autonomic abnormalities in sleep apnoea.

PubMed

Prabhakar, Nanduri R

2016-08-01

What is the topic of this review? This article presents emerging evidence for heightened carotid body chemoreflex activity as a major driver of sympathetic activation and hypertension in sleep apnoea patients. What advances does it heighlight? This article discusses the recent advances on cellular, molecular and epigenetic mechanisms underlying the exaggerated chemoreflex in experimental models of sleep apnoea. The carotid bodies are the principal peripheral chemoreceptors for detecting changes in arterial blood oxygen concentration, and the resulting chemoreflex is a potent regulator of the sympathetic tone, blood pressure and breathing. Sleep apnoea is a disease of the respiratory system that affects several million adult humans. Apnoeas occur during sleep, often as a result of obstruction of the upper airway (obstructive sleep apnoea) or because of defective respiratory rhythm generation by the CNS (central sleep apnoea). Patients with sleep apnoea exhibit several co-morbidities, with the most notable among them being heightened sympathetic nerve activity and hypertension. Emerging evidence suggests that intermittent hypoxia resulting from periodic apnoea stimulates the carotid body, and the ensuing chemoreflex mediates the increased sympathetic tone and hypertension in sleep apnoea patients. Rodent models of intermittent hypoxia that simulate the O2 saturation profiles encountered during sleep apnoea have provided important insights into the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the heightened carotid body chemoreflex. This article describes how intermittent hypoxia affects the carotid body function and discusses the cellular, molecular and epigenetic mechanisms underlying the exaggerated chemoreflex. © 2016 The Authors. Experimental Physiology © 2016 The Physiological Society.

Sleep Promotes Consolidation of Emotional Memory in Healthy Children but Not in Children with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

PubMed Central

Prehn-Kristensen, Alexander; Munz, Manuel; Molzow, Ina; Wilhelm, Ines; Wiesner, Christian D.; Baving, Lioba

2013-01-01

Fronto-limbic brain activity during sleep is believed to support the consolidation of emotional memories in healthy adults. Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is accompanied by emotional deficits coincidently caused by dysfunctional interplay of fronto-limbic circuits. This study aimed to examine the role of sleep in the consolidation of emotional memory in ADHD in the context of healthy development. 16 children with ADHD, 16 healthy children, and 20 healthy adults participated in this study. Participants completed an emotional picture recognition paradigm in sleep and wake control conditions. Each condition had an immediate (baseline) and delayed (target) retrieval session. The emotional memory bias was baseline–corrected, and groups were compared in terms of sleep-dependent memory consolidation (sleep vs. wake). We observed an increased sleep-dependent emotional memory bias in healthy children compared to children with ADHD and healthy adults. Frontal oscillatory EEG activity (slow oscillations, theta) during sleep correlated negatively with emotional memory performance in children with ADHD. When combining data of healthy children and adults, correlation coefficients were positive and differed from those in children with ADHD. Since children displayed a higher frontal EEG activity than adults these data indicate a decline in sleep-related consolidation of emotional memory in healthy development. In addition, it is suggested that deficits in sleep-related selection between emotional and non-emotional memories in ADHD exacerbate emotional problems during daytime as they are often reported in ADHD. PMID:23734235

Sleep as an Occupational Need.

PubMed

Tester, Nicole J; Foss, Joanne Jackson

In the same way the human body requires food, hydration, and oxygen, it also requires sleep. Even among healthy people, the amount and quality of sleep substantially influence health and quality of life because sleep helps regulate physiological functioning. Given the impact of sleep on participation, the American Occupational Therapy Association reclassified sleep from an activity of daily living to an occupational domain. Poor sleep is a frequent medical complaint, especially among populations with neurological impairment. Occupational therapy practitioners should consider routinely screening for factors affecting their clients' sleep. By addressing such factors, as well as related routines and habits, practitioners can enhance the effectiveness of rehabilitation, promote health and well-being, and increase engagement and life quality. Practitioners should acknowledge the importance of sleep in practice, and the study of sleep should be prioritized by researchers in the field to meet client needs and establish evidence for interventions. Copyright © 2018 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Gray Matter-Specific Changes in Brain Bioenergetics after Acute Sleep Deprivation: A 31P Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Study at 4 Tesla

PubMed Central

Plante, David T.; Trksak, George H.; Jensen, J. Eric; Penetar, David M.; Ravichandran, Caitlin; Riedner, Brady A.; Tartarini, Wendy L.; Dorsey, Cynthia M.; Renshaw, Perry F.; Lukas, Scott E.; Harper, David G.

2014-01-01

Study Objectives: A principal function of sleep may be restoration of brain energy metabolism caused by the energetic demands of wakefulness. Because energetic demands in the brain are greater in gray than white matter, this study used linear mixed-effects models to examine tissue-type specific changes in high-energy phosphates derived using 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) after sleep deprivation and recovery sleep. Design: Experimental laboratory study. Setting: Outpatient neuroimaging center at a private psychiatric hospital. Participants: A total of 32 MRS scans performed in eight healthy individuals (mean age 35 y; range 23-51 y). Interventions: Phosphocreatine (PCr) and β-nucleoside triphosphate (NTP) were measured using 31P MRS three dimensional-chemical shift imaging at high field (4 Tesla) after a baseline night of sleep, acute sleep deprivation, and 2 nights of recovery sleep. Novel linear mixed-effects models were constructed using spectral and tissue segmentation data to examine changes in bioenergetics in gray and white matter. Measurements and Results: PCr increased in gray matter after 2 nights of recovery sleep relative to sleep deprivation with no significant changes in white matter. Exploratory analyses also demonstrated that increases in PCr were associated with increases in electroencephalographic slow wave activity during recovery sleep. No significant changes in β-NTP were observed. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that sleep deprivation and subsequent recovery-induced changes in high-energy phosphates primarily occur in gray matter, and increases in phosphocreatine after recovery sleep may be related to sleep homeostasis. Citation: Plante DT, Trksak GH, Jensen JE, Penetar DM, Ravichandran C, Riedner BA, Tartarini WL, Dorsey CM, Renshaw PF, Lukas SE, Harper DG. Gray matter-specific changes in brain bioenergetics after acute sleep deprivation: a 31P magnetic resonance spectroscopy study at 4 Tesla. SLEEP 2014;37(12):1919-1927. PMID:25325507

Running promotes wakefulness and increases cataplexy in orexin knockout mice.

PubMed

España, Rodrigo A; McCormack, Sarah L; Mochizuki, Takatoshi; Scammell, Thomas E

2007-11-01

People with narcolepsy and mice lacking orexin/hypocretin have disrupted sleep/wake behavior and reduced physical activity. Our objective was to identify physiologic mechanisms through which orexin deficiency reduces locomotor activity. We examined spontaneous wheel running activity and its relationship to sleep/wake behavior in wild type (WT) and orexin knockout (KO) mice. Additionally, given that physical activity promotes alertness, we also studied whether orexin deficiency reduces the wake-promoting effects of exercise. Orexin KO mice ran 42% less than WT mice. Their ability to run appeared normal as they initiated running as often as WT mice and ran at normal speeds. However, their running bouts were considerably shorter, and they often had cataplexy or quick transitions into sleep after running. Wheel running increased the total amount of wakefulness in WT and orexin KO mice similarly, however, KO mice continued to have moderately fragmented sleep/wake behavior. Wheel running also doubled the amount of cataplexy by increasing the probability of transitioning into cataplexy. Orexin KO mice run significantly less than normal, likely due to sleepiness, imminent cataplexy, or a reduced motivation to run. Orexin is not required for the wake-promoting effects of wheel running given that both WT and KO mice had similar increases in wakefulness with running wheels. In addition, the clear increase in cataplexy with wheel running suggests the possibility that positive emotions or reward can trigger murine cataplexy, similar to that seen in people and dogs with narcolepsy.

Age, cohort and period effects in the prevalence of sleep disturbances among older people: the impact of economic downturn.

PubMed

Dregan, Alex; Armstrong, David

2009-11-01

Using two longitudinal and nationally representative datasets, this study employs a cross-cohort analysis to examine age, cohort and period effects in the prevalence of sleep loss through worry for people over the age of 50 in the UK. The likelihood of reporting sleep loss through worry is calculated at two time-points for 7785 respondents from the Health and Activity Survey (HALs) and 21,834 respondents from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), with baseline information on sleep loss through worry. Descriptive statistical methods were applied to determine the prevalence rates in sleep loss through worry at each survey within both datasets. The results of analysis reveal that sleep loss through worry declined with age, but this pattern was tempered by a temporary increase in the early 1990s. The contemporary economic downturn is suggested as a possible explanation for the significant increase in the prevalence of sleep loss through worry in 1991.

Role of chemical drive in recruiting upper airway and inspiratory intercostal muscles in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

Okabe, S; Chonan, T; Hida, W; Satoh, M; Kikuchi, Y; Takishima, T

1993-01-01

Upper airway dilating muscle activity increases during apneic episodes in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). To elucidate the relative contribution of chemical and nonchemical stimuli to augmentation of the upper airway dilating muscle, we measured the response of genioglossus muscle (GG) and inspiratory intercostal muscle (IIM) activities to obstructive apnea during non-REM sleep and compared them with the response to progressive hypoxia and hypercapnia during awake periods in seven male patients with OSA. GG EMG was measured with a wire electrode inserted percutaneously, and IIM EMG was measured with surface electrodes placed in the second intercostal space parasternally. Responses to hypoxia and to hypercapnia were assessed by rebreathing methods in the supine position while awake. Following these measurements, a sleep study was conducted with the EMG electrodes placed in the same locations. The relationship between GG and IIM activities during the cycle of apnea and postapneic ventilation in non-REM sleep was quasi-linear, and the slope of the regression line was significantly greater than those during progressive hypoxia and progressive hypercapnia. The amplitude of GG activity at 70% of maximum IIM activities in the hypoxic test was 140 +/- 20% (mean +/- SEM) during non-REM sleep, which was also significantly greater than that during hypoxia (51 +/- 10%) and that during hypercapnia (59 +/- 15%). These results suggest that nonchemical factors contribute considerably to augmentation of GG activity during obstructive apneic episodes. The nonchemical stimuli may arise from mechanoreceptors activated by upper airway obstruction and behavioral factors associated with change in sleep states.

How Health Behaviors Relate to Academic Performance via Affect: An Intensive Longitudinal Study

PubMed Central

Flueckiger, Lavinia; Lieb, Roselind; Meyer, Andrea H.; Mata, Jutta

2014-01-01

Objective This intensive longitudinal study examined how sleep and physical activity relate to university students’ affect and academic performance during a stressful examination period. Methods On 32 consecutive days, 72 first-year students answered online questionnaires on their sleep quality, physical activity, positive and negative affect, learning goal achievement, and examination grades. First-year university students are particularly well-suited to test our hypotheses: They represent a relatively homogeneous population in a natural, but controlled setting, and simultaneously deal with similar stressors, such as examinations. Data were analyzed using multilevel structural equation models. Results Over the examination period, better average sleep quality but not physical activity predicted better learning goal achievement. Better learning goal achievement was associated with increased probability of passing all examinations. Relations of average sleep quality and average physical activity with learning goal achievement were mediated by experienced positive affect. In terms of day-to-day dynamics, on days with better sleep quality, participants reported better learning goal achievement. Day-to-day physical activity was not related to daily learning goal achievement. Daily positive and negative affect both mediated the effect of day-to-day sleep quality and physical activity on daily learning goal achievement. Conclusion Health behaviors such as sleep quality and physical activity seem important for both academic performance and affect experience, an indicator of mental health, during a stressful examination period. These results are a first step toward a better understanding of between- and within-person variations in health behaviors, affect, and academic performance, and could inform prevention and intervention programs for university students. PMID:25353638

How health behaviors relate to academic performance via affect: an intensive longitudinal study.

PubMed

Flueckiger, Lavinia; Lieb, Roselind; Meyer, Andrea H; Mata, Jutta

2014-01-01

This intensive longitudinal study examined how sleep and physical activity relate to university students' affect and academic performance during a stressful examination period. On 32 consecutive days, 72 first-year students answered online questionnaires on their sleep quality, physical activity, positive and negative affect, learning goal achievement, and examination grades. First-year university students are particularly well-suited to test our hypotheses: They represent a relatively homogeneous population in a natural, but controlled setting, and simultaneously deal with similar stressors, such as examinations. Data were analyzed using multilevel structural equation models. Over the examination period, better average sleep quality but not physical activity predicted better learning goal achievement. Better learning goal achievement was associated with increased probability of passing all examinations. Relations of average sleep quality and average physical activity with learning goal achievement were mediated by experienced positive affect. In terms of day-to-day dynamics, on days with better sleep quality, participants reported better learning goal achievement. Day-to-day physical activity was not related to daily learning goal achievement. Daily positive and negative affect both mediated the effect of day-to-day sleep quality and physical activity on daily learning goal achievement. Health behaviors such as sleep quality and physical activity seem important for both academic performance and affect experience, an indicator of mental health, during a stressful examination period. These results are a first step toward a better understanding of between- and within-person variations in health behaviors, affect, and academic performance, and could inform prevention and intervention programs for university students.

Cardiovascular risk and mortality in end-stage renal disease patients undergoing dialysis: sleep study, pulmonary function, respiratory mechanics, upper airway collapsibility, autonomic nervous activity, depression, anxiety, stress and quality of life: a prospective, double blind, randomized controlled clinical trial.

PubMed

dos Reis Santos, Israel; Danaga, Aline Roberta; de Carvalho Aguiar, Isabella; Oliveira, Ezequiel Fernandes; Dias, Ismael Souza; Urbano, Jessica Julioti; Martins, Aline Almeida; Ferraz, Leonardo Macario; Fonsêca, Nina Teixeira; Fernandes, Virgilio; Fernandes, Vinicius Alves Thomaz; Lopes, Viviane Cristina Delgado; Leitão Filho, Fernando Sérgio Studart; Nacif, Sérgio Roberto; de Carvalho, Paulo de Tarso Camillo; Sampaio, Luciana Maria Malosá; Giannasi, Lílian Christiane; Romano, Salvatore; Insalaco, Giuseppe; Araujo, Ana Karina Fachini; Dellê, Humberto; Souza, Nadia Karina Guimarães; Giannella-Neto, Daniel; Oliveira, Luis Vicente Franco

2013-10-08

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is one of the most serious public health problems. The increasing prevalence of CKD in developed and developing countries has led to a global epidemic. The hypothesis proposed is that patients undergoing dialysis would experience a marked negative influence on physiological variables of sleep and autonomic nervous system activity, compromising quality of life. A prospective, consecutive, double blind, randomized controlled clinical trial is proposed to address the effect of dialysis on sleep, pulmonary function, respiratory mechanics, upper airway collapsibility, autonomic nervous activity, depression, anxiety, stress and quality of life in patients with CKD. The measurement protocol will include body weight (kg); height (cm); body mass index calculated as weight/height(2); circumferences (cm) of the neck, waist, and hip; heart and respiratory rates; blood pressures; Mallampati index; tonsil index; heart rate variability; maximum ventilatory pressures; negative expiratory pressure test, and polysomnography (sleep study), as well as the administration of specific questionnaires addressing sleep apnea, excessive daytime sleepiness, depression, anxiety, stress, and quality of life. CKD is a major public health problem worldwide, and its incidence has increased in part by the increased life expectancy and increasing number of cases of diabetes mellitus and hypertension. Sleep disorders are common in patients with renal insufficiency. Our hypothesis is that the weather weight gain due to volume overload observed during interdialytic period will influence the degree of collapsibility of the upper airway due to narrowing and predispose to upper airway occlusion during sleep, and to investigate the negative influences of haemodialysis in the physiological variables of sleep, and autonomic nervous system, and respiratory mechanics and thereby compromise the quality of life of patients. The protocol for this study is registered with the Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials (ReBEC RBR-7yhr4w and World Health Organization under Universal Trial Number UTN: U1111-1127-9390 [http://www.ensaiosclinicos.gov.br/rg/RBR-7yhr4w/]).

In Vivo Imaging of the Central and Peripheral Effects of Sleep Deprivation and Suprachiasmatic Nuclei Lesion on PERIOD-2 Protein in Mice

PubMed Central

Curie, Thomas; Maret, Stephanie; Emmenegger, Yann; Franken, Paul

2015-01-01

Study Objectives: That sleep deprivation increases the brain expression of various clock genes has been well documented. Based on these and other findings we hypothesized that clock genes not only underlie circadian rhythm generation but are also implicated in sleep homeostasis. However, long time lags have been reported between the changes in the clock gene messenger RNA levels and their encoded proteins. It is therefore crucial to establish whether also protein levels increase within the time frame known to activate a homeostatic sleep response. We report on the central and peripheral effects of sleep deprivation on PERIOD-2 (PER2) protein both in intact and suprachiasmatic nuclei-lesioned mice. Design: In vivo and in situ PER2 imaging during baseline, sleep deprivation, and recovery. Settings: Mouse sleep-recording facility. Participants: Per2::Luciferase knock-in mice. Interventions: N/A. Measurements and Results: Six-hour sleep deprivation increased PER2 not only in the brain but also in liver and kidney. Remarkably, the effects in the liver outlasted those observed in the brain. Within the brain the increase in PER2 concerned the cerebral cortex mainly, while leaving suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) levels unaffected. Against expectation, sleep deprivation did not increase PER2 in the brain of arrhythmic SCN-lesioned mice because of higher PER2 levels in baseline. In contrast, liver PER2 levels did increase in these mice similar to the sham and partially lesioned controls. Conclusions: Our results stress the importance of considering both sleep-wake dependent and circadian processes when quantifying clock-gene levels. Because sleep deprivation alters PERIOD-2 in the brain as well as in the periphery, it is tempting to speculate that clock genes constitute a common pathway mediating the shared and well-known adverse effects of both chronic sleep loss and disrupted circadian rhythmicity on metabolic health. Citation: Curie T, Maret S, Emmenegger Y, Franken P. In vivo imaging of the central and peripheral effects of sleep deprivation and suprachiasmatic nuclei lesion on PERIOD-2 protein in mice. SLEEP 2015;38(9):1381–1394. PMID:25581923

Intrahippocampal administration of anandamide increases REM sleep.

PubMed

Rueda-Orozco, Pavel Ernesto; Soria-Gómez, Edgar; Montes-Rodríguez, Corinne Jennifer; Pérez-Morales, Marcel; Prospéro-García, Oscar

2010-04-05

A nascent literature has postulated endocannabinoids (eCBs) as strong sleep-inducing lipids, particularly rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMs), nevertheless the exact mechanisms behind this effect remain to be determined. Anandamide and 2-arachidonyl glycerol, two of the most important eCBS, are synthesized in the hippocampus. This structure also expresses a high concentration of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1). Recent extensive literature supports eCBs as important regulators of hippocampal activity. It has also been shown that these molecules vary their expression on the hippocampus depending on the light-dark cycle. In this context we decided to analyze the effect of intrahippocampal administration of the eCB anandamide (ANA) on the sleep-waking cycle at two points of the light-dark cycle. Our data indicate that the administration of ANA directly into the hippocampus increases REMs in a dose dependent manner during the dark but not during the light phase of the cycle. The increase of REMs was blocked by the CB1 antagonist AM251. This effect was specific for the hippocampus since ANA administrations in the surrounding cortex did not elicit any change in REMs. These results support the idea of a direct relationship between hippocampal activity and sleep mechanisms by means of eCBs. The data presented here show, for the first time that eCBs administered into the hippocampus trigger REMs and support previous studies where chemical stimulation of limbic areas triggered sleep.

Quantitative analysis of sleep EEG microstructure in the time-frequency domain.

PubMed

De Carli, Fabrizio; Nobili, Lino; Beelke, Manolo; Watanabe, Tsuyoshi; Smerieri, Arianna; Parrino, Liborio; Terzano, Mario Giovanni; Ferrillo, Franco

2004-06-30

A number of phasic events influence sleep quality and sleep macrostructure. The detection of arousals and the analysis of cyclic alternating patterns (CAP) support the evaluation of sleep fragmentation and instability. Sixteen polygraphic overnight recordings were visually inspected for conventional Rechtscaffen and Kales scoring, while arousals were detected following the criteria of the American Sleep Disorders Association (ASDA). Three electroencephalograph (EEG) segments were associated to each event, corresponding to background activity, pre-arousal period and arousal. The study was supplemented by the analysis of time-frequency distribution of EEG within each subtype of phase A in the CAP. The arousals were characterized by the increase of alpha and beta power with regard to background. Within NREM sleep most of the arousals were preceded by a transient increase of delta power. The time-frequency evolution of the phase A of the CAP sequence showed a strong prevalence of delta activity during the whole A1, but high amplitude delta waves were found also in the first 2/3 s of A2 and A3, followed by desynchronization. Our results underline the strict relationship between the ASDA arousals, and the subtype A2 and A3 within the CAP: in both the association between a short sequence of transient slow waves and the successive increase of frequency and decrease of amplitude characterizes the arousal response.

Sleep and Psychiatric Disorders in Persons With Mild Traumatic Brain Injury.

PubMed

Mollayeva, Tatyana; D'Souza, Andrea; Mollayeva, Shirin

2017-08-01

Mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) frequently challenges the integrity of sleep function by affecting multiple brain areas implicated in controlling the switch between wakefulness and sleep and those involved in circadian and homeostatic processes; the malfunction of each causes a variety of disorders. In this review, we discuss recent data on the dynamics between disorders of sleep and mental/psychiatric disorders in persons with mTBI. This analysis sets the stage for understanding how a variety of physiological, emotional and environmental influences affect sleep and mental activities after injury to the brain. Consideration of the intricate links between sleep and mental functions in future research can increase understanding on the underlying mechanisms of sleep-related and psychiatric comorbidity in mTBI.

Masticatory muscle sleep background electromyographic activity is elevated in myofascial temporomandibular disorder patients.

PubMed

Raphael, K G; Janal, M N; Sirois, D A; Dubrovsky, B; Wigren, P E; Klausner, J J; Krieger, A C; Lavigne, G J

2013-12-01

Despite theoretical speculation and strong clinical belief, recent research using laboratory polysomnographic (PSG) recording has provided new evidence that frequency of sleep bruxism (SB) masseter muscle events, including grinding or clenching of the teeth during sleep, is not increased for women with chronic myofascial temporomandibular disorder (TMD). The current case-control study compares a large sample of women suffering from chronic myofascial TMD (n = 124) with a demographically matched control group without TMD (n = 46) on sleep background electromyography (EMG) during a laboratory PSG study. Background EMG activity was measured as EMG root mean square (RMS) from the right masseter muscle after lights out. Sleep background EMG activity was defined as EMG RMS remaining after activity attributable to SB, other orofacial activity, other oromotor activity and movement artefacts were removed. Results indicated that median background EMG during these non-SB event periods was significantly higher (P < 0·01) for women with myofascial TMD (median = 3·31 μV and mean = 4·98 μV) than for control women (median = 2·83 μV and mean = 3·88 μV) with median activity in 72% of cases exceeding control activity. Moreover, for TMD cases, background EMG was positively associated and SB event-related EMG was negatively associated with pain intensity ratings (0-10 numerical scale) on post-sleep waking. These data provide the foundation for a new focus on small, but persistent, elevations in sleep EMG activity over the course of the night as a mechanism of pain induction or maintenance. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Leg Movement Activity During Sleep in Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

PubMed

Garbazza, Corrado; Sauter, Cornelia; Paul, Juliane; Kollek, Jenny; Dujardin, Catharine; Hackethal, Sandra; Dorn, Hans; Peter, Anita; Hansen, Marie-Luise; Manconi, Mauro; Ferri, Raffaele; Danker-Hopfe, Heidi

2018-01-01

Objectives: To conduct a first detailed analysis of the pattern of leg movement (LM) activity during sleep in adult subjects with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) compared to healthy controls. Methods: Fifteen ADHD patients and 18 control subjects underwent an in-lab polysomnographic sleep study. The periodic character of LMs was evaluated with established markers of "periodicity," i.e., the periodicity index, intermovement intervals, and time distribution of LM during sleep, in addition to standard parameters such as the periodic leg movement during sleep index (PLMSI) and the periodic leg movement during sleep arousal index (PLMSAI). Subjective sleep and psychiatric symptoms were assessed using several, self-administered, screening questionnaires. Results: Objective sleep parameters from the baseline night did not significantly differ between ADHD and control subjects, except for a longer sleep latency (SL), a longer duration of the periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS) in REM sleep and a higher PLMSI also in REM sleep. Data from the sleep questionnaires showed perception of poor sleep quality in ADHD patients. Conclusions: Leg movements during sleep in ADHD adults are not significantly more frequent than in healthy controls and the nocturnal motor events do not show an increased periodicity in these patients. The non-periodic character of LMs in ADHD has already been shown in children and seems to differentiate ADHD from other pathophysiological related conditions like restless legs syndrome (RLS) or periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD). The reduced subjective sleep quality reported by ADHD adults contrasted with the normal objective polysomnographic parameters, which could suggest a sleep-state misperception in these individuals or more subtle sleep abnormalities not picked up by the traditional sleep staging.

Going local: insights from EEG and stereo-EEG studies of the human sleep-wake cycle.

PubMed

Ferrara, Michele; De Gennaro, Luigi

2011-01-01

In the present paper, we reviewed a large body of evidence, mainly from quantitative EEG studies of our laboratory, supporting the notion that sleep is a local and use-dependent process. Quantitative analyses of sleep EEG recorded from multiple cortical derivations clearly indicate that every sleep phenomenon, from sleep onset to the awakening, is strictly local in nature. Sleep onset first occurs in frontal areas, and a frontal predominance of low-frequency power persists in the first part of the night, when the homeostatic processes mainly occur, and then it vanishes. Upon awakening, we showed an asynchronous EEG activation of different cortical areas, the more anterior ones being the first to wake up. During extended periods of wakefulness, the increase of sleepiness-related low-EEG frequencies is again evident over the frontal derivations. Similarly, experimental manipulations of sleep length by total sleep deprivation, partial sleep curtailment or even selective slow-wave sleep deprivation lead to a slow-wave activity rebound localized especially on the anterior derivations. Thus, frontal areas are crucially involved in sleep homeostasis. According to the local use-dependent theory, this would derive from a higher sleep need of the frontal cortex, which in turn is due to its higher levels of activity during wakefulness. The fact that different brain regions can simultaneously exhibit different sleep intensities indicates that sleep is not a spatially global and uniform state, as hypothesized in the theory. We have also reviewed recent evidence of localized effects of learning and plasticity on EEG sleep measures. These studies provide crucial support to a key concept in the theory, the one claiming that local sleep characteristics should be use-dependent. Finally, we have reported data corroborating the notion that sleep is not necessarily present simultaneously in the entire brain. Our stereo-EEG recordings clearly indicate that sleep and wakefulness can co-exist in different areas, suggesting that vigilance states are not necessarily temporally discrete states. We conclude that understanding local variations in sleep propensity and depth, especially as a result of brain plasticity, may provide in the near future insightful hints into the fundamental functions of sleep.

Technology Use and Sleep Quality in Preadolescence and Adolescence

PubMed Central

Bruni, Oliviero; Sette, Stefania; Fontanesi, Lilybeth; Baiocco, Roberto; Laghi, Fiorenzo; Baumgartner, Emma

2015-01-01

Study Objectives: The purpose of this study was to analyze differences between preadolescents and adolescents on the use of technology and to test the contribution of using Internet and mobile phone, and circadian preference on sleep quality. Methods: We recruited a sample of 850 (364 males) preadolescents and adolescents. Self-report questionnaires about sleep schedule, sleep wake behavior problems, circadian preferences, and the use of technology (e.g., Internet and mobile phone) were administered. Students were asked to fill out the School Sleep Habits Survey, a self-report questionnaire on the use of technology, the Mobile Phone Involvement Questionnaire (MPIQ), and the Shorter Promis Questionnaire (SPQ). Results: Adolescents reported more sleep problems, a tendency toward eveningness, and an increase of Internet and phone activities, as well as social network activities, while preadolescents were more involved in gaming console and television viewing. The regression analysis performed separately in the two age groups showed that sleep quality was affected by the circadian preference (eveningness) in both groups. Adolescents' bad sleep quality was consistently associated with the mobile phone use and number of devices in the bedroom, while in preadolescents, with Internet use and turning-off time. Conclusions: The evening circadian preference, mobile phone and Internet use, numbers of other activities after 21:00, late turning off time, and number of devices in the bedroom have different negative influence on sleep quality in preadolescents and adolescents. Citation: Bruni O, Sette S, Fontanesi L, Baiocco R, Laghi F, Baumgartner E. Technology use and sleep quality in preadolescence and adolescence. J Clin Sleep Med 2015;11(12):1433–1441. PMID:26235161

High exercise levels are related to favorable sleep patterns and psychological functioning in adolescents: a comparison of athletes and controls.

PubMed

Brand, Serge; Gerber, Markus; Beck, Johannes; Hatzinger, Martin; Pühse, Uwe; Holsboer-Trachsler, Edith

2010-02-01

To investigate whether chronic vigorous exercising is related to improved sleep and psychological functioning, and whether this association varies with gender. Both lay and scientific opinions hold that physical activity is an efficient remedy and preventative measure for poor sleep. However, empirical evidence on adolescents is very limited. A total of 434 adolescents (258 athletes, 176 controls; mean age 17.2 years) took part in the study. Weekly hours spent exercising were 17.69 hours and 4.69 hours, respectively. To assess sleep patterns and psychological functioning, participants completed a sleep log for 7 consecutive days and several self-rating questionnaires. Compared with controls, athletes reported better sleep patterns including higher sleep quality, shortened sleep onset latency, and fewer awakenings after sleep onset, as well as less tiredness and increased concentration during the day. Athletes reported significantly lower anxiety and fewer depressive symptoms. Compared with males, females reported fewer variations in sleep. Male controls had particularly unfavorable scores related to sleep and psychological functioning. Findings suggest that chronic vigorous exercising is positively related to adolescents' sleep and psychological functioning. Results also indicate that males with low exercise levels are at risk for increased sleep complaints and poorer psychological functioning. Copyright 2010 Society for Adolescent Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Direct activation of sleep-promoting VLPO neurons by volatile anesthetics contributes to anesthetic hypnosis.

PubMed

Moore, Jason T; Chen, Jingqiu; Han, Bo; Meng, Qing Cheng; Veasey, Sigrid C; Beck, Sheryl G; Kelz, Max B

2012-11-06

Despite seventeen decades of continuous clinical use, the neuronal mechanisms through which volatile anesthetics act to produce unconsciousness remain obscure. One emerging possibility is that anesthetics exert their hypnotic effects by hijacking endogenous arousal circuits. A key sleep-promoting component of this circuitry is the ventrolateral preoptic nucleus (VLPO), a hypothalamic region containing both state-independent neurons and neurons that preferentially fire during natural sleep. Using c-Fos immunohistochemistry as a biomarker for antecedent neuronal activity, we show that isoflurane and halothane increase the number of active neurons in the VLPO, but only when mice are sedated or unconscious. Destroying VLPO neurons produces an acute resistance to isoflurane-induced hypnosis. Electrophysiological studies prove that the neurons depolarized by isoflurane belong to the subpopulation of VLPO neurons responsible for promoting natural sleep, whereas neighboring non-sleep-active VLPO neurons are unaffected by isoflurane. Finally, we show that this anesthetic-induced depolarization is not solely due to a presynaptic inhibition of wake-active neurons as previously hypothesized but rather is due to a direct postsynaptic effect on VLPO neurons themselves arising from the closing of a background potassium conductance. Cumulatively, this work demonstrates that anesthetics are capable of directly activating endogenous sleep-promoting networks and that such actions contribute to their hypnotic properties. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Association between objectively measured sleep quality and obesity in community-dwelling adults aged 80 years or older: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Kim, Miji

2015-02-01

The purpose of this study was to examine the association between objective measures of sleep quality and obesity in older community-dwelling people. This cross-sectional study included 189 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 80 yr (83.4 ± 2.5 yr [age range, 80-95 yr]). Participants wore an accelerometer (ActiGraph GT3X+) on their non-dominant wrist 24 hr per day for 7 consecutive nights. Sleep parameters measured included total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and wake after sleep onset (WASO) during the night. Associations between sleep parameters and obesity were investigated by using multivariate logistic regression analysis. In multivariate models, those with sleep efficiency lower than 85% had a 2.85-fold increased odds of obesity, compared with those with sleep efficiency of 85% or higher. Similarly, those with WASO of ≥ 60 min (compared with < 60 min) had a 3.13-fold increased odds of obesity. However, there were no significant associations between total sleep time or self-reported napping duration and obesity. We found that poor sleep quality was an independent risk factor for obesity in community-dwelling Japanese adults aged ≥ 80 yr, even after controlling for potential confounding factors, including daily physical activity.

Association of sleep and academic performance.

PubMed

Eliasson, Arne; Eliasson, Anders; King, Joseph; Gould, Ben; Eliasson, Arn

2002-03-01

Poor school performance by adolescent students has been attributed in part to insufficient sleep. It is recognized that a number of factors lead to diminished total sleep time and chief among these are early school start times and sleep phase delay in adolescence. Political initiatives are gaining momentum across the United States to require later school start times with the intent of increasing total sleep time and consequently improving school performance. Later school start times come with significant costs and impact other activities of families and communities. The decision to implement later school start times cannot be made lightly and deserves support of well-performed research on the impact of these changes. A study evaluating the association of academic performance and total sleep time was performed in middle school and high school students in a suburban Maryland school system. Preliminary results of this study show no correlation of total sleep time with academic performance. Before mandating costly changes in school schedules, it would be useful to perform further research to determine the effects of increasing sleep time on the behaviors of adolescent students.

Optical imaging of neural and hemodynamic brain activity

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Schei, Jennifer Lynn

Optical imaging technologies can be used to record neural and hemodynamic activity. Neural activity elicits physiological changes that alter the optical tissue properties. Specifically, changes in polarized light are concomitant with neural depolarization. We measured polarization changes from an isolated lobster nerve during action potential propagation using both reflected and transmitted light. In transmission mode, polarization changes were largest throughout the center of the nerve, suggesting that most of the optical signal arose from the inner nerve bundle. In reflection mode, polarization changes were largest near the edges, suggesting that most of the optical signal arose from the outer sheath. To overcome irregular cell orientation found in the brain, we measured polarization changes from a nerve tied in a knot. Our results show that neural activation produces polarization changes that can be imaged even without regular cell orientations. Neural activation expends energy resources and elicits metabolic delivery through blood vessel dilation, increasing blood flow and volume. We used spectroscopic imaging techniques combined with electrophysiological measurements to record evoked neural and hemodynamic responses from the auditory cortex of the rat. By using implantable optics, we measured responses across natural wake and sleep states, as well as responses following different amounts of sleep deprivation. During quiet sleep, evoked metabolic responses were larger compared to wake, perhaps because blood vessels were more compliant. When animals were sleep deprived, evoked hemodynamic responses were smaller following longer periods of deprivation. These results suggest that prolonged neural activity through sleep deprivation may diminish vascular compliance as indicated by the blunted vascular response. Subsequent sleep may allow vessels to relax, restoring their ability to deliver blood. These results also suggest that severe sleep deprivation or chronic sleep disturbances could push the vasculature to critical limits, leading to metabolic deficit and the potential for tissue trauma.

Sleep Restriction for 1 Week Reduces Insulin Sensitivity in Healthy Men

PubMed Central

Buxton, Orfeu M.; Pavlova, Milena; Reid, Emily W.; Wang, Wei; Simonson, Donald C.; Adler, Gail K.

2010-01-01

OBJECTIVE Short sleep duration is associated with impaired glucose tolerance and an increased risk of diabetes. The effects of sleep restriction on insulin sensitivity have not been established. This study tests the hypothesis that decreasing nighttime sleep duration reduces insulin sensitivity and assesses the effects of a drug, modafinil, that increases alertness during wakefulness. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This 12-day inpatient General Clinical Research Center study included 20 healthy men (age 20–35 years and BMI 20–30 kg/m2). Subjects spent 10 h/night in bed for ≥8 nights including three inpatient nights (sleep-replete condition), followed by 5 h/night in bed for 7 nights (sleep-restricted condition). Subjects received 300 mg/day modafinil or placebo during sleep restriction. Diet and activity were controlled. On the last 2 days of each condition, we assessed glucose metabolism by intravenous glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) and euglycemic-hyperinsulinemic clamp. Salivary cortisol, 24-h urinary catecholamines, and neurobehavioral performance were measured. RESULTS IVGTT-derived insulin sensitivity was reduced by (means ± SD) 20 ± 24% after sleep restriction (P = 0.001), without significant alterations in the insulin secretory response. Similarly, insulin sensitivity assessed by clamp was reduced by 11 ± 5.5% (P < 0.04) after sleep restriction. Glucose tolerance and the disposition index were reduced by sleep restriction. These outcomes were not affected by modafinil treatment. Changes in insulin sensitivity did not correlate with changes in salivary cortisol (increase of 51 ± 8% with sleep restriction, P < 0.02), urinary catecholamines, or slow wave sleep. CONCLUSIONS Sleep restriction (5 h/night) for 1 week significantly reduces insulin sensitivity, raising concerns about effects of chronic insufficient sleep on disease processes associated with insulin resistance. PMID:20585000

The effect of presleep video-game playing on adolescent sleep.

PubMed

Weaver, Edward; Gradisar, Michael; Dohnt, Hayley; Lovato, Nicole; Douglas, Paul

2010-04-15

Video-game use before bedtime has been linked with poor sleep outcomes for adolescents; however, experimental evidence to support this link is sparse. The present study investigated the capacity of presleep video-game playing to extend sleep latency and reduce subjective feelings of sleepiness in adolescents. The arousing psychophysiologic mechanisms involved and the impact of presleep video-game playing on sleep architecture were also explored. Thirteen male adolescent "evening types" (mean age = 16.6 years, SD = 1.1) participated in a counterbalanced, within-subjects design with experimental (active video gaming) and control (passive DVD watching) conditions. The experiment was conducted in the Flinders University Sleep Research Laboratory. Relative to the control condition, presleep video-game playing increased sleep-onset latency (Z= 2.45, p= .01) and reduced subjective sleepiness (Z = 2.36, p = .02)-but only slightly. Video gaming was related to changes in cognitive alertness (as measured by a power: p < 0.01) but not physiologic arousal (as measured by heart rate: p > 0.05). Contrary to previous findings, sleep architecture was unaffected (both rapid eye movement and slow wave sleep: p > 0.05). Results suggest the direct effect of presleep video-game playing on adolescent sleep may be more modest than previously thought, suggesting that surveys linking stimulating presleep activities to poor sleep need substantiating with empirical evidence.

Optogenetic stimulation of adrenergic C1 neurons causes sleep state-dependent cardiorespiratory stimulation and arousal with sighs in rats.

PubMed

Burke, Peter G R; Abbott, Stephen B G; Coates, Melissa B; Viar, Kenneth E; Stornetta, Ruth L; Guyenet, Patrice G

2014-12-01

The rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) contains central respiratory chemoreceptors (retrotrapezoid nucleus, RTN) and the sympathoexcitatory, hypoxia-responsive C1 neurons. Simultaneous optogenetic stimulation of these neurons produces vigorous cardiorespiratory stimulation, sighing, and arousal from non-REM sleep. To identify the effects that result from selectively stimulating C1 cells. A Cre-dependent vector expressing channelrhodopsin 2 (ChR2) fused with enhanced yellow fluorescent protein or mCherry was injected into the RVLM of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-Cre rats. The response of ChR2-transduced neurons to light was examined in anesthetized rats. ChR2-transduced C1 neurons were photoactivated in conscious rats while EEG, neck muscle EMG, blood pressure (BP), and breathing were recorded. Most ChR2-expressing neurons (95%) contained C1 neuron markers and innervated the spinal cord. RTN neurons were not transduced. While the rats were under anesthesia, the C1 cells were faithfully activated by each light pulse up to 40 Hz. During quiet resting and non-REM sleep, C1 cell stimulation (20 s, 2-20 Hz) increased BP and respiratory frequency and produced sighs and arousal from non-REM sleep. Arousal was frequency-dependent (85% probability at 20 Hz). Stimulation during REM sleep increased BP, but had no effect on EEG or breathing. C1 cell-mediated breathing stimulation was occluded by hypoxia (12% FIO2), but was unchanged by 6% FiCO2. C1 cell stimulation reproduces most effects of acute hypoxia, specifically cardiorespiratory stimulation, sighs, and arousal. C1 cell activation likely contributes to the sleep disruption and adverse autonomic consequences of sleep apnea. During hypoxia (awake) or REM sleep, C1 cell stimulation increases BP but no longer stimulates breathing.

GABA(A) receptors in the pontine reticular formation of C57BL/6J mouse modulate neurochemical, electrographic, and behavioral phenotypes of wakefulness.

PubMed

Flint, RaShonda R; Chang, Theresa; Lydic, Ralph; Baghdoyan, Helen A

2010-09-15

Drugs that potentiate transmission at GABA(A) receptors are widely used to enhance sleep and to cause general anesthesia. The mechanisms underlying these effects are unknown. This study tested the hypothesis that GABA(A) receptors in the pontine reticular nucleus, oral part (PnO) of mouse modulate five phenotypes of arousal: sleep and wakefulness, cortical electroencephalogram (EEG) activity, acetylcholine (ACh) release in the PnO, breathing, and recovery time from general anesthesia. Microinjections into the PnO of saline (vehicle control), the GABA(A) receptor agonist muscimol, muscimol with the GABA(A) receptor antagonist bicuculline, and bicuculline alone were performed in male C57BL/6J mice (n = 33) implanted with EEG recording electrodes. Muscimol caused a significant increase in wakefulness and decrease in rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep. These effects were reversed by coadministration of bicuculline. Bicuculline administered alone caused a significant decrease in wakefulness and increase in NREM sleep and REM sleep. Muscimol significantly increased EEG power in the delta range (0.5-4 Hz) during wakefulness and in the theta range (4-9 Hz) during REM sleep. Dialysis delivery of bicuculline to the PnO of male mice (n = 18) anesthetized with isoflurane significantly increased ACh release in the PnO, decreased breathing rate, and increased anesthesia recovery time. All drug effects were concentration dependent. The effects on phenotypes of arousal support the conclusion that GABA(A) receptors in the PnO promote wakefulness and suggest that increasing GABAergic transmission in the PnO may be one mechanism underlying the phenomenon of paradoxical behavioral activation by some benzodiazepines.

Sleep and immune function: glial contributions and consequences of aging

PubMed Central

Ingiosi, Ashley M.; Opp, Mark R.; Krueger, James M.

2013-01-01

The reciprocal interactions between sleep and immune function are well-studied. Insufficient sleep induces innate immune responses as evidenced by increased expression of pro-inflammatory mediators in the brain and periphery. Conversely, immune challenges upregulate immunomodulator expression, which alters central nervous system-mediated processes and behaviors, including sleep. Recent studies indicate that glial cells, namely microglia and astrocytes, are active contributors to sleep and immune system interactions. Evidence suggests glial regulation of these interactions is mediated, in part, by adenosine and adenosine 5′-triphosphate actions at purinergic type 1 and type 2 receptors. Furthermore, microglia and astrocytes may modulate declines in sleep-wake behavior and immunity observed in aging. PMID:23452941

Sleep and immune function: glial contributions and consequences of aging.

PubMed

Ingiosi, Ashley M; Opp, Mark R; Krueger, James M

2013-10-01

The reciprocal interactions between sleep and immune function are well-studied. Insufficient sleep induces innate immune responses as evidenced by increased expression of pro-inflammatory mediators in the brain and periphery. Conversely, immune challenges upregulate immunomodulator expression, which alters central nervous system-mediated processes and behaviors, including sleep. Recent studies indicate that glial cells, namely microglia and astrocytes, are active contributors to sleep and immune system interactions. Evidence suggests glial regulation of these interactions is mediated, in part, by adenosine and adenosine 5'-triphosphate actions at purinergic type 1 and type 2 receptors. Furthermore, microglia and astrocytes may modulate declines in sleep-wake behavior and immunity observed in aging. Copyright © 2013. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The homeostatic and circadian sleep recovery responses after total sleep deprivation in mice.

PubMed

Dispersyn, Garance; Sauvet, Fabien; Gomez-Merino, Danielle; Ciret, Sylvain; Drogou, Catherine; Leger, Damien; Gallopin, Thierry; Chennaoui, Mounir

2017-10-01

Many studies on sleep deprivation effects lack data regarding the recovery period. We investigated the 2-day homeostatic and circadian sleep recovery response to 24 h of total sleep deprivation (TSD) induced by brief rotation of an activity wheel. Eight mice were implanted with telemetry transmitters (DSI F40-EET) that recorded simultaneously their electroencephalography (EEG), locomotor activity and temperature during 24 h of baseline (BSL), TSD and 2 days of recovery (D1 and D2). In a second experiment, two groups of five non-implanted mice underwent TSD or ad libitum sleep, after which they were killed, adrenal glands were weighed and blood was collected for analysis of corticosterone concentration. During TSD mice were awake at least 97% of the time, with a consecutive sleep rebound during D1 that persisted during D2. This was characterized by increases of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep (44.2 ± 6.9% for D1 and 43.0 ± 7.7% for D2 versus 33.8 ± 9.2% for BSL) and the relative delta band power (179.2 ± 34.4% for D1 and 81.9 ± 11.2% for D2). Greater NREM and REM sleep amounts were observed during the 'light' periods. Temperature and locomotor activity characteristics were unchanged during D1 and D2 versus BSL. In non-implanted mice, corticosterone levels as well as adrenal gland and overall body weights did not differ between TSD and ad libitum sleep groups. In conclusion, 24 h of TSD in an activity wheel without stress responses influence homeostatic sleep regulation with no effect on the circadian regulation over at least 2 days of recovery in mice. © 2017 European Sleep Research Society.

Socially Isolated Mice Exhibit a Blunted Homeostatic Sleep Response to Acute Sleep Deprivation Compared to Socially Paired Mice

PubMed Central

Kaushal, Navita; Nair, Deepti; Gozal, David; Ramesh, Vijay

2012-01-01

Sleep is an important physiological process underlying maintenance of physical, mental and emotional health. Consequently, sleep deprivation (SD) is associated with adverse consequences and increases the risk for anxiety, immune, and cognitive disorders. SD is characterized by increased energy expenditure responses and sleep rebound upon recovery that are regulated by homeostatic processes, which in turn are influenced by stress. Since all previous studies on SD were conducted in a setting of social isolation, the impact of the social contextual setting is unknown. Therefore, we used a relatively stress-free SD paradigm in mice to assess the impact of social isolation on sleep, wakefulness and delta electroencephalogram (EEG) power during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Paired or isolated C57BL/6J adult chronically-implanted male mice were exposed to SD for 6 hours and telemetric polygraphic recordings were conducted, including 18 hours recovery. Recovery from SD in the paired group showed a significant decrease in wake and significant increase in NREM sleep and rapid eye movement (REM), and a similar, albeit less robust response occurred in the isolated mice. Delta power during NREM sleep was increased in both groups immediately following SD, but paired mice exhibited significantly higher delta power throughout the dark period. The increase in body temperature and gross motor activity observed during the SD procedure was decreased during the dark period. In both open field and elevated plus maze tests, socially isolated mice showed significantly higher anxiety than paired mice. The homeostatic processes altered by SD are differentially affected in paired and isolated mice, suggesting that the social context of isolation stress may adversely affect the quantity and quality of sleep in mice. PMID:22498175

Sleep Quality but Not Quantity Altered With a Change in Training Environment in Elite Australian Rules Football Players.

PubMed

Pitchford, Nathan W; Robertson, Sam J; Sargent, Charli; Cordy, Justin; Bishop, David J; Bartlett, Jonathan D

2017-01-01

To assess the effects of a change in training environment on the sleep characteristics of elite Australian Rules football (AF) players. In an observational crossover trial, 19 elite AF players had time in bed (TIB), total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE), and wake after sleep onset (WASO) assessed using wristwatch activity devices and subjective sleep diaries across 8-d home and camp periods. Repeated-measures ANOVA determined mean differences in sleep, training load (session rating of perceived exertion [RPE]), and environment. Pearson product-moment correlations, controlling for repeated observations on individuals, were used to assess the relationship between changes in sleep characteristics at home and camp. Cohen effect sizes (d) were calculated using individual means. On camp TIB (+34 min) and WASO (+26 min) increased compared with home. However, TST was similar between home and camp, significantly reducing camp SE (-5.82%). Individually, there were strong negative correlations for TIB and WASO (r = -.75 and r = -.72, respectively) and a moderate negative correlation for SE (r = -.46) between home and relative changes on camp. Camp increased the relationship between individual s-RPE variation and TST variation compared with home (increased load r = -.367 vs .051, reduced load r = .319 vs -.033, camp vs home respectively). Camp compromised sleep quality due to significantly increased TIB without increased TST. Individually, AF players with higher home SE experienced greater reductions in SE on camp. Together, this emphasizes the importance of individualized interventions for elite team-sport athletes when traveling and/or changing environments.

Sleep homeostasis in the female rat during the estrous cycle.

PubMed

Schwierin, B; Borbély, A A; Tobler, I

1998-11-16

To investigate whether sleep homeostasis in the female rat is modulated by the estrous cycle, the vigilance states, EEG power spectra and cortical temperature (TCRT) were assessed on the basis of 4-day continuous recordings. A regulatory response was elicited by 6-h sleep deprivation (SD) during the proestrous (PRO) and the estrous (EST) day and compared to the baseline recordings. The vigilance states varied across the estrous cycle. In the PRO dark period the amount of sleep was reduced. The decrease in rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep was already evident towards the end of the preceding light period, and an increased fragmentation of sleep was present throughout PRO. Compared to the other days of the estrous cycle, slow-wave activity (SWA; EEG power density 0.75-4.75 Hz) in nonREM (NREM) sleep was lower in PRO at the end of the light period and in the beginning of the dark period. High-frequency activity (HFA; EEG power density 10.25-25.0 Hz) was increased in the dark period of PRO. The SD performed during the first 6 h of the light period of PRO and EST enhanced SWA in NREM sleep and reduced sleep fragmentation during the subsequent 6 h. The extent and time course of the response to SD did not differ between the two phases of the estrous cycle. It is concluded that despite the marked baseline variations of the vigilance states and the EEG, homeostatic regulation is little affected by the estrous cycle. Copyright 1998 Elsevier Science B.V.

Insufficient non-REM sleep intensity in narcolepsy-cataplexy.

PubMed

Khatami, Ramin; Landolt, Hans-Peter; Achermann, Peter; Rétey, Julia V; Werth, Esther; Mathis, Johannes; Bassetti, Claudio L

2007-08-01

To compare electroencephalogram (EEG) dynamics during nocturnal sleep in patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy and healthy controls. Fragmented nocturnal sleep is a prominent feature and contributes to excessive daytime sleepiness in narcolepsy-cataplexy. Only 3 studies have addressed changes in homeostatic sleep regulation as a possible mechanism underlying nocturnal sleep fragmentation in narcolepsy-cataplexy. Baseline sleep of 11 drug-naive patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy (19-37 years) and 11 matched controls (18-41 years) was polysomnographically recorded. The EEG was subjected to spectral analysis. None, baseline condition. All patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy but no control subjects showed a sleep-onset rapid eye movement (REM) episode. Non-REM (NREM)-REM sleep cycles were longer in patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy than in controls (P = 0.04). Mean slow-wave activity declined in both groups across the first 3 NREM sleep episodes (P<0.001). The rate of decline, however, appeared to be steeper in patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy (time constant: narcolepsy-cataplexy 51.1 +/- 23.8 minutes [mean +/- SEM], 95% confidence interval [CI]: 33.4-108.8 minutes) than in controls (169.4 +/- 81.5 minutes, 95% CI: 110.9-357.6 minutes) as concluded from nonoverlapping 95% confidence interval of the time constants. The steeper decline of SWA in narcolepsy-cataplexy compared to controls was related to an impaired build-up of slow-wave activity in the second cycle. Sleep in the second cycle was interrupted in patients with narcolepsy-cataplexy, when compared with controls, by an increased number (P = 0.01) and longer duration (P = 0.01) of short wake episodes. Insufficient NREM sleep intensity is associated with nonconsolidated nocturnal sleep in narcolepsy-cataplexy. The inability to consolidate sleep manifests itself when NREM sleep intensity has decayed below a certain level and is reflected in an altered time course of slow-wave activity across NREM sleep episodes.

Melanin-Concentrating Hormone: A New Sleep Factor?

PubMed Central

Torterolo, Pablo; Lagos, Patricia; Monti, Jaime M.

2011-01-01

Neurons containing the neuropeptide melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) are mainly located in the lateral hypothalamus and the incerto-hypothalamic area, and have widespread projections throughout the brain. While the biological functions of this neuropeptide are exerted in humans through two metabotropic receptors, the MCHR1 and MCHR2, only the MCHR1 is present in rodents. Recently, it has been shown that the MCHergic system is involved in the control of sleep. We can summarize the experimental findings as follows: (1) The areas related to the control of sleep and wakefulness have a high density of MCHergic fibers and receptors. (2) MCHergic neurons are active during sleep, especially during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. (3) MCH knockout mice have less REM sleep, notably under conditions of negative energy balance. Animals with genetically inactivated MCHR1 also exhibit altered vigilance state architecture and sleep homeostasis. (4) Systemically administered MCHR1 antagonists reduce sleep. (5) Intraventricular microinjection of MCH increases both slow wave sleep (SWS) and REM sleep; however, the increment in REM sleep is more pronounced. (6) Microinjection of MCH into the dorsal raphe nucleus increases REM sleep time. REM seep is inhibited by immunoneutralization of MCH within this nucleus. (7) Microinjection of MCH in the nucleus pontis oralis of the cat enhances REM sleep time and reduces REM sleep latency. All these data strongly suggest that MCH has a potent role in the promotion of sleep. Although both SWS and REM sleep are facilitated by MCH, REM sleep seems to be more sensitive to MCH modulation. PMID:21516258

Positive allosteric modulation of mGlu7 receptors by AMN082 affects sleep and wakefulness in the rat.

PubMed

Cavas, María; Scesa, Gianluigi; Navarro, José Francisco

2013-02-01

Evidence indicates that metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGlu) are involved in the regulation of physiological and behavioral processes, and glutamate has been implicated in several pathologies of the Central Nervous System. Pharmacological evidence suggests the therapeutic potential of targeting mGlu7 receptor in a number of pathological conditions; and previous research has shown the involvement of glutamate on sleep and wakefulness regulation. Here, the effects of mGlu7 receptor selective modulation on sleep and wake states are explored. 32 male Wistar rats were implanted with electrodes for recording sleep and wakefulness. N,N'-Bis(diphenylmethyl)-1,2-ethanediamine dihydrochloride (AMN082) (5, 10, and 20mg/kg, i.p.), a potent, selective and systemically active mGlu7 receptor positive allosteric modulator, or vehicle was administered 1 hour after the beginning of the light period. AMN082 (5 and 10mg/kg) significantly increased total time of sleep; and time spent on Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) was increased. AMN082 at 10mg/kg specifically affected Light SWS, increasing time spent on Light SWS. The highest dose of AMN082, 20mg/kg, significantly reduced time spent in Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep, decreasing the number of REM sleep episodes and their mean duration. Total time spent awake was increased and mean episode duration of wakefulness was prolonged. The present results suggest that mGlu7 receptors might be involved in sleep regulation and drugs targeting these receptors could affect sleep and wakefulness architecture. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effects of a 2-Week High-Intensity Training Camp on Sleep Activity of Professional Rugby League Athletes.

PubMed

Thornton, Heidi R; Duthie, Grant M; Pitchford, Nathan W; Delaney, Jace A; Benton, Dean T; Dascombe, Ben J

2017-08-01

To investigate the effects of a training camp on the sleep characteristics of professional rugby league players compared with a home period. During a 7-d home and 13-d camp period, time in bed (TIB), total sleep time (TST), sleep efficiency (SE), and wake after sleep onset were measured using wristwatch actigraphy. Subjective wellness and training loads (TL) were also collected. Differences in sleep and TL between the 2 periods and the effect of daytime naps on nighttime sleep were examined using linear mixed models. Pearson correlations assessed the relationship of changes in TL on individuals' TST. During the training camp, TST (-85 min), TIB (-53 min), and SE (-8%) were reduced compared with home. Those who undertook daytime naps showed increased TIB (+33 min), TST (+30 min), and SE (+0.9%). Increases in daily total distance and training duration above individual baseline means during the training camp shared moderate (r = -.31) and trivial (r = -.04) negative relationships with TST. Sleep quality and quantity may be compromised during training camps; however, daytime naps may be beneficial for athletes due to their known benefits, without being detrimental to nighttime sleep.

Up-regulated neuronal COX-2 expression after cortical spreading depression is involved in non-REM sleep induction in rats.

PubMed

Cui, Yilong; Kataoka, Yosky; Inui, Takashi; Mochizuki, Takatoshi; Onoe, Hirotaka; Matsumura, Kiyoshi; Urade, Yoshihiro; Yamada, Hisao; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi

2008-03-01

Cortical spreading depression is an excitatory wave of depolarization spreading throughout cerebral cortex at a rate of 2-5 mm/min and has been implicated in various neurological disorders, such as epilepsy, migraine aura, and trauma. Although sleepiness or sleep is often induced by these neurological disorders, the cellular and molecular mechanism has remained unclear. To investigate whether and how the sleep-wake behavior is altered by such aberrant brain activity, we induced cortical spreading depression in freely moving rats, monitoring REM and non-REM (NREM) sleep and sleep-associated changes in cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and prostaglandins (PGs). In such a model for aberrant neuronal excitation in the cerebral cortex, the amount of NREM sleep, but not of REM sleep, increased subsequently for several hours, with an up-regulated expression of COX-2 in cortical neurons and considerable production of PGs. A specific inhibitor of COX-2 completely arrested the increase in NREM sleep. These results indicate that up-regulated neuronal COX-2 would be involved in aberrant brain excitation-induced NREM sleep via production of PGs. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Co-Morbidity, Mortality, Quality of Life and the Healthcare/Welfare/Social Costs of Disordered Sleep: A Rapid Review

PubMed Central

Garbarino, Sergio; Lanteri, Paola; Durando, Paolo; Magnavita, Nicola; Sannita, Walter G.

2016-01-01

Sleep disorders are frequent (18%–23%) and constitute a major risk factor for psychiatric, cardiovascular, metabolic or hormonal co-morbidity and mortality. Low social status or income, unemployment, life events such as divorce, negative lifestyle habits, and professional requirements (e.g., shift work) are often associated with sleep problems. Sleep disorders affect the quality of life and impair both professional and non-professional activities. Excessive daytime drowsiness resulting from sleep disorders impairs efficiency and safety at work or on the road, and increases the risk of accidents. Poor sleep (either professional or voluntary) has detrimental effects comparable to those of major sleep disorders, but is often neglected. The high incidence and direct/indirect healthcare and welfare costs of sleep disorders and poor sleep currently constitute a major medical problem. Investigation, monitoring and strategies are needed in order to prevent/reduce the effects of these disorders. PMID:27548196

Co-Morbidity, Mortality, Quality of Life and the Healthcare/Welfare/Social Costs of Disordered Sleep: A Rapid Review.

PubMed

Garbarino, Sergio; Lanteri, Paola; Durando, Paolo; Magnavita, Nicola; Sannita, Walter G

2016-08-18

Sleep disorders are frequent (18%-23%) and constitute a major risk factor for psychiatric, cardiovascular, metabolic or hormonal co-morbidity and mortality. Low social status or income, unemployment, life events such as divorce, negative lifestyle habits, and professional requirements (e.g., shift work) are often associated with sleep problems. Sleep disorders affect the quality of life and impair both professional and non-professional activities. Excessive daytime drowsiness resulting from sleep disorders impairs efficiency and safety at work or on the road, and increases the risk of accidents. Poor sleep (either professional or voluntary) has detrimental effects comparable to those of major sleep disorders, but is often neglected. The high incidence and direct/indirect healthcare and welfare costs of sleep disorders and poor sleep currently constitute a major medical problem. Investigation, monitoring and strategies are needed in order to prevent/reduce the effects of these disorders.

Sleep, sleep-disordered breathing and metabolic consequences.

PubMed

Lévy, P; Bonsignore, M R; Eckel, J

2009-07-01

Sleep profoundly affects metabolic pathways. In healthy subjects, experimental sleep restriction caused insulin resistance (IR) and increased evening cortisol and sympathetic activation. Increased obesity in subjects reporting short sleep duration leads to speculation that, during recent decades, decreased sleeping time in the general population may have contributed to the increasing prevalence of obesity. Causal inference is difficult due to lack of control for confounders and inconsistent evidence of temporal sequence. In the general population, obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is associated with glucose intolerance. OSA severity is also associated with the degree of IR. However, OSA at baseline does not seem to significantly predict the development of diabetes. Prevalence of the metabolic syndrome is higher in patients with OSA than in obese subjects without OSA. Treatment with continuous positive airway pressure seems to improve glucose metabolism both in diabetic and nondiabetic OSA but mainly in nonobese subjects. The relative role of obesity and OSA in the pathogenesis of metabolic alterations is still unclear and is intensively studied in clinical and experimental models. In the intermittent hypoxia model in rodents, strong interactions are likely to occur between haemodynamic alterations, systemic inflammation and metabolic changes, modulated by genetic background. Molecular and cellular mechanisms are currently being investigated.

Role of Somatostatin-Positive Cortical Interneurons in the Generation of Sleep Slow Waves.

PubMed

Funk, Chadd M; Peelman, Kayla; Bellesi, Michele; Marshall, William; Cirelli, Chiara; Tononi, Giulio

2017-09-20

During non-rapid eye-movement (NREM) sleep, cortical and thalamic neurons oscillate every second or so between ON periods, characterized by membrane depolarization and wake-like tonic firing, and OFF periods, characterized by membrane hyperpolarization and neuronal silence. Cortical slow waves, the hallmark of NREM sleep, reflect near-synchronous OFF periods in cortical neurons. However, the mechanisms triggering such OFF periods are unclear, as there is little evidence for somatic inhibition. We studied cortical inhibitory interneurons that express somatostatin (SOM), because ∼70% of them are Martinotti cells that target diffusely layer I and can block excitatory transmission presynaptically, at glutamatergic terminals, and postsynaptically, at apical dendrites, without inhibiting the soma. In freely moving male mice, we show that SOM+ cells can fire immediately before slow waves and their optogenetic stimulation during ON periods of NREM sleep triggers long OFF periods. Next, we show that chemogenetic activation of SOM+ cells increases slow-wave activity (SWA), slope of individual slow waves, and NREM sleep duration; whereas their chemogenetic inhibition decreases SWA and slow-wave incidence without changing time spent in NREM sleep. By contrast, activation of parvalbumin+ (PV+) cells, the most numerous population of cortical inhibitory neurons, greatly decreases SWA and cortical firing, triggers short OFF periods in NREM sleep, and increases NREM sleep duration. Thus SOM+ cells, but not PV+ cells, are involved in the generation of sleep slow waves. Whether Martinotti cells are solely responsible for this effect, or are complemented by other classes of inhibitory neurons, remains to be investigated. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Cortical slow waves are a defining feature of non-rapid eye-movement (NREM) sleep and are thought to be important for many of its restorative benefits. Yet, the mechanism by which cortical neurons abruptly and synchronously cease firing, the neuronal basis of the slow wave, remains unknown. Using chemogenetic and optogenetic approaches, we provide the first evidence that links a specific class of inhibitory interneurons-somatostatin-positive cells-to the generation of slow waves during NREM sleep in freely moving mice. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/379132-17$15.00/0.

Learning-related brain hemispheric dominance in sleeping songbirds.

PubMed

Moorman, Sanne; Gobes, Sharon M H; van de Kamp, Ferdinand C; Zandbergen, Matthijs A; Bolhuis, Johan J

2015-03-12

There are striking behavioural and neural parallels between the acquisition of speech in humans and song learning in songbirds. In humans, language-related brain activation is mostly lateralised to the left hemisphere. During language acquisition in humans, brain hemispheric lateralisation develops as language proficiency increases. Sleep is important for the formation of long-term memory, in humans as well as in other animals, including songbirds. Here, we measured neuronal activation (as the expression pattern of the immediate early gene ZENK) during sleep in juvenile zebra finch males that were still learning their songs from a tutor. We found that during sleep, there was learning-dependent lateralisation of spontaneous neuronal activation in the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM), a secondary auditory brain region that is involved in tutor song memory, while there was right hemisphere dominance of neuronal activation in HVC (used as a proper name), a premotor nucleus that is involved in song production and sensorimotor learning. Specifically, in the NCM, birds that imitated their tutors well were left dominant, while poor imitators were right dominant, similar to language-proficiency related lateralisation in humans. Given the avian-human parallels, lateralised neural activation during sleep may also be important for speech and language acquisition in human infants.

Relationships between sleeping habits, sedentary leisure activities and childhood overweight and obesity.

PubMed

Busto-Zapico, Raquel; Amigo-Vázquez, Isaac; Peña-Suárez, Elsa; Fernández-Rodríguez, Concepción

2014-01-01

The aim of this study is to show how sedentary leisure activities and a decrease in hours of sleep interact to lead to an increase in the body mass index (BMI) in children. A random sample of 291 nine-year-old and ten-year-old schoolchildren from Asturias (Spain) was taken. A cross-sectional design was used, the children's weight and height were measured and an individual interview was carried out. Using path analysis, a model was tested in which bedtime, the number of hours spent sleeping and sedentary leisure activities were the independent variables and the BMI was the dependent variable. The results show that sedentary leisure activities and hours spent sleeping are predictors of a greater BMI in children. Moreover, the effect of the time spent sleeping is mediated by sedentary leisure activities. That is to say, it is those children who go to bed late and who use that extra time to watch the television or play with the computer that tend to have a greater BMI. Attention should be drawn to the importance of this fact and to the implications it may have for education and children's health.

Learning-related brain hemispheric dominance in sleeping songbirds

PubMed Central

Moorman, Sanne; Gobes, Sharon M. H.; van de Kamp, Ferdinand C.; Zandbergen, Matthijs A.; Bolhuis, Johan J.

2015-01-01

There are striking behavioural and neural parallels between the acquisition of speech in humans and song learning in songbirds. In humans, language-related brain activation is mostly lateralised to the left hemisphere. During language acquisition in humans, brain hemispheric lateralisation develops as language proficiency increases. Sleep is important for the formation of long-term memory, in humans as well as in other animals, including songbirds. Here, we measured neuronal activation (as the expression pattern of the immediate early gene ZENK) during sleep in juvenile zebra finch males that were still learning their songs from a tutor. We found that during sleep, there was learning-dependent lateralisation of spontaneous neuronal activation in the caudomedial nidopallium (NCM), a secondary auditory brain region that is involved in tutor song memory, while there was right hemisphere dominance of neuronal activation in HVC (used as a proper name), a premotor nucleus that is involved in song production and sensorimotor learning. Specifically, in the NCM, birds that imitated their tutors well were left dominant, while poor imitators were right dominant, similar to language-proficiency related lateralisation in humans. Given the avian-human parallels, lateralised neural activation during sleep may also be important for speech and language acquisition in human infants. PMID:25761654

A randomised controlled trial of bright light therapy and morning activity for adolescents and young adults with Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder.

PubMed

Richardson, C; Cain, N; Bartel, K; Micic, G; Maddock, B; Gradisar, M

2018-05-01

A randomised controlled trial evaluated bright light therapy and morning activity for the treatment of Delayed Sleep-Wake Phase Disorder (DSWPD) in young people. 60 adolescents and young adults (range = 13-24 years, mean = 15.9 ± 2.2 y, 63% f) diagnosed with DSWPD were randomised to receive three weeks of post-awakening Green Bright Light Therapy (∼507 nm) and Sedentary Activity (sitting, watching TV), Green Bright Light Therapy and Morning Activity (standing, playing motion-sensing videogame), Red Light Therapy (∼643 nm) and Sedentary Activity or Red Light Therapy and Morning Activity. Sleep (ie sleep onset time, wake up time, sleep onset latency, total sleep time) and daytime functioning (ie morning alertness, daytime sleepiness, fatigue, functional impairment) were measured pre-treatment, post-treatment and at one and three month follow-up. Contrary to predictions, there were no significant differences in outcomes between treatment groups; and interaction effects between treatment group and time for all outcome variables were not statistically significant. However, adolescents and young adults in morning activity conditions did not meaningfully increase their objective activity (ie movement frequency). Overall, adolescents reported significantly improved sleep timing (d = 0.30-0.46), sleep onset latency (d = 0.32) and daytime functioning (d = 0.45-0.87) post-treatment. Improvements in sleep timing (d = 0.53-0.61), sleep onset latency (d = 0.57), total sleep time (d = 0.51), and daytime functioning (d = 0.52-1.02) were maintained, or improved upon, at the three month follow-up. However, relapse of symptomology was common and 38% of adolescents and young adults requested further treatment in addition to the three weeks of light therapy. Although there is convincing evidence for the short-term efficacy of chronobiological treatments for DSWPD, long-term treatment outcomes can be improved. To address this gap in our current knowledge, avenues for future research are discussed. Australian & New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, https://www.anzctr.org.au, ACTRN12614000308695. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Loss of consciousness is related to hyper-correlated gamma-band activity in anesthetized macaques and sleeping humans.

PubMed

Bola, Michał; Barrett, Adam B; Pigorini, Andrea; Nobili, Lino; Seth, Anil K; Marchewka, Artur

2018-02-15

Loss of consciousness can result from a wide range of causes, including natural sleep and pharmacologically induced anesthesia. Important insights might thus come from identifying neuronal mechanisms of loss and re-emergence of consciousness independent of a specific manipulation. Therefore, to seek neuronal signatures of loss of consciousness common to sleep and anesthesia we analyzed spontaneous electrophysiological activity recorded in two experiments. First, electrocorticography (ECoG) acquired from 4 macaque monkeys anesthetized with different anesthetic agents (ketamine, medetomidine, propofol) and, second, stereo-electroencephalography (sEEG) from 10 epilepsy patients in different wake-sleep stages (wakefulness, NREM, REM). Specifically, we investigated co-activation patterns among brain areas, defined as correlations between local amplitudes of gamma-band activity. We found that resting wakefulness was associated with intermediate levels of gamma-band coupling, indicating neither complete dependence, nor full independence among brain regions. In contrast, loss of consciousness during NREM sleep and propofol anesthesia was associated with excessively correlated brain activity, as indicated by a robust increase of number and strength of positive correlations. However, such excessively correlated brain signals were not observed during REM sleep, and were present only to a limited extent during ketamine anesthesia. This might be related to the fact that, despite suppression of behavioral responsiveness, REM sleep and ketamine anesthesia often involve presence of dream-like conscious experiences. We conclude that hyper-correlated gamma-band activity might be a signature of loss of consciousness common across various manipulations and independent of behavioral responsiveness. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Regulation of Sleep by Insulin-like Peptide System in Drosophila melanogaster.

PubMed

Cong, Xiaona; Wang, Haili; Liu, Zhenxing; He, Chunxia; An, Chunju; Zhao, Zhangwu

2015-07-01

Most organisms have behavioral and physiological circadian rhythms, which are controlled by an endogenous clock. Although genetic analysis has revealed the intracellular mechanism of the circadian clock, the manner in which this clock communicates its temporal information to produce systemic regulation is still largely unknown. Sleep behavior was measured using the Drosophila Activity Monitoring System (DAMS) monitor under a 12 h light:12 h dark cycle and constant darkness (DD), and 5 min without recorded activity were defined as a bout of sleep. Here we show that Drosophila insulin-like peptides (DILPs) and their receptor (DInR) regulate sleep behavior. All mutants of the seven dilps and the mutant of their receptor exhibit decreases of total sleep except dilp4 mutants, whereas upregulation of DILP and DInR in the nervous system led to increased sleep. Histological analysis identified four previously unidentified neurons expressing DILP: D1, P1, L1, and L2, of which L1 and L2 belong to the LNd and LNv clock neurons that separately regulate different times of sleep. In addition, dilp2 levels significantly decrease when flies were fasted, which is consistent with a previous report that starvation inhibits sleep, further indicating that the dilp system is involved in sleep regulation. Taken together, the results indicate that the Drosophila insulin-like peptide system is a crucial regulator of sleep. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Relationship between early-life stress load and sleep in psychiatric outpatients: a sleep diary and actigraphy study.

PubMed

Schäfer, Valérie; Bader, Klaus

2013-08-01

The present study aimed to investigate whether stress experienced early in life is associated with actigraphic and subjective sleep measures in a sample of adult psychiatric outpatients. A total of 48 psychiatric outpatients completed self-report questionnaires assessing current depression, current anxiety symptoms and stress load during childhood (before the age of 13 years), adolescence (between the age of 13 and 18 years) and adulthood (between the age of 19 and current age). Sleep-related activity was measured using 24-h wrist actigraphy over a 7-day period at home, during which participants also kept a sleep diary. High stress load in childhood, but not in adolescence, was associated with shortened actigraphically assessed total sleep time, prolonged sleep onset latency, decreased sleep efficiency and an increased number of body movements in sleep, even after accounting for the effects of later occurring stress and psychopathological symptoms such as depression and anxiety scores. Unexpectedly, no significant associations between early-life stress load and subjective sleep measures were found. Results are consistent with findings from previous studies indicating an association between childhood adversities and higher levels of nocturnal activity. The findings suggest that high stress load during childhood might be a vulnerability factor for sleep continuity problems in adulthood. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Caffeine Consuming Children and Adolescents Show Altered Sleep Behavior and Deep Sleep

PubMed Central

Aepli, Andrina; Kurth, Salome; Tesler, Noemi; Jenni, Oskar G.; Huber, Reto

2015-01-01

Caffeine is the most commonly ingested psychoactive drug worldwide with increasing consumption rates among young individuals. While caffeine leads to decreased sleep quality in adults, studies investigating how caffeine consumption affects children’s and adolescents’ sleep remain scarce. We explored the effects of regular caffeine consumption on sleep behavior and the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) in children and adolescents (10–16 years). While later habitual bedtimes (Caffeine 23:14 ± 11.4, Controls 22:17 ± 15.4) and less time in bed were found in caffeine consumers compared to the control group (Caffeine 08:10 ± 13.3, Controls 09:03 ± 16.1), morning tiredness was unaffected. Furthermore, caffeine consumers exhibited reduced sleep EEG slow-wave activity (SWA, 1–4.5 Hz) at the beginning of the night compared to controls (20% ± 9% average reduction across all electrodes and subjects). Comparable reductions were found for alpha activity (8.25–9.75 Hz). These effects, however, disappeared in the morning hours. Our findings suggest that caffeine consumption in adolescents may lead to later bedtimes and reduced SWA, a well-established marker of sleep depth. Because deep sleep is involved in recovery processes during sleep, further research is needed to understand whether a caffeine-induced loss of sleep depth interacts with neuronal network refinement processes that occur during the sensitive period of adolescent development. PMID:26501326

The contribution of the pineal gland on daily rhythms and masking in diurnal grass rats, Arvicanthis niloticus.

PubMed

Shuboni, Dorela D; Agha, Amna A; Groves, Thomas K H; Gall, Andrew J

2016-07-01

Melatonin is a hormone rhythmically secreted at night by the pineal gland in vertebrates. In diurnal mammals, melatonin is present during the inactive phase of the rest/activity cycle, and in primates it directly facilitates sleep and decreases body temperature. However, the role of the pineal gland for the promotion of sleep at night has not yet been studied in non-primate diurnal mammalian species. Here, the authors directly examined the hypothesis that the pineal gland contributes to diurnality in Nile grass rats by decreasing activity and increasing sleep at night, and that this could occur via effects on circadian mechanisms or masking, or both. Removing the pineal gland had no effect on the hourly distribution of activity across a 12:12 light-dark (LD) cycle or on the patterns of sleep-like behavior at night. Masking effects of light at night on activity were also not significantly different in pinealectomized and control grass rats, as 1h pulses of light stimulated increases in activity of sham and pinealectomized animals to a similar extent. In addition, the circadian regulation of activity was unaffected by the surgical condition of the animals. Our results suggest that the pineal gland does not contribute to diurnality in the grass rat, thus highlighting the complexity of temporal niche transitions. The current data raise interesting questions about how and why genetic and neural mechanisms linking melatonin to sleep regulatory systems might vary among mammals that reached a diurnal niche via parallel and independent pathways. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Increased commuting to school time reduces sleep duration in adolescents.

PubMed

Pereira, Erico Felden; Moreno, Claudia; Louzada, Fernando Mazzilli

2014-02-01

Active travel to school has been referred to as one way of increasing the level of daily physical exercise, but the actual impacts on student's general health are not clear. Recently, a possible association between active travel to school and the duration of sleep was suggested. Thus, the aim was of this study to investigate the associations between the type of transportation and travel time to school, the time in bed and sleepiness in the classroom of high school students. Information on sleeping habits and travel to school of 1126 high school students were analyzed, where 55.1% were girls with an average age of 16.24 (1.39) years old, in Santa Maria Municipality, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Multiple linear regression and adjusted prevalence rates analyses were carried out. The frequency of active travel found was 61.8%. Associations between time in bed, sleepiness in the classroom and the type of transportation (active or passive) were not identified. Nevertheless, the time in bed was inversely associated with the travel time (p = 0.036) and with a phase delay. In the adjusted analysis, active travel was more incident for the students of schools in the suburbs (PR: 1.68; CI: 1.40-2.01) in comparison with the students of schools in the center. Therefore, longer trips were associated with a reduction of sleep duration of morning and night groups. Interventions concerning active travel to school must be carried out cautiously in order not to cause a reduction of the sleeping time.

Hypersynchronous delta waves and somnambulism: brain topography and effect of sleep deprivation.

PubMed

Pilon, Mathieu; Zadra, Antonio; Joncas, Steve; Montplaisir, Jacques

2006-01-01

Hypersynchronous delta activity (HSD) is usually described as several continuous high-voltage delta waves (> or = 150 microV) in the sleep electroencephalogram of somnambulistic patients. However, studies have yielded varied and contradictory results. The goal of the present study was to evaluate HSD over different electroencephalographic derivations during the non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep of somnambulistic patients and controls during normal sleep and following 38 hours of sleep deprivation, as well as prior to sleepwalking episodes. N/A. Sleep disorders clinic. Ten adult sleepwalkers and 10 sex- and age-matched control subjects were investigated polysomnographically during a baseline night and following 38 hours of sleep deprivation. N/A. During normal sleep, sleepwalkers had a significantly higher ratio of HSD over the time spent in stage 2, 3 and 4 on frontal and central derivations when compared with controls. Sleep deprivation resulted in a significant increase in the ratio of the time in HSD over the time in stage 4 on the frontal lead in both groups and on the central lead in controls. There was no evidence for a temporal accumulation of HSD prior to the episodes. HSD shows a clear frontocentral gradient across all subjects during both baseline and recovery sleep and has relatively low specificity for the diagnosis of NREM parasomnias. Increases in HSD after sleep deprivation may reflect an enhancement of the homeostatic process underlying sleep regulation.

Sleep/wake dependent changes in cortical glucose concentrations.

PubMed

Dash, Michael B; Bellesi, Michele; Tononi, Giulio; Cirelli, Chiara

2013-01-01

Most of the energy in the brain comes from glucose and supports glutamatergic activity. The firing rate of cortical glutamatergic neurons, as well as cortical extracellular glutamate levels, increase with time spent awake and decline throughout non rapid eye movement sleep, raising the question whether glucose levels reflect behavioral state and sleep/wake history. Here chronic (2-3 days) electroencephalographic recordings in the rat cerebral cortex were coupled with fixed-potential amperometry to monitor the extracellular concentration of glucose ([gluc]) on a second-by-second basis across the spontaneous sleep-wake cycle and in response to 3 h of sleep deprivation. [Gluc] progressively increased during non rapid eye movement sleep and declined during rapid eye movement sleep, while during wake an early decline in [gluc] was followed by an increase 8-15 min after awakening. There was a significant time of day effect during the dark phase, when rats are mostly awake, with [gluc] being significantly lower during the last 3-4 h of the night relative to the first 3-4 h. Moreover, the duration of the early phase of [gluc] decline during wake was longer after prolonged wake than after consolidated sleep. Thus, the sleep/wake history may affect the levels of glucose available to the brain upon awakening. © 2012 The Authors Journal of Neurochemistry © 2012 International Society for Neurochemistry.

Modulation of Total Sleep Time by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS).

PubMed

Frase, Lukas; Piosczyk, Hannah; Zittel, Sulamith; Jahn, Friederike; Selhausen, Peter; Krone, Lukas; Feige, Bernd; Mainberger, Florian; Maier, Jonathan G; Kuhn, Marion; Klöppel, Stefan; Normann, Claus; Sterr, Annette; Spiegelhalder, Kai; Riemann, Dieter; Nitsche, Michael A; Nissen, Christoph

2016-09-01

Arousal and sleep are fundamental physiological processes, and their modulation is of high clinical significance. This study tested the hypothesis that total sleep time (TST) in humans can be modulated by the non-invasive brain stimulation technique transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting a 'top-down' cortico-thalamic pathway of sleep-wake regulation. Nineteen healthy participants underwent a within-subject, repeated-measures protocol across five nights in the sleep laboratory with polysomnographic monitoring (adaptation, baseline, three experimental nights). tDCS was delivered via bi-frontal target electrodes and bi-parietal return electrodes before sleep (anodal 'activation', cathodal 'deactivation', and sham stimulation). Bi-frontal anodal stimulation significantly decreased TST, compared with cathodal and sham stimulation. This effect was location specific. Bi-frontal cathodal stimulation did not significantly increase TST, potentially due to ceiling effects in good sleepers. Exploratory resting-state EEG analyses before and after the tDCS protocols were consistent with the notion of increased cortical arousal after anodal stimulation and decreased cortical arousal after cathodal stimulation. The study provides proof-of-concept that TST can be decreased by non-invasive bi-frontal anodal tDCS in healthy humans. Further elucidating the 'top-down' pathway of sleep-wake regulation is expected to increase knowledge on the fundamentals of sleep-wake regulation and to contribute to the development of novel treatments for clinical conditions of disturbed arousal and sleep.

Modulation of Total Sleep Time by Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS)

PubMed Central

Frase, Lukas; Piosczyk, Hannah; Zittel, Sulamith; Jahn, Friederike; Selhausen, Peter; Krone, Lukas; Feige, Bernd; Mainberger, Florian; Maier, Jonathan G; Kuhn, Marion; Klöppel, Stefan; Normann, Claus; Sterr, Annette; Spiegelhalder, Kai; Riemann, Dieter; Nitsche, Michael A; Nissen, Christoph

2016-01-01

Arousal and sleep are fundamental physiological processes, and their modulation is of high clinical significance. This study tested the hypothesis that total sleep time (TST) in humans can be modulated by the non-invasive brain stimulation technique transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) targeting a ‘top-down' cortico-thalamic pathway of sleep-wake regulation. Nineteen healthy participants underwent a within-subject, repeated-measures protocol across five nights in the sleep laboratory with polysomnographic monitoring (adaptation, baseline, three experimental nights). tDCS was delivered via bi-frontal target electrodes and bi-parietal return electrodes before sleep (anodal ‘activation', cathodal ‘deactivation', and sham stimulation). Bi-frontal anodal stimulation significantly decreased TST, compared with cathodal and sham stimulation. This effect was location specific. Bi-frontal cathodal stimulation did not significantly increase TST, potentially due to ceiling effects in good sleepers. Exploratory resting-state EEG analyses before and after the tDCS protocols were consistent with the notion of increased cortical arousal after anodal stimulation and decreased cortical arousal after cathodal stimulation. The study provides proof-of-concept that TST can be decreased by non-invasive bi-frontal anodal tDCS in healthy humans. Further elucidating the ‘top-down' pathway of sleep-wake regulation is expected to increase knowledge on the fundamentals of sleep-wake regulation and to contribute to the development of novel treatments for clinical conditions of disturbed arousal and sleep. PMID:27143601

Sleep in the domestic hen (Gallus domesticus).

PubMed

van Luijtelaar, E L; van der Grinten, C P; Blokhuis, H J; Coenen, A M

1987-01-01

Electrophysiological recordings were made of five closely observed hens, all permanently implanted with both EEG and EMG electrodes. Five behavioural postures were distinguished and percentages of wakefulness, sleep and presumably paradoxical sleep (PS) were determined during the third and sixth hour of the dark period. Substantial agreement was generally found between behaviour and sleep with the exception of sitting or standing motionless with at least one eye open. During two thirds of this behavioural posture, the EEG showed large amplitude slow waves undistinguishable from slow wave sleep. Characteristics of PS were determined: periods were short, whereas its percentage increased during the night. Furthermore, EMG atonia was never found. An all night recording was made, and delta activity (2-5 Hz) was filtered and plotted against time for three of the hens. A significant decrease in delta activity across the night was found. Differences and similarities between sleep in hens and in mammals are discussed. Although large similarities exist it is concluded that some properties of birds' sleep make it unique and are a challenge for further study.

Work stress, sleep deficiency and predicted 10-year cardiometabolic risk in a female patient care worker population

PubMed Central

Jacobsen, Henrik Børsting; Reme, Silje Endresen; Sembajwe, Grace; Hopcia, Karen; Stiles, Tore C.; Sorensen, Glorian; Porter, James H.; Marino, Miguel; Buxton, Orfeu M.

2014-01-01

Objectives The aim of this study was to investigate the longitudinal effect of work-related stress, sleep deficiency and physical activity on 10-year cardiometabolic risk among an all-female worker population. Methods Data on patient care workers (n=99) was collected two years apart. Baseline measures included: job stress, physical activity, night work and sleep deficiency. Biomarkers and objective measurements were used to estimate 10-year cardiometabolic risk at follow-up. Significant associations (P<0.05) from baseline analyses were used to build a multivariable linear regression model. Results The participants were mostly white nurses with a mean age of 41 years. Adjusted linear regression showed that having sleep maintenance problems, a different occupation than nurse, and/or not exercising at recommended levels at baseline increased the 10-year cardiometabolic risk at follow-up. Conclusions In female workers prone to work-related stress and sleep deficiency, maintaining sleep and exercise patterns had a strong impact on modifiable 10-year cardiometabolic risk. PMID:24809311

Work stress, sleep deficiency, and predicted 10-year cardiometabolic risk in a female patient care worker population.

PubMed

Jacobsen, Henrik B; Reme, Silje E; Sembajwe, Grace; Hopcia, Karen; Stiles, Tore C; Sorensen, Glorian; Porter, James H; Marino, Miguel; Buxton, Orfeu M

2014-08-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the longitudinal effect of work-related stress, sleep deficiency, and physical activity on 10-year cardiometabolic risk among an all-female worker population. Data on patient care workers (n=99) was collected 2 years apart. Baseline measures included: job stress, physical activity, night work, and sleep deficiency. Biomarkers and objective measurements were used to estimate 10-year cardiometabolic risk at follow-up. Significant associations (P<0.05) from baseline analyses were used to build a multivariable linear regression model. The participants were mostly white nurses with a mean age of 41 years. Adjusted linear regression showed that having sleep maintenance problems, a different occupation than nurse, and/or not exercising at recommended levels at baseline increased the 10-year cardiometabolic risk at follow-up. In female workers prone to work-related stress and sleep deficiency, maintaining sleep and exercise patterns had a strong impact on modifiable 10-year cardiometabolic risk. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Changes in Sleep Time and Sleep Quality across the Ovulatory Cycle as a Function of Fertility and Partner Attractiveness

PubMed Central

Goetz, Aaron T.

2014-01-01

Research suggests that near ovulation women tend to consume fewer calories and engage in more physical activity; they are judged to be more attractive, express greater preferences for masculine and symmetrical men, and experience increases in sexual desire for men other than their primary partners. Some of these cycle phase shifts are moderated by partner attractiveness and interpreted as strategic responses to women's current reproductive context. The present study investigated changes in sleep across the ovulatory cycle, based on the hypothesis that changes in sleep may reflect ancestral strategic shifts of time and energy toward reproductive activities. Participants completed a 32-day daily diary in which they recorded their sleep time and quality for each day, yielding over 1,000 observations of sleep time and quality. Results indicated that, when the probability of conception was high, women partnered with less attractive men slept more, while women with more attractive partners slept less. PMID:24710508

[Influence of a program of physical activity in children and obese adolescents with sleep apnea; study protocol].

PubMed

Aguilar Cordero, M J; Sánchez López, A M; Mur Villar, N; Sánchez Marenco, A; Guisado Barrilao, R

2013-01-01

Recent studies show an alarming increase in the rate of overweight / obesity among the infant - juvenile population. Obesity in childhood is associated with a significant number of complications, such as sleep apnea syndrome, insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease and some cancers. It is estimated that the prevalence of sleep apnea in children is 2-3% in the general population, while in obese adolescents, varies between 13% and 66%, according to various studies. It is associated with impairment of neurocognitive function, behavior, cardiovascular system, metabolic disorders and growth. Sleep apnea is a serious public health problem that increases when children and adolescents are overweight or obese. We hypothesize that aerobic endurance exercise can be an effective treatment for obesity and apnea at the same time. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of physical activity in children and adolescents with overweight / obesity in sleep apnea. An observational, descriptive, prospective, longitudinal study will be carried out in children with sleep apnea and obesity. The universe will be made up of 60 children and adolescents aged between 10 and 18 years, attending the endocrinology service for suffering of obesity in the Hospital Clinico San Cecilio of Granada during the period September 2012-September 2013. The smple will consist of children and adolescents that meet these characteristics and to whom their parents/tutors have authorized through the informed consent. Sleep apnea in children wil be measured by polysomnography and sleep quality questionnaire. There will also be a nutritional assessment by a food frequency questionnaire and an anthropometric assessment. Among the expected results are the lower overweight and obesity in children through the physical activity program. To reduce apnea and to improve sleep quality. Copyright © AULA MEDICA EDICIONES 2013. Published by AULA MEDICA. All rights reserved.

Sleeping during Pregnancy

MedlinePlus

... increases. This means more trips to the bathroom, day and night. The number of nighttime trips may be greater ... techniques to help you unwind after a busy day. (Be sure to discuss any new activity or ... you awake at night. When You Can't Sleep Of course, there ...

Physical Activity, Sleep, and BMI Percentile in Rural and Urban Ugandan Youth.

PubMed

Christoph, Mary J; Grigsby-Toussaint, Diana S; Baingana, Rhona; Ntambi, James M

Uganda is experiencing a dual burden of over- and undernutrition, with overweight prevalence increasing while underweight remains common. Potential weight-related factors, particularly physical activity, sleep, and rural/urban status, are not currently well understood or commonly assessed in Ugandan youth. The purpose of this study was to pilot test a survey measuring weight-related factors in rural and urban Ugandan schoolchildren. A cross-sectional survey measured sociodemographics, physical activity, sleep patterns, and dietary factors in 148 rural and urban schoolchildren aged 11-16 in central Uganda. Height and weight were objectively measured. Rural and urban youth were compared on these factors using χ 2 and t tests. Regression was used to identify correlates of higher body mass index (BMI) percentile in the full sample and nonstunted youth. Youth were on average 12.1 ± 1.1 years old; underweight (10%) was more common than overweight (1.4%). Self-reported sleep duration and subjective sleep quality did not differ by rural/urban residence. Rural children overall had higher BMI percentile and marginally higher stunting prevalence. In adjusted analyses in both the full and nonstunted samples, higher BMI percentile was related to living in a rural area, higher frequency of physical activity, and higher subjective sleep quality; it was negatively related to being active on weekends. In the full sample, higher BMI percentile was also related to female gender, whereas in nonstunted youth, higher BMI was related to age. BMI percentile was unrelated to sedentary time, performance of active chores and sports, and dietary factors. This study is one of the first to pilot test a survey assessing weight-related factors, particularly physical activity and sleep, in Ugandan schoolchildren. BMI percentile was related to several sociodemographic, sleep, and physical activity factors among primarily normal-weight school children in Uganda, providing a basis for understanding weight status in the context of the nutrition transition. Copyright © 2017 Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Multifractal Analysis of Human Heartbeat in Sleep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Liang-Jing; Peng, Hu; Cai, Shi-Min; Zhou, Pei-Ling

2007-07-01

We study the dynamical properties of heart rate variability (HRV) in sleep by analysing the scaling behaviour with the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis method. It is well known that heart rate is regulated by the interaction of two branches of the autonomic nervous system: the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. By investigating the multifractal properties of light, deep, rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep and wake stages, we firstly find an increasing multifractal behaviour during REM sleep which may be caused by augmented sympathetic activities relative to non-REM sleep. In addition, the investigation of long-range correlations of HRV in sleep with second order detrended fluctuation analysis presents irregular phenomena. These findings may be helpful to understand the underlying regulating mechanism of heart rate by autonomic nervous system during wake-sleep transitions.

24-h activity rhythm and sleep in depressed outpatients.

PubMed

Hori, Hiroaki; Koga, Norie; Hidese, Shinsuke; Nagashima, Anna; Kim, Yoshiharu; Higuchi, Teruhiko; Kunugi, Hiroshi

2016-06-01

Disturbances in sleep and circadian rest-activity rhythms are key features of depression. Actigraphy, a non-invasive method for monitoring motor activity, can be used to objectively assess circadian rest-activity rhythms and sleep patterns. While recent studies have measured sleep and daytime activity of depressed patients using wrist-worn actigraphy, the actigraphic 24-h rest-activity rhythm in depression has not been well documented. We aimed to examine actigraphically measured sleep and circadian rest-activity rhythms in depressed outpatients. Twenty patients with DSM-IV major depressive episode and 20 age- and sex-matched healthy controls participated in this study. Participants completed 7 consecutive days of all-day actigraphic activity monitoring while engaging in usual activities. For sleep parameters, total sleep time, wake after sleep onset, and sleep fragmentation index were determined. Circadian rhythms were estimated by fitting individual actigraphy data to a cosine curve of a 24-h activity rhythm using the cosinor method, which generated three circadian activity rhythm parameters, i.e., MESOR (rhythm-adjusted mean), amplitude, and acrophase. Subjective sleep was also assessed using a sleep diary and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Patients showed significantly lower MESOR and more dampened amplitude along with significant sleep disturbances. Logistic regression analysis revealed that lower MESOR and more fragmented sleep emerged as the significant predictors of depression. Correlations between subjectively and actigraphically measured parameters demonstrated the validity of actigraphic measurements. These results indicate marked disturbances in sleep and circadian rest-activity rhythms of depression. By simultaneously measuring sleep and rest-activity rhythm parameters, actigraphy might serve as an objective diagnostic aid for depression. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[EFFECTS OF ELECTRICAL STIMULATION OF NUCLEUS RETICULARIS PONTIS ORALIS ON THE SLEEP-WAKING STATES IN KRUSHINSKII-MOLODKINA STRAIN RATS].

PubMed

Vataev, S I; Malgina, N A; Oganesyan, G A

2015-07-01

The effects of electrical stimulation of nucleus reticularis pontis oralis on the behavior and brain electrical activity during all phases of the sleep-waking cycle was studied in Krushinskii-Molodkina strain rats, which have an inherited predisposition to audiogenic seizures. Electrical stimulation with 7 Hz frequency in the deep stage of slow-wave sleep cause appearance the fast-wave sleep. Similar stimulation during fast-wave sleep periods did not effects on the electrographic patterns and EEG spectral characteristics of hippocampus, visual, auditory and somatocnen nrnrenc nf the cnrtey ThPe sfimul1stinns did nnt break a fast-wave sleenhut increased almost twice due the duration of these sleep episodes. After electrical stimulation by same frequency during the wakeftlness and superficial slow-wave sleep states, the patterns and spectral characteristics of brain electrical activity in rats showed no significant changes as compared with controls. The results of this study indicate that the state of the animals sleep-waking cycle at the time of stimulation is a critical variable that influences the responses which are induced by electrical stimulation of the nucleus reticularis pontis oralis.

The effects of a single night of sleep deprivation on fluency and prefrontal cortex function during divergent thinking

PubMed Central

Vartanian, Oshin; Bouak, Fethi; Caldwell, J. L.; Cheung, Bob; Cupchik, Gerald; Jobidon, Marie-Eve; Lam, Quan; Nakashima, Ann; Paul, Michel; Peng, Henry; Silvia, Paul J.; Smith, Ingrid

2014-01-01

The dorsal and ventral aspects of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) are the two regions most consistently recruited in divergent thinking tasks. Given that frontal tasks have been shown to be vulnerable to sleep loss, we explored the impact of a single night of sleep deprivation on fluency (i.e., number of generated responses) and PFC function during divergent thinking. Participants underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning twice while engaged in the Alternate Uses Task (AUT) – once following a single night of sleep deprivation and once following a night of normal sleep. They also wore wrist activity monitors, which enabled us to quantify daily sleep and model cognitive effectiveness. The intervention was effective, producing greater levels of fatigue and sleepiness. Modeled cognitive effectiveness and fluency were impaired following sleep deprivation, and sleep deprivation was associated with greater activation in the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) during AUT. The results suggest that an intervention known to temporarily compromise frontal function can impair fluency, and that this effect is instantiated in the form of an increased hemodynamic response in the left IFG. PMID:24795594

Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of REM Sleep Homeostatic Drive: A Plausible Component for Behavioral Plasticity

PubMed Central

Datta, Subimal; Oliver, Michael D.

2017-01-01

Homeostatic regulation of REM sleep drive, as measured by an increase in the number of REM sleep transitions, plays a key role in neuronal and behavioral plasticity (i.e., learning and memory). Deficits in REM sleep homeostatic drive (RSHD) are implicated in the development of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Yet, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this RSHD remain to be incomplete. To further our understanding of this mechanism, the current study was performed on freely moving rats to test a hypothesis that a positive interaction between extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) activity and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling in the pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPT) is a causal factor for the development of RSHD. Behavioral results of this study demonstrated that a short period (<90 min) of selective REM sleep restriction (RSR) exhibited a strong RSHD. Molecular analyses revealed that this increased RSHD increased phosphorylation and activation of ERK1/2 and BDNF expression in the PPT. Additionally, pharmacological results demonstrated that the application of the ERK1/2 activation inhibitor U0126 into the PPT prevented RSHD and suppressed BDNF expression in the PPT. These results, for the first time, suggest that the positive interaction between ERK1/2 and BDNF in the PPT is a casual factor for the development of RSHD. These findings provide a novel direction in understanding how RSHD-associated specific molecular changes can facilitate neuronal plasticity and memory processing. PMID:28959190

Is passive smoking associated with sleep disturbance among pregnant women?

PubMed

Ohida, Takashi; Kaneita, Yoshitaka; Osaki, Yoneatsu; Harano, Satoru; Tanihata, Takeo; Takemura, Shinji; Wada, Kiyoshi; Kanda, Hideyuki; Hayashi, Kenji; Uchiyama, Makoto

2007-09-01

Pregnant women suffer from sleep disturbance, which may be aggravated by passive smoking. In this study we investigated the effects of passive smoking on sleep disturbance during pregnancy. Two cross-sectional questionnaire surveys conducted in 2002 and 2006. Clinical institutions specializing in obstetrics and gynecology that participated in the nationwide surveys: 260 in the 2002 survey and 344 in the 2006 survey. 16,396 and 19,386 pregnant women in Japan surveyed in 2002 and 2006, respectively. N/A. Pregnant women exposed to passive smoking were likely to have sleep disturbances, such as subjective insufficient sleep, difficulty in initiating sleep, short sleep duration, and snoring loudly/breathing uncomfortably. Smoking pregnant women had the same sleep disturbances and also experienced excessive daytime sleepiness and early morning awakening. The prevalence of 5 types of sleep disturbance (insufficient sleep, difficulty in initiating sleep, short sleep duration, excessive daytime sleepiness, and snoring loudly/breathing uncomfortably) among nonsmokers with environmental tobacco smoke showed a mean value intermediate between that of active smokers and that of nonsmokers without environmental tobacco smoke. Passive smoking is independently associated with increased sleep disturbance during pregnancy.

In female adolescents, romantic love is related to hypomanic-like stages and increased physical activity, but not to sleep or depressive symptoms.

PubMed

Bajoghli, Hafez; Joshaghani, Narges; Mohammadi, Mohammad Reza; Holsboer-Trachsler, Edith; Brand, Serge

2011-09-01

Experiencing romantic love is important in individual development. Little is known about romantic love among adolescents in non-Western countries. The aim of the present study was therefore to explore romantic love among Iranian female adolescents. Eighty-six females (mean age: 17.97 years) took part in the study; 38 of them (44%) indicated they were experiencing romantic love at the time of survey, and 48 (56%) indicated they were not in love. Participants completed questionnaires related to affective states and physical activity, and a sleep log for seven consecutive nights. Compared to controls, participants in love had higher scores for hypomanic-like states, positive mood, physical activity, but not for better sleep quality or for depressive symptoms. Against expectations, hypomania scores increased with the duration of the romantic relationship, suggesting that culture-related issues might shape the way romantic love may be experienced.

Enhanced slow wave sleep and improved sleep maintenance after gaboxadol administration during seven nights of exposure to a traffic noise model of transient insomnia.

PubMed

Dijk, D-J; Stanley, N; Lundahl, J; Groeger, J A; Legters, A; Trap Huusom, A K; Deacon, S

2012-08-01

Slow wave sleep (SWS) has been reported to correlate with sleep maintenance, but whether pharmacological enhancement of SWS also leads to improved sleep maintenance is not known. Here we evaluate the time-course of the effects of gaboxadol, an extra-synaptic gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) agonist, on SWS, sleep maintenance, and other sleep measures in a traffic noise model of transient insomnia. After a placebo run-in, 101 healthy subjects (20-78 y) were randomized to gaboxadol (n = 50; 15 mg in subjects <65 y and 10 mg in subjects ≥65 y) or placebo (n = 51) for 7 nights (N1-N7). The model caused some disruption of sleep initiation and maintenance, with greatest effects on N1. Compared with placebo, gaboxadol increased SWS and slow wave activity throughout N1 to N7 (p < 0.05). Gaboxadol reduced latency to persistent sleep overall (N1-N7) by 4.5 min and on N1 by 11 min (both p < 0.05). Gaboxadol increased total sleep time (TST) overall by 16 min (p < 0.001) and on N1 by 38 min (p < 0.0001). Under gaboxadol, wakefulness after sleep onset was reduced by 11 min overall (p < 0.01) and by 29 min on N1 (p < 0.0001), and poly-somnographic awakenings were reduced on N1 (p < 0.05). Gaboxadol reduced self-reported sleep onset latency overall and on N1 (both p < 0.05) and increased self-reported TST overall (p < 0.05) and on N1 (p < 0.01). Subjective sleep quality improved overall (p < 0.01) and on N1 (p < 0.0001). Increases in SWS correlated with objective and subjective measures of sleep maintenance and subjective sleep quality under placebo and gaboxadol (p < 0.05). Gaboxadol enhanced SWS and reduced the disruptive effects of noise on sleep initiation and maintenance.

The interactive effects of nocturnal sleep and daytime naps in relation to serum C-reactive protein.

PubMed

Mantua, Janna; Spencer, Rebecca M C

2015-10-01

C-reactive protein (CRP) is a general marker of inflammation that has been differentially linked with sleep. Elevated CRP (ie, high inflammation) has been associated with either short/insufficient sleep duration or long sleep duration, both, or neither. Daytime napping has also been tied to increased and decreased inflammation. We attempted to unify these findings by examining the relationship between CRP and sleep duration in conjunction with napping in a healthy young adult cohort. Participants were young adults (mean age = 29.05 years, n = 2147) from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) cohort, a nationally representative longitudinal sample. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) tests examined whether self-reported sleep duration (short, medium, or long) and nap frequency (none-few days/week; most days/week; every day) interacted in relation to CRP. Standard covariates (ie, age, gender, race/ethnicity, body mass index, physical activity, depression, snoring, systolic blood pressure, clinical symptoms, and household income) were used. There was a linear increase in CRP with increased napping [contrast estimate = 0.265, 95% confidence interval (CI) (0.045-0.485), P = 0.018]. There was also an interaction between sleep duration and napping frequency in relation to CRP (F4,2128 = 2.90, P = 0.021). Inflammation differed between nap groups within the long and short sleep groups. Our results suggest that increased napping is an independent predictor of inflammation in young adults. These results also provide evidence for interactive effects of inflammation, nocturnal sleep, and daytime naps. Our findings confirm that excess sleep, insufficient sleep, frequent napping, and infrequent napping can all be linked with elevated CRP, but these relationships depend on both nocturnal and daytime sleep patterns. These analyses will guide future work to more specifically examine sleep-inflammation processes and directionality. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The impact of prolonged violent video-gaming on adolescent sleep: an experimental study.

PubMed

King, Daniel L; Gradisar, Michael; Drummond, Aaron; Lovato, Nicole; Wessel, Jason; Micic, Gorica; Douglas, Paul; Delfabbro, Paul

2013-04-01

Video-gaming is an increasingly prevalent activity among children and adolescents that is known to influence several areas of emotional, cognitive and behavioural functioning. Currently there is insufficient experimental evidence about how extended video-game play may affect adolescents' sleep. The aim of this study was to investigate the short-term impact of adolescents' prolonged exposure to violent video-gaming on sleep. Seventeen male adolescents (mean age = 16 ± 1 years) with no current sleep difficulties played a novel, fast-paced, violent video-game (50 or 150 min) before their usual bedtime on two different testing nights in a sleep laboratory. Objective (polysomnography-measured sleep and heart rate) and subjective (single-night sleep diary) measures were obtained to assess the arousing effects of prolonged gaming. Compared with regular gaming, prolonged gaming produced decreases in objective sleep efficiency (by 7 ± 2%, falling below 85%) and total sleep time (by 27 ± 12 min) that was contributed by a near-moderate reduction in rapid eye movement sleep (Cohen's d = 0.48). Subjective sleep-onset latency significantly increased by 17 ± 8 min, and there was a moderate reduction in self-reported sleep quality after prolonged gaming (Cohen's d = 0.53). Heart rate did not differ significantly between video-gaming conditions during pre-sleep game-play or the sleep-onset phase. Results provide evidence that prolonged video-gaming may cause clinically significant disruption to adolescent sleep, even when sleep after video-gaming is initiated at normal bedtime. However, physiological arousal may not necessarily be the mechanism by which technology use affects sleep. © 2012 European Sleep Research Society.

Sleep-enhancing effects of far-infrared radiation in rats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Honda, K.; Inoué, S.

1988-06-01

Unrestrained male rats continuously exposed to far-infrared radiation exhibited a significant increase in slow wave sleep (SWS) during the light period but not in the dark period. The change was largely due to the elevated occurrence of SWS episodes but not to the prolongation of their duration. Paradoxical sleep was not affected throughout the observation period except for a significant decrease at the end of the dark period. Thus the far-infrared radiation exerted a sleep modulatory effect closely related to the circadian activity-rest cycle.

Sleep-Active Neurons: Conserved Motors of Sleep

PubMed Central

Bringmann, Henrik

2018-01-01

Sleep is crucial for survival and well-being. This behavioral and physiological state has been studied in all major genetically accessible model animals, including rodents, fish, flies, and worms. Genetic and optogenetic studies have identified several neurons that control sleep, making it now possible to compare circuit mechanisms across species. The “motor” of sleep across animal species is formed by neurons that depolarize at the onset of sleep to actively induce this state by directly inhibiting wakefulness. These sleep-inducing neurons are themselves controlled by inhibitory or activating upstream pathways, which act as the “drivers” of the sleep motor: arousal inhibits “sleep-active” neurons whereas various sleep-promoting “tiredness” pathways converge onto sleep-active neurons to depolarize them. This review provides the first overview of sleep-active neurons across the major model animals. The occurrence of sleep-active neurons and their regulation by upstream pathways in both vertebrate and invertebrate species suggests that these neurons are general and ancient components that evolved early in the history of nervous systems. PMID:29618588

Functional neuroimaging and behavioral correlates of capacity decline in visual short-term memory after sleep deprivation.

PubMed

Chee, Michael W L; Chuah, Y M Lisa

2007-05-29

Sleep deprivation (SD) impairs short-term memory, but it is unclear whether this is because of reduced storage capacity or processes contributing to appropriate information encoding. We evaluated 30 individuals twice, once after a night of normal sleep and again after 24 h of SD. In each session, we evaluated visual memory capacity by presenting arrays of one to eight colored squares. Additionally, we measured cortical responses to varying visual array sizes without engaging memory. The magnitude of intraparietal sulcus activation and memory capacity after normal sleep were highly correlated. SD elicited a pattern of activation in both tasks, indicating that deficits in visual processing and visual attention accompany and could account for loss of short-term memory capacity. Additionally, a comparison between better and poorer performers showed that preservation of precuneus and temporoparietal junction deactivation with increasing memory load corresponds to less performance decline when one is sleep-deprived.

Hip pain while using lower extremity joints and sleep disturbances in elderly white women: results from a cross-sectional analysis.

PubMed

Parimi, Neeta; Blackwell, Terri; Stone, Katie L; Lui, Li-Yung; Ancoli-Israel, Sonia; Tranah, Gregory J; Hillier, Teresa A; Nevitt, Michael E; Lane, Nancy E

2012-07-01

To evaluate sleep quality in women with hip pain due to daily activities involving the lower extremity joints. We evaluated the association of the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC) hip pain severity score with objective sleep measures obtained by wrist actigraphy in 2,225 white women ≥ 65 years of age enrolled in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Women had an increased odds of spending ≥ 90 minutes awake after sleep onset (odds ratio [OR] 1.28, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 1.11-1.50) for every 5-point increase in hip pain score after adjustment for all covariates. Hip pain when sitting or lying was the strongest predictor of sleep fragmentation (OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.47-2.73); however, standing pain was associated with a higher number of awake minutes in bed scored from sleep onset to the end of the last sleep episode, independent of pain while in bed (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.07-2.01). Sleep disturbances increased significantly after the first 2 hours of sleep in women with severe hip pain compared to those without hip pain (mean ± SD 1.4 ± 0.47 minutes per hour of sleep; P < 0.003). Similar associations were observed for long wake episodes >5 minutes. There were no associations between daytime napping, sleep latency, sleep efficiency, and total sleep minutes and WOMAC hip pain. Fragmented sleep was greater in women with hip pain compared to those without hip pain; however, fragmented sleep in women with severe hip pain compared to those without hip pain was unchanged until after the first 2 hours of sleep. Further investigations into pain medications wearing off over time or the prolonged periods of inactivity decreasing the pain threshold are warranted. Copyright © 2012 by the American College of Rheumatology.