polygraphic-recording-procedure-for-measuring-sleep-in-mice

Polygraphic Recording Procedure for Measuring Sleep in Mice

Recording of the epidural electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram (EMG) in small animals, like mice and rats, has been pivotal to study the ...

university of tsukuba

In psychopharmacology, researchers have been interested in the hypnotic effects of terrestrial plant polyphenols and their synthetic derivatives. Phlorotannins, a marine plant polyphenol, could have potential as a source of novel hypnotic drugs.

Marine polyphenol phlorotannins promote non-rapid eye movement sleep in mice via the benzodiazepine site of the GABAA receptor.

Histaminergic neurons have been reported to play an important role in the regulation of sleep-wake behavior through the histamine H1 receptor (R, H1R). First generation H1R antagonists, such as doxepin and diphenhydramine, produce drowsiness in humans, and are occasionally used to treat insomnia. However, if H1R antagonists function via physically blocking the H1R remains unclear. In the current study, we used H1R knockout (KO) mice to investigate if the sleep-promoting effects of doxepin and diphenhydramine are dependent on blockade of the H1R. When doxepin was administered, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep in wild type (WT) mice increased for 4h, with an increase in the numbers of NREM sleep bouts of 256-512 s and 512-1024 s. These effects were not observed in the H1R KO mice. Furthermore, diphenhydramine increased NREM sleep for 6h in WT, and not in the H1R KO mice after the injection. These results indicate that both doxepin at 15 mg/kg and diphenhydramine at 10 mg/kg induce NREM sleep through blockade of H1R.

Doxepin and diphenhydramine increased non-rapid eye movement sleep through blockade of histamine H1 receptors.

Caffeine, a popular psychoactive compound, promotes wakefulness via blocking adenosine A2A receptors in the shell of the nucleus accumbens, which projects to the arousal histaminergic tuberomammillary nucleus (TMN). The TMN controls several behaviors such as wakefulness and feeding. Fasting has been reported to activate the TMN histaminergic neurons to increase arousal. Therefore, we propose that caffeine may promote greater arousal under fasting rather than normal feeding conditions. In the current study, locomotor activity recording, electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram recording and c-Fos expression were used in wild type (WT) and histamine H1 receptor (H1R) knockout (KO) mice to investigate the arousal effects of caffeine under fasting conditions. Caffeine (15mg/kg) enhanced locomotor activity in fasted mice for 5h, but only did so for 3h in normally fed animals. Pretreatment with the H1R antagonist pyrilamine abolished caffeine-induced stimulation on locomotor activity in fasted mice. EEG recordings confirmed that caffeine-induced wakefulness for 3h in fed WT mice, and for 5h in fasted ones. A stimulatory effect of caffeine was not observed in fasted H1R KO mice. Furthermore, c-Fos expression was increased in the TMN under fasting conditions. These results indicate that caffeine had greater wakefulness-promoting effects in fasted mice through the mediation of H1R.

Yohko Takata

International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS)

university of tsukuba

Polygraphic Recording Procedure for Measuring Sleep in Mice

Yohko Takata

.css-o250i3{font-size:18px;font-family:Open Sans,sans-serif;line-height:21.6px;}International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS)

university of tsukuba

Polygraphic Recording Procedure for Measuring Sleep in Mice

International Institute for Integrative Sleep Medicine (WPI-IIIS)