Title: Intermittent Short Sleep Results in Lasting Sleep Wake Disturbances and Degeneration of Locus Coeruleus and Orexinergic Neurons.
Authors: Zhu, Yan; Fenik, Polina; Zhan, Guanxia; Somach, Rebecca; Xin, Ryan; Veasey, Sigrid
Published In Sleep, (2016 Aug 01)
Abstract: 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.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.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.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.
PubMed ID:
27306266
MeSH Terms: Aging/metabolism; Animals; Cell Count; Darkness; Light; Lipofuscin/metabolism; Locus Coeruleus/pathology*; Locus Coeruleus/radiation effects; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Neurons/metabolism*; Neurons/pathology*; Neurons/radiation effects; Norepinephrine/metabolism; Orexins/metabolism*; Random Allocation; Sirtuins/metabolism; Sleep Wake Disorders/physiopathology*; Sleep/physiology; Sleep/radiation effects; Wakefulness/physiology; Wakefulness/radiation effects