Sleep in rats rendered chronically hyperprolactinemic with anterior pituitary grafts
Abstract
A hyperprolactinemic rat model [rats bearing anterior pituitary grafts under the capsule of the kidney (AP-grafted rats)] was used to study sleep-wake activity and cortical brain temperature (T(crt)). Fisher 344 male rats (n = 24) were implanted with anterior pituitaries from rat pups; the control rats (n = 12) were sham-operated. Sleep-wake activity and T(crt) were recorded for 2 days between weeks 3 and 7 after surgery. The hyperprolactinemic state of the rats was confirmed by plasma prolactin (PRL) assays on week 7 and by determination of PRL mRNA levels in the anterior pituitary of the AP-grafted rats. Neither growth hormone plasma concentration nor pituitary mRNA levels were affected by the pituitary grafts. Duration of non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREMS) was slightly enhanced in the AP-grafted rats. A large increase in rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) during the 12-h light period was the major effect of the implantation of the extra pituitaries. Both the duration and the frequency of the REMS episodes increased and persisted for weeks 4-7 post-implantation. The nocturnal states of vigilance, T(crt), and intensity of NREMS (EEG slow wave activity) were not altered. The results clearly indicate that the enhancements in REMS...Continue Reading
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