title: Triazolam fails to induce sleep in suprachiasmatic nucleus-lesioned rats.
abstract: Rats with suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN) lesions did not show increased sleep after triazolam (TRZ) injections at any dose from 0.2 to 1.6 mg/kg, whereas 0.4 mg/kg TRZ given intact rats in the middle of their activity phase significantly increased sleep. Across SCN-lesioned and intact rats, the amount of sleep before and after TRZ 0.4 mg/kg was negatively correlated. SCN-lesioned rats did not have a circadian activity-dominant period and so did not accumulate a biological sleep debt. Their lack of response to TRZ may have resulted from the absence of a sleep debt compared to intact rats injected in the middle of their activity phase. These data support our hypothesis that the homeostatic process controlling sleep gates benzodiazepine hypnotic efficacy.
authors.affiliation: Sleep Research Center, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA 94304.
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Edgar
authors.forename: W F
authors.initials: WF
authors.lastname: Seidel
authors.forename: C E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: P P
authors.initials: PP
authors.lastname: Sayeski
authors.forename: W C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Dement
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D011846:Radio Waves; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012016:Reference Values; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000187:drug effects; D013238:Stereotaxic Techniques; D013493:Suprachiasmatic Nucleus / Q000502:physiology*; D014229:Triazolam / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014229:Triazolam