Pharmacology of ethanol and glutamate antagonists on rodent sleep: a comparative study.
Twenty-five Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with electrodes for standard sleep-wake cycle recordings. A guide cannula was stereotaxically implanted into the lateral ventricle. Rats were divided into five groups (n = 5) and challenged with an intraventricular administration of 10 microliters of a 5 nM solution of either: ethanol (EtOH), MK-801, AP5 (noncompetitive and competitive NMDA receptor antagonists, respectively), CNQX (AMPA receptor antagonist), or saline. Rats were recorded polygraphically for the following 4 h. Results showed that, at comparable doses, all tested drugs reduced REM sleep. No significant changes were detected in slow-wave sleep or wakefulness. This selective effect of glutamatergic antagonists suggests that glutamate may be a selective modulator of REM sleep. These findings also show that EtOH shares similar pharmacological effects on the sleep-wake cycle of the rat. Ultimately, glutamatergic mechanisms could contribute to the EtOH-mediated reduction of REM sleep.
Prospero-García
O
O
Department of Neuropharmacology CVN-13, Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, CA 92037.
Criado
J R
JR
Henriksen
S J
SJ
D000818:Animals; D001831:Body Temperature / Q000187:drug effects; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000502:physiology; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008297:Male; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate / Q000187:drug effects*; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects*; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000187:drug effects; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000187:drug effects
D018691:Excitatory Amino Acid Antagonists; D017470:Receptors, Glutamate; D000431:Ethanol; D018698:Glutamic Acid