title: Spike-wave discharges and sleep spindles in rats.
abstract: Sleep spindles and spike-wave discharges are thought to originate from the same thalamic pacemaker. In the present work it is investigated whether sleep spindles and spike-wave discharges are also sensitive for the same drugs. Adult male WAG/Rij rats were chronically implanted with frontal and occipital EEG electrode pairs. Rats were intraperitoneally injected with clonidine (0.00625 mg/kg), phenobarbital (20 mg/kg), flunitrazepam (0.188 mg/kg). Frontal and occipital sleep spindles and mainly frontal spike-wave discharges were seen in the electroencephalogram. Phenobarbital and flunitrazepam reduced the number of spike-wave discharges and enhanced frontal sleep spindles, while clonidine facilitated spike-wave discharges and reduced frontal sleep spindles. The results of these three drugs indicate a reciprocal relationship between the number of frontal sleep spindles and the number of spike-wave discharges. Only clonidine facilitated occipital sleep spindles without an effect on spike-wave discharges. It can be concluded that frontal and occipital sleep spindles have a different pharmacological profile. Furthermore, the inverse relationship between frontal sleep spindles and spike-wave discharges may suggest that sleep spindles and spike-wave discharges are controlled by a single controlling system. However, in order to explain the clonidine data on occipital sleep spindles another factor must be incorporated in properties of the mechanism(s) involved in EEG oscillations.
authors.affiliation: NICI, Department of Psychology, University of Nijmegen, The Netherlands. luijtelaar@nici.kun.nl.
authors.forename: E L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: van Luijtelaar
mesh_terms: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D003000:Clonidine / Q000494:pharmacology; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects*; D005445:Flunitrazepam / Q000494:pharmacology; D005625:Frontal Lobe / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D010634:Phenobarbital / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D013788:Thalamus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D014151:Anti-Anxiety Agents; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives; D005445:Flunitrazepam; D003000:Clonidine; D010634:Phenobarbital