title: Effect of paradoxical sleep deprivation and stress on passive avoidance behavior.
abstract: Previous studies have shown that several types of stress can induce memory impairment. However, the memory effects of paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD), a stressor in itself, are unclear. We therefore compared passive avoidance behavior of rats undergoing PSD and PSD stress yoked-control (PSC) using the "reversed flowerpot method." When rats were kept isolated on a PSC platform for 24 h immediately after criterion training, retention trials showed impaired aversive memory storage. When delayed for 24 h after criterion training, PSC stress did not disrupt retention performance. In rats subjected to PSD, either immediately or 24 h after criterion training, there was no disruption of aversive memory consolidation. These results suggest that, during stress, paradoxical sleep plays a role in erasing aversive memory traces, in line with the theory that we "dream in order to forget."
authors.affiliation: Section of Cognitive Brain Research, Kunming Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, Yunnan, 650223, PR China. wjh16@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Jian Hong
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Maarten
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van den Buuse
authors.forename: Shao Wen
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Tian
authors.forename: Yuan Ye
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Ma
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001362:Avoidance Learning / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D008568:Memory / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000503:physiopathology*