title: Sleep in spontaneous dwarf rats.
abstract: Spontaneous dwarf rats (SDRs) display growth hormone (GH) deficiency due to a mutation in the GH gene. This study investigated sleep in SDRs and their somatotropic axis and compared to Sprague-Dawley rats. SDRs had almost undetectable levels of plasma GH. Hypothalamic GH-releasing hormone (GHRH) mRNA was increased, whereas GHRH-receptor (GHRH-R) and somatostatin mRNAs were decreased in SDRs. Hypothalamic GHRH and somatostatin peptide content decreased in SDRs. Quantitative immunohistochemistry for GHRH and GHRH-R corroborated and extended these findings. In the arcuate nucleus, the number of GHRH-positive cells was significantly higher, whereas GHRH-R-positive perikarya were diminished in SDRs. Cortical GHRH and GHRH-R measurements showed similar expression characteristics as those found in the hypothalamus. SDRs had less rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) and more non-REMS (NREMS) than the control rats during the light period. The electroencephalogram (EEG) delta and theta power decreased during NREMS in the SDRs. After 4-h of sleep deprivation, SDRs had a significantly reduced REMS rebound compared to the controls, whereas NREMS rebound was normal in SDRs. The enhancement in delta power was significantly less than in the control group during recovery sleep. Intracerebroventricular (icv) administration of GHRH promoted NREMS in both strains of rats; however, increased REMS and EEG delta activity was observed only in control rats. Icv injection of insulin-like growth factor 1 increased NREMS in control rats, but not in the SDRs. These results support the ideas that GHRH is involved in NREMS regulation and that GH is involved in the regulation of REMS and in EEG slow wave activity regulation during NREMS.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Szeged, A. Szent-Györgyi Medical Center, 6720 Szeged, Hungary.
authors.forename: Zoltan
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Peterfi
authors.forename: Ferenc
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Obal
authors.forename: Ping
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Taishi
authors.forename: Janos
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gardi
authors.forename: Balint
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Kacsoh
authors.forename: Terry
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Unterman
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Krueger
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001111:Arcuate Nucleus of Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000378:metabolism; D015536:Down-Regulation / Q000502:physiology; D004393:Dwarfism, Pituitary / Q000150:complications* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D004569:Electroencephalography; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone / Q000235:genetics* / Q000494:pharmacology; D007030:Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009474:Neurons / Q000378:metabolism; D012333:RNA, Messenger / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011922:Rats, Mutant Strains; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018013:Receptors, Neuropeptide / Q000235:genetics; D018017:Receptors, Pituitary Hormone-Regulating Hormone / Q000235:genetics; D012890:Sleep / Q000235:genetics; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000378:metabolism; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D013004:Somatostatin / Q000235:genetics; D015854:Up-Regulation / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D012333:RNA, Messenger; D018013:Receptors, Neuropeptide; D018017:Receptors, Pituitary Hormone-Regulating Hormone; D013004:Somatostatin; D007334:Insulin-Like Growth Factor I; D013007:Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone; C048250:somatotropin releasing hormone receptor