State-specific effects of sevoflurane anesthesia on sleep homeostasis: selective recovery of slow wave but not rapid eye movement sleep.
BACKGROUND
Prolonged propofol administration does not result in signs of sleep deprivation, and propofol anesthesia appears to satisfy the homeostatic need for both rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep. In the current study, the effects of sevoflurane on recovery from total sleep deprivation were investigated.


METHODS
Ten male rats were instrumented for electrophysiologic recordings under three conditions: (1) 36-h ad libitum sleep; (2) 12-h sleep deprivation followed by 24-h ad libitum sleep; and (3) 12-h sleep deprivation, followed by 6-h sevoflurane exposure, followed by 18-h ad libitum sleep. The percentage of waking, NREM sleep, and REM sleep, as well as NREM sleep δ power, were calculated and compared for all three conditions.


RESULTS
Total sleep deprivation resulted in significantly increased NREM and REM sleep for 12-h postdeprivation. Sevoflurane exposure after deprivation eliminated the homeostatic increase in NREM sleep and produced a significant decrease in the NREM sleep δ power during the postanesthetic period, indicating a complete recovery from the effects of deprivation. However, sevoflurane did not affect the time course of REM sleep recovery, which required 12 h after deprivation and anesthetic exposure.


CONCLUSIONS
Unlike propofol, sevoflurane anesthesia has differential effects on NREM and REM sleep homeostasis. These data confirm the previous hypothesis that inhalational agents do not satisfy the homeostatic need for REM sleep, and that the relationship between sleep and anesthesia is likely to be agent and state specific.
Department of Anesthesiology, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-5048, USA.
Dinesh
D
Pal
William J
WJ
Lipinski
Amanda J
AJ
Walker
Ashley M
AM
Turner
George A
GA
Mashour
D000704:Analysis of Variance; D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects / Q000379:methods; D006706:Homeostasis / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D008738:Methyl Ethers / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D000077149:Sevoflurane; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000503:physiopathology; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000187:drug effects*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000187:drug effects; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000187:drug effects
D018685:Anesthetics, Inhalation; D008738:Methyl Ethers; D000077149:Sevoflurane