title: Sympathetic and angiotensinergic responses mediated by paradoxical sleep loss in rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent investigations over the past decade have linked the development of hypertension to sleep loss, although the mechanisms underlying this association are still under scrutiny. To determine the relationship between sleep deprivation and cardiovascular dysfunction, we examined the effects of paradoxical sleep deprivation on heart rate, blood pressure, sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) and their consequences in the blood renin-angiotensin system.
  
  
  METHODS
  Wistar-Hannover male rats were randomly assigned to three experimental groups: 1) control, 2) paradoxical sleep deprivation for 24 h and 3) paradoxical sleep deprivation for 96 h. Blood pressure and heart rate were recorded in awake, freely moving rats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Heart rate was higher in the 96 h paradoxical sleep deprivation group compared with the control group. Renal SNA was increased in all deprived groups. However, no significant statistical differences were observed in blood pressure or splanchnic SNA among groups. Paradoxical sleep deprivation (24 and 96 h) reduced plasma angiotensin II (Ang II) concentrations.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results suggest that selective sleep deprivation produces an increase in SNA, preferentially in the kidney. Thus, alterations in the sympathetic system in response to sleep loss may be an important pathway through which hypertension develops.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychobiology, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, SP, Brazil. jperry@psicobio.epm.br
authors.forename: Juliana C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Perry
authors.forename: Cássia T
authors.initials: CT
authors.lastname: Bergamaschi
authors.forename: Ruy R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Campos
authors.forename: Monica L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Andersen
authors.forename: Nicola
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Montano
authors.forename: Dulce E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Casarini
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tufik
mesh_terms: D000809:Angiotensins / Q000097:blood*; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000097:blood* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D000809:Angiotensins