title: Switch-task performance in rats is disturbed by 12 h of sleep deprivation but not by 12 h of sleep fragmentation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Task-switching is an executive function involving the prefrontal cortex. Switching temporarily attenuates the speed and/or accuracy of performance, phenomena referred to as switch costs. In accordance with the idea that prefrontal function is particularly sensitive to sleep loss, switch-costs increase during prolonged waking in humans. It has been difficult to investigate the underlying neurobiological mechanisms because of the lack of a suitable animal model. Here, we introduce the first switch-task for rats and report the effects of sleep deprivation and inactivation of the medial prefrontal cortex.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rats were trained to repeatedly switch between 2 stimulus-response associations, indicated by the presentation of a visual or an auditory stimulus. These stimulus-response associations were offered in blocks, and performance was compared for the first and fifth trials of each block. Performance was tested after exposure to 12 h of total sleep deprivation, sleep fragmentation, and their respective movement control conditions. Finally, it was tested after pharmacological inactivation of the medial prefrontal cortex.
  
  
  METHODS
  Controlled laboratory settings.
  
  
  METHODS
  15 male Wistar rats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Both accuracy and latency showed switch-costs at baseline. Twelve hours of total sleep deprivation, but not sleep fragmentation, impaired accuracy selectively on the switch-trials. Inactivation of the medial prefrontal cortex by local neuronal inactivation resulted in an overall decrease in accuracy.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We developed and validated a switch-task that is sensitive to sleep deprivation. This introduces the possibility for in-depth investigations on the neurobiological mechanisms underlying executive impairments after sleep disturbance in a rat model.
authors.affiliation: Department of Sleep and Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN), an institute of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences,Amsterdam, the Netherlands. C.Leenaars@nin.knaw.nl
authors.forename: Cathalijn H C
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Leenaars
authors.forename: Ruud N J M A
authors.initials: RN
authors.lastname: Joosten
authors.forename: Allard
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zwart
authors.forename: Hans
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Sandberg
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ruimschotel
authors.forename: Maaike A J
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Hanegraaf
authors.forename: Maurice
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dematteis
authors.forename: Matthijs G P
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Feenstra
authors.forename: Eus J W
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: van Someren
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention; D003213:Conditioning, Psychological; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004569:Electroencephalography; D056344:Executive Function; D008297:Male; D017397:Prefrontal Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011930:Reaction Time; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D013997:Time Factors; D014851:Wakefulness