Amygdala opioid receptors mediate the electroacupuncture-induced deterioration of sleep disruptions in epilepsy rats.
BACKGROUND
Clinical and experimental evidence demonstrates that sleep and epilepsy reciprocally affect each other. Previous studies indicated that epilepsy alters sleep homeostasis; in contrast, sleep disturbance deteriorates epilepsy. If a therapy possesses both epilepsy suppression and sleep improvement, it would be the priority choice for seizure control. Effects of acupuncture of Feng-Chi (GB20) acupoints on epilepsy suppression and insomnia treatment have been documented in the ancient Chinese literature, Lingshu Jing (Classic of the Miraculous Pivot). Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the effect of electroacupuncture (EA) stimulation of bilateral Feng-Chi acupoints on sleep disruptions in rats with focal epilepsy.


RESULTS
Our result indicates that administration of pilocarpine into the left central nucleus of amygdala (CeA) induced focal epilepsy and decreased both rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep. High-frequency (100 Hz) EA stimulation of bilateral Feng-Chi acupoints, in which a 30-min EA stimulation was performed before the dark period of the light:dark cycle in three consecutive days, further deteriorated pilocarpine-induced sleep disruptions. The EA-induced exacerbation of sleep disruption was blocked by microinjection of naloxone, μ- (naloxonazine), κ- (nor-binaltorphimine) or δ-receptor antagonists (natrindole) into the CeA, suggesting the involvement of amygdaloid opioid receptors.


CONCLUSIONS
The present study suggests that high-frequency (100 Hz) EA stimulation of bilateral Feng-Chi acupoints exhibits no benefit in improving pilocarpine-induced sleep disruptions; in contrast, EA further deteriorated sleep disturbances. Opioid receptors in the CeA mediated EA-induced exacerbation of sleep disruptions in epileptic rats.
Pei-Lu
PL
Yi
Chin-Yu
CY
Lu
Chiung-Hsiang
CH
Cheng
Yi-Fong
YF
Tsai
Department of Veterinary Medicine, School of Veterinary Medicine, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. ctlin@ntu.edu.tw.
Chung-Tien
CT
Lin
Fang-Chia
FC
Chang
D000679:Amygdala / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D015671:Electroacupuncture; D004828:Epilepsies, Partial / Q000209:etiology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009270:Naloxone / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D009292:Narcotic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010862:Pilocarpine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D011957:Receptors, Opioid / Q000378:metabolism*; D017465:Receptors, Opioid, delta / Q000378:metabolism*; D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa / Q000378:metabolism*; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu / Q000378:metabolism*; D012890:Sleep
D009292:Narcotic Antagonists; D011957:Receptors, Opioid; D017465:Receptors, Opioid, delta; D017473:Receptors, Opioid, kappa; D017450:Receptors, Opioid, mu; D010862:Pilocarpine; D009270:Naloxone