title: Paradoxical sleep: A vigilance state to gate long-term brain plasticity?
abstract: Memory consolidation is the process for long-term storage of information and protection against interferences. It has been proposed that long-term potentiation (LTP), the long-lasting enhancement of synaptic transmission, is a cellular model for memory consolidation. Since consolidation of several forms of memory is facilitated by paradoxical sleep (PS) we ask whether PS modulates the cellular and molecular pathways underlying LTP. The long-lasting form of LTP (L-LTP) is dependent on the activation of transcription factors, enzymatic cascades and the secreted neurotrophin BDNF. By using PS deprivation, immunohistochemistry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), we showed that an increase in PS amount (produced by rebound in PS deprived rats) is able to up-regulate the expression level of transcription factors Zif268 and c-Fos as well as Arc and BDNF in the CA1 and CA3 areas of the hippocampus. Several studies involved these factors in dendritic protein synthesis and in long-term structural changes of synapses underlying L-LTP. The present study together with the work of others (Ribeiro et al., 2002) suggest that by this mechanism, a post-learning increase in PS quantity (post-learning PS window) could convert a transient form of LTP to L-LTP.
authors.affiliation: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Unité Mixte de Recherche 5292, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Unité 1028, France; Physiopathology of the Sleep Neuronal Networks, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, F-69008 Lyon, France; University Lyon 1, F-69000 Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ravassard
authors.affiliation: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Unité Mixte de Recherche 5292, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Unité 1028, France; Physiopathology of the Sleep Neuronal Networks, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, F-69008 Lyon, France; University Lyon 1, F-69000 Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Al Mahdy
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Hamieh
authors.affiliation: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Unité Mixte de Recherche 5292, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Unité 1028, France; Physiopathology of the Sleep Neuronal Networks, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, F-69008 Lyon, France; University Lyon 1, F-69000 Lyon, France.
authors.forename: Gaël
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Malleret
authors.affiliation: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Unité Mixte de Recherche 5292, Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM), Unité 1028, France; Physiopathology of the Sleep Neuronal Networks, Lyon Neuroscience Research Center, F-69008 Lyon, France; University Lyon 1, F-69000 Lyon, France. Electronic address: paul.salin@sommeil.univ-lyon1.fr.
authors.forename: Paul-Antoine
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Salin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001143:Arousal; D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D006624:Hippocampus / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D017774:Long-Term Potentiation; D008297:Male; D000069077:Memory Consolidation / Q000502:physiology*; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D051766:Early Growth Response Protein 1; C486110:Egr1 protein, rat
keywords: BDNF; LTP and L-LTP; Post-learning paradoxical sleep window; Zif268 also known as EGR-1; c-Fos