title: Increased ultrasonic vocalizations and risk-taking in rat pups of sleep-deprived dams.
abstract: Ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) in rodent pups are analogous to cries in human babies. There is reduction in USVs in pups after experimental deprivation of rapid eye movement sleep of dams during pregnancy. However, the effects of total sleep deprivation on the USVs of newborns and their emotional development are not documented. Male pups born to the rats that underwent total sleep deprivation for 5h during the third trimester made higher vocalizations, when tested on early postnatal days (pnds) in an isolation-paradigm. Their anxiety-related behaviors during pnds 25-28, were tested using elevated plus maze (EPM). In comparison to the control pups, weanlings of sleep-deprived dams made increased entries into the open arms and higher mobility in the EPM. Enhanced distress calls during early pnds and reduction in risk assessment in weanlings indicate a link between the two behaviors. The USVs during ontogeny may provide early signals about altered emotional development.
authors.affiliation: Sleep Disorders Research Laboratory, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, Kerala 695012, India. Electronic address: kkguliak@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Kamalesh K
authors.initials: KK
authors.lastname: Gulia
authors.affiliation: Sleep Disorders Research Laboratory, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, Kerala 695012, India.
authors.forename: Niraj
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Sleep Disorders Research Laboratory, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, Kerala 695012, India.
authors.forename: Velayudhan Mohan
authors.initials: VM
authors.lastname: Kumar
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn; D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D001835:Body Weight; D004569:Electroencephalography; D004576:Electromyography; D005260:Female; D005583:Fourier Analysis; D008297:Male; D018782:Maze Learning; D011247:Pregnancy; D011297:Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects / Q000209:etiology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000150:complications*; D014828:Vocalization, Animal / Q000502:physiology*
keywords: Anxiety; Neonatal; Pregnancy; Total sleep deprivation; Ultrasonic vocalization