Lack of hypocretin attenuates behavioral changes produced by glutamatergic activation of the perifornical-lateral hypothalamic area.

TitleLack of hypocretin attenuates behavioral changes produced by glutamatergic activation of the perifornical-lateral hypothalamic area.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2014
AuthorsKostin A, Siegel JM, Alam MNoor
JournalSleep
Volume37
Issue5
Pagination1011-20
Date Published2014 May
ISSN1550-9109
KeywordsAnimals, Arousal, Glutamic Acid, Hypothalamic Area, Lateral, Intracellular Signaling Peptides and Proteins, Male, Mice, Mice, Knockout, N-Methylaspartate, Narcolepsy, Neurons, Neuropeptides, Orexins, Sleep, Wakefulness
Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The hypocretins (HCRTs) are two hypothalamic peptides predominantly localized to neurons in the perifornical, dorsomedial, and lateral hypothalamic area (PF-LHA). Evidence suggests that HCRT signaling is critical for the promotion and stabilization of active-arousal and its loss or malfunction leads to symptoms of narcolepsy. In the PF-LHA, HCRT neurons are intermingled with glutamate-expressing neurons and also co-express glutamate. Evidence suggests that HCRT-glutamate interactions within the PF-LHA may play a critical role in maintaining behavioral arousal. However, the relative contributions of the glutamate and HCRT in sleep-wake regulation are not known.

DESIGN: We determined whether a lack of HCRT signaling in the prepro-orexin-knockout (HCRT-KO) mouse attenuates/compromises the wake-promoting ability of glutamatergic activation of the PF-LHA region. We used reverse microdialysis to deliver N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) into the HCRT zone of the PF-LHA in HCRT-KO and wild-type (WT) mice to evaluate the contributions of glutamatergic vs. HCRT signaling in sleep-wake regulation.

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: As compared to respective controls, local perfusion of NMDA into the PF-LHA, dose-dependently increased active-waking with concomitant reductions in nonREM and REM sleep in spontaneously sleeping WT as well as HCRT-KO mice. However, compared to WT, the NMDA-induced behavioral changes in HCRT-KO mice were significantly attenuated, as evidenced by the higher dose of NMDA needed and lower magnitude of changes induced in sleep-wake parameters. Although not observed in WT mice, the number of cataplectic events increased significantly during NMDA-induced behavioral arousal in HCRT-KO mice.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study are consistent with a hypothesis that synergistic interactions between hypocretin and glutamatergic mechanisms within the perifornical, dorsomedial, and lateral hypothalamic area are critical for maintaining behavioral arousal, especially arousal involving elevated muscle tone.

DOI10.5665/sleep.3680
Alternate JournalSleep
PubMed ID24790280
PubMed Central IDPMC3985103
Grant ListMH064109 / MH / NIMH NIH HHS / United States