Dopamine agonist suppression of rapid-eye-movement sleep is secondary to sleep suppression mediated via limbic structures

Thesis/Dissertation · Tue Jan 01 04:00:00 EST 1985

OSTI ID:6941152

Miletich, R S

The effects of pergolide, a direct dopamine receptor agonist, on sleep and wakefulness, motor behavior and /sup 3/H-spiperone specific binding in limbic structures and striatum in rats was studied. The results show that pergolide induced a biphasic dose effect, with high doses increasing wakefulness and suppressing sleep while low dose decreased wakefulness, but increased sleep. It was shown that pergolide-induced sleep suppression was blocked by ..cap alpha..-glupenthixol and pimozide, two dopamine receptor antagonists. It was further shown that pergolide merely delayed the rebound resulting from rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep deprivation, that dopamine receptors stimulation had no direct effect on the period, phase or amplitude of the circadian rhythm of REM sleep propensity and that there was no alteration in the coupling of REM sleep episodes with S/sub 2/ episodes. Rapid-eye-movement sleep deprivation resulted in increased sensitivity to the pergolide-induced wakefulness stimulation and sleep suppression and pergolide-induced motor behaviors of locomotion and head bobbing. /sup 3/H-spiperone specific binding to dopamine receptors was shown to be altered by REM sleep deprivation in the subcortical limbic structures. It is concluded that the REM sleep suppressing action of dopamine receptor stimulation is secondary to sleep suppression per se and not secondary to a unique effect on the REM sleep. Further, it is suggested that the wakefulness stimulating action of dopamine receptor agonists is mediated by activation of the dopamine receptors in the terminal areas of the mesolimbocortical dopamine projection system.

• Research Organization: Illinois Univ., Chicago (USA)
• OSTI ID: 6941152
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

551001* -- Physiological Systems-- Tracer Techniques
59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
AMINES
ANIMALS
AROMATICS
AUTONOMIC NERVOUS SYSTEM AGENTS
BEHAVIOR
BODY
BRAIN
CARDIOTONICS
CARDIOVASCULAR AGENTS
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
CONFIGURATION INTERACTION
DOPAMINE
DRUGS
HYDROXY COMPOUNDS
INHIBITION
LABELLED COMPOUNDS
MAMMALS
MEMBRANE PROTEINS
NERVOUS SYSTEM
NEUROREGULATORS
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANS
PHENOLS
PHYSIOLOGY
POLYPHENOLS
PROTEINS
RATS
RECEPTORS
RODENTS
SLEEP
SYMPATHOMIMETICS
TRITIUM COMPOUNDS
VERTEBRATES