Mechanisms Underlying the Cognitive Function of Sleep

本申请的长期目标是确定睡眠认知功能的细胞机制。 具体来说，我们的目标是调查脑干快速眼动（REM）睡眠产生结构在大鼠睡眠依赖性学习中发挥的作用。阐明睡眠依赖性学习和记忆的机制将使认知研究领域更接近于开发与睡眠障碍相关的认知缺陷的有效治疗方法。该提议的中心假设是，蓝斑下核背侧部分的相位P波产生细胞的激活对于睡眠依赖性学习和记忆处理是至关重要的。 从这个假设，四个可测试的问题已经产生：1。在学习任务训练后，P波发生器的辅助激活是否提高了信息处理效率，从而改善了学习？ 在双向主动回避测试试验的一个会话之后，P波发生器将通过卡巴胆碱的离散微量注射直接激活。 这种补充激活的效果将在六小时不受干扰的睡眠后的重新测试中进行检查。 2.快速眼动睡眠期间P波发生器的激活是否增强了学习后睡眠期间自然发生的记忆生理过程？ 测试该问题的程序与问题1的程序相同，除了在测试和再测试之间的6小时内剥夺这些大鼠的REM睡眠。 3.在睡眠后重测试验中，消除P波发生器中的细胞是否会减弱学习能力？ P波产生细胞将通过红藻氨酸的离散显微注射直接消除。 将这些P波产生细胞损伤大鼠的再测试表现与假损伤大鼠的再测试表现进行比较。 4.学习后快速眼动睡眠中P波密度的增加是由于P波产生细胞的激活吗？ 在一段时间的学习试验后，将在自由活动的大鼠中同时记录P波和P波产生细胞的单细胞单位活性。 这个建议在机械的层面上解决了一个普遍的问题，睡眠的功能是什么？同时也有望进一步促进睡眠依赖性认知研究，以治疗与时差、轮班工作、睡眠剥夺和脑干退行性疾病相关的认知障碍。

The long-term objective of this application is to identify the cellular mechanisms underlying the cognitive function of sleep. Specifically, the goal is to investigate what role brainstem rapid eye movement (REM) sleep generating structures play in sleep-dependent learning in the rat. Clarifying the mechanisms of sleep-dependent learning and memory will move the field of cognitive research closer to the development of effective treatments for cognitive deficiencies associated with sleep disorders. The central hypothesis of this proposal is that activation of phasic P-wave generating cells in the dorsal part of the nucleus subcoeruleus is critical for sleep-dependent learning and memory processing. From this hypothesis, four testable questions have been generated: 1. After learning task training, does supplementary activation of the P-wave generator enhance information processing efficiency, resulting in improved learning? Immediately after a session of two-way active avoidance test trials, the P-wave generator will be directly activated by a discrete microinjection of carbachol. The effect of this supplementary activation will be examined in retest trials after a six hour period of undisturbed sleep. 2. Does the activation of the P-wave generator during REM sleep enhance a physiological process of memorization which naturally occurs during post-learning sleep? The procedure for testing this question is the same as that of question 1, except that these rats are REM sleep deprived for the six hour period between test and retest trials. 3. Does the elimination of cells in the P- wave generator attenuate learning abilities in post-sleep retest trials? P-wave generating cells will be directly eliminated by a discrete microinjection of kainic acid. The retest performance of these P-wave generating cell lesioned rats will be compared with that of the sham lesioned rats. 4. Is the increased density of P-waves during post-learning REM sleep due to the activation of P-wave generating cells? P-waves and single cell unitary activity of P-wave generating cells will be simultaneously recorded in freely moving rats after a session of learning trials. This proposal addresses at the mechanistic level, the general question, what is the function of sleep? and also promises to further sleep-dependent cognitive research in the direction toward treatments for cognitive impairments associated with jet lag, shift work, sleep deprivation and brainstem degenerative disorders.