Gene expression during sleep after exposure to an enriched environment

• Grant number: 06/05436-8
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Master
• Start date until: March 01, 2007
• End date until: February 28, 2009
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Physiology - General Physiology
• Principal Investigator: Elida Paula Benquique Ojopi
• Grantee: Julien Braga Calais Correia Pinto
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina (FM). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The relationship between sleep and learning is well described in literature. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon remain unclear. During slow-wave sleep (SW), plasticity-related immediate-early genes are downregulated in the brain. However, during rapid-eye-movement sleep (REM) genes such as Arc and Zif-268 are upregulated in the cerebral cortex and hippocampus of animals previously exposed to novel spatio-sensory stimulation during waking. Here, we set out to discover the entire gene expression program triggered by post-novelty sleep. Hippocampal local field potentials will be recorded in adult male rats before, during and after exposure to novel spatio-sensory stimuli. This consisted of four novel objects, designed to maximize tactile and behavioral differences, and placed in the recording box. After the exposure, the animals will be prevented from sleeping for 60 minutes afterwards, and then they became free to sleep while behaviors and local field potentials were recorded. Thirty minutes after entering sleep, animals will be euthanized, and their brains will be dissected into frozen samples of primary somatosensory and visual cortices and hippocampus. First, samples of hippocampus (HP) will be processed for Serial Analysis of Gene Expression (SAGE) to assess the abundance of specific mRNA transcripts in the different experimental groups. Then selected genes will be analysed individually by real time PCR (qRT-PCR). (AU)

Scientific publications

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

CALAIS, JULIEN BRAGA; OJOPI, ELIDA BENQUIQUE; MORYA, EDGARD; SAMESHIMA, KOICHI; RIBEIRO, SIDARTA. Experience-dependent upregulation of multiple plasticity factors in the hippocampus during early REM sleep. NEUROBIOLOGY OF LEARNING AND MEMORY, v. 122, p. 19-27, JUL 2015. (06/05436-8)