Short-term sleep deprivation reinstates memory retrieval in mice: The role of corticosterone secretion

Author(s)

Takatsu-Coleman, Andre L. ^[1] ; Zanin, Karina A. ^{[1, 2]} ; Patti, Camilla L. ^{[1, 2]} ; Zager, Adriano ^[3] ; Lopes-Silva, Leonardo B. ^[1] ; Longo, Beatriz M. ^[4] ; Tufik, Sergio ^[2] ; Andersen, Monica L. ^[2] ; Frussa-Filho, Roberto ^{[1, 2]}

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Farmacol, BR-04023062 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Psicobiol, BR-04023062 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[3] Univ Sao Paulo, Fac Med Vet & Zootecnia, Dept Patol, Grp Neuroimunomodulacao, BR-05508 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[4] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Dept Neurofisiol, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: PSYCHONEUROENDOCRINOLOGY; v. 38, n. 10, p. 1967-1978, OCT 2013.
• Web of Science Citations: 5

Abstract

While the effects of sleep deprivation (SD) on the acquisition and consolidation phases of memory have been extensively characterized, its effects on memory retrieval remain overlooked. SD alone is a stressor, and stress-activated glucocorticoids promote bimodal effects on memory. Because we have recently demonstrated that 72 h SD impairs memory retrieval in the plus-maze discriminative avoidance task (PM-DAT) in mice, this study investigated whether shorter SD periods would facilitate retrieval. In Experiment I, the temporal forgetting curve of the PM-DAT was determined and an interval between training/testing in which retrieval was no longer present was used in all subsequent experiments. In Experiments II and III, retrieval performance and corticosterone concentration, respectively, were quantified in mice that were sleep deprived for 12 or 24 h before testing. In Experiments IV and V, the effects of the corticosterone synthesis inhibitor metyrapone were evaluated on 12 h SD-induced retrieval reinstatement and corticosterone concentration enhancement, respectively. Experiment VI determined whether pre-test acute administration of exogenous corticosterone would mimic the facilitatory effects of 12 h SD on retrieval. Thirty days after training, mice presented poor performance of the task; however, SD for 12 h (but not for 24) before testing reinstated memory retrieval. This facilitatory effect was accompanied by increased corticosterone concentration, abolished by metyrapone, and mimicked by pre-test acute corticosterone administration. Collectively, short-term SD can facilitate memory retrieval by enhancing corticosterone secretion. This facilitatory effect is abolished by longer periods of SD. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 98/14303-3 - Center for Sleep Studies
• Grantee: Sergio Tufik
• Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Research, Innovation and Dissemination Centers - RIDC