Modafinil ameliorates cognitive deficits induced by maternal separation and sleep deprivation

Author(s)

Garcia, Vanessa Athaide ^{[1, 2, 3]} ; Hirotsu, Camila ^[1] ; Matos, Gabriela ^[1] ; Alvarenga, Tathiana ^[1] ; Pires, Gabriel Natan ^[1] ; Kapczinski, Flavio ^{[2, 4, 5]} ; Schroeder, Nadja ^{[2, 3]} ; Tufik, Sergio ^[1] ; Andersen, Monica Levy ^[1]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sao Paulo, Escola Paulista Med, Dept Psychobiol, BR-04024002 Sao Paulo - Brazil

^[2] Natl Inst Translat Med INCT TM, BR-90035003 Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

^[3] Pontifical Catholic Univ, Fac Biosci, Neurobiol & Dev Biol Lab, BR-90619900 Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

^[4] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Bipolar Disorders Program, BR-90035003 Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

^[5] Univ Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Lab Mol Psychiat, BR-90035003 Porto Alegre, RS - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: Behavioural Brain Research; v. 253, p. 274-279, SEP 15 2013.
• Web of Science Citations: 14

Abstract

Animals exposed to an early adverse event may be more susceptible to a second source of stress later in life, and these stressors may have additive deleterious effects. Sleep deprivation is known to be a stressor, affecting multiple body functions such as the cognition. Modafinil enhances working memory and attention in healthy non-sleep deprived subjects and in animal models of sleep deprivation. The first aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of maternal separation (MS) combined with paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) in adulthood on recognition memory in rats. Second, we aimed to evaluate whether the administration of modafinil would be able to ameliorate memory deficits induced by MS and PSD. Wistar rat pups were initially distributed into MS and handling (H) groups, with their litters standardized in 4 females and 4 males. In adulthood, the male rats were submitted to PSD or control condition, being redistributed afterwards in modafinil- or vehicle-treatment immediately after the training session of object recognition task. PSD did not potentiate the cognitive deficit due to MS. However, modafinil was able to recover memory impairments associated to PSD and also to MS in the neonatal period. This study demonstrates for the first time that modafinil ameliorates cognitive deficits associated to MS and to PSD in adulthood, independent from MS in the neonatal period. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 11/12325-6 - Effects of sleep deprivation and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome on reproductive function in men
• Grantee: Tathiana Aparecida Fernandes de Alvarenga
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• FAPESP's process: 12/05396-7 - Consequences of sleep restriction during pregnancy on the development of sensory-motor and sexual behavior in the offspring
• Grantee: Monica Levy Andersen
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• FAPESP's process: 10/15110-8 - Sleep and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy: possible molecular basis?
• Grantee: Gabriela de Matos Barbosa Pimenta
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral