The long-term objective of this application is to identify the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the cognitive functions of sleep. Specifically, the goal of this renewal application is to investigate how the phasic pontine-wave (P-wave) generator and the hippocampus interact in sleep-dependent learning and memory processing in the rat. Clarifying the mechanisms of sleep-dependent learning and memory processing will advance the field of cognitive research toward the development of effective treatments for cognitive deficiencies associated with sleep disorders in humans. The central hypothesis of this proposal is that activation of phasic P-wave generating cells in the brainstem during REM sleep stimulates the post-synaptic cAMP/protein kinase A/cAMP response element binding protein (cAMP/PKA/CREB) pathway in the dorsal hippocampus as part of REM sleep-dependent memory processing.
3 specific aims have been designed to test this hypothesis systematically: 1. Determine whether the elimination of cells in the dorsal hippocampus attenuates 2-way active avoidance (TWAA) learning memory in post-sleep test trials. Cells will be lesioned by discrete microinjection of ibotenic acid into the CA1, CA3, and DG subfields of the dorsal hippocampus of different animals prior to TWAA training. After a sleep period, rats will be tested on the TWAA task and degrees of learning improvement will be compared between the specific subfield lesioned rats and sham lesioned rats. 2. Test the hypothesis that cAMP-dependent PKA activation in the dorsal hippocampus is involved in P-wave-generator-activation-dependent memory processing of TWAA learning. Effects of microinjecting a cAMP-dependent PKA inhibitor directly into the dorsal hippocampus to block P-wave generator activation will be measured with post-sleep TWAA testing to achieve this goal. 3. Test the hypothesis that P-wave generator activation increases phosphorylation of CREB (pCREB) and synthesis of activity-regulated cytoskeleton associated (Arc) protein in the dorsal hippocampus. Western blotting and immunocytochemical techniques will measure the levels of pCREB and Arc protein in the dorsal hippocampus. This proposal addresses, at the mechanistic level, the general question, what is the function of sleep? In addition, this research will propel sleep-dependent cognitive research toward treatments for cognitive impairments associated with jet lag, shift work, sleep deprivation and brainstem degenerative disorders.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01NS034004-11
Application #
6848185
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-IFCN-D (02))
Program Officer
Mitler, Merrill
Project Start
1996-07-01
Project End
2010-07-31
Budget Start
2005-08-01
Budget End
2006-07-31
Support Year
11
Fiscal Year
2005
Total Cost
$373,469
Indirect Cost
Name
Boston University
Department
Psychiatry
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
604483045
City
Boston
State
MA
Country
United States
Zip Code
02118
Datta, Subimal; O'Malley, Matthew W (2013) Fear extinction memory consolidation requires potentiation of pontine-wave activity during REM sleep. J Neurosci 33:4561-9
Desarnaud, Frank; Macone, Brian W; Datta, Subimal (2011) Activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase signaling in the pedunculopontine tegmental cells is involved in the maintenance of sleep in rats. J Neurochem 116:577-87
Macone, Brian W; O'Malley, Matthew; Datta, Subimal (2011) Sharing stressful experiences attenuates anxiety-related cognitive and sleep impairments. Behav Brain Res 222:351-6
Datta, Subimal (2010) Cellular and chemical neuroscience of mammalian sleep. Sleep Med 11:431-40
Datta, Subimal; Desarnaud, Frank (2010) Protein kinase A in the pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus of rat contributes to regulation of rapid eye movement sleep. J Neurosci 30:12263-73
Stack, Edward C; Desarnaud, Frank; Siwek, Donald F et al. (2010) A novel role for calcium/calmodulin kinase II within the brainstem pedunculopontine tegmentum for the regulation of wakefulness and rapid eye movement sleep. J Neurochem 112:271-81
Datta, Subimal; Siwek, Donald F; Huang, Max P (2009) Improvement of two-way active avoidance memory requires protein kinase a activation and brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression in the dorsal hippocampus. J Mol Neurosci 38:257-64
Datta, S; Siwek, D F; Stack, E C (2009) Identification of cholinergic and non-cholinergic neurons in the pons expressing phosphorylated cyclic adenosine monophosphate response element-binding protein as a function of rapid eye movement sleep. Neuroscience 163:397-414
Shea, J L; Mochizuki, T; Sagvaag, V et al. (2008) Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep homeostatic regulatory processes in the rat: changes in the sleep-wake stages and electroencephalographic power spectra. Brain Res 1213:48-56
Datta, Subimal; Li, Guangmu; Auerbach, Sanford (2008) Activation of phasic pontine-wave generator in the rat: a mechanism for expression of plasticity-related genes and proteins in the dorsal hippocampus and amygdala. Eur J Neurosci 27:1876-92

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