Neurophysiology Research Center, Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Urmia, Iran.
Zanjan Metabolic Diseases Research Center, Zanjan University of Medical Sciences, Zanjan, Iran.
Neurosci Lett. 2020 Sep 14;735:135254. doi: 10.1016/j.neulet.2020.135254. Epub 2020 Jul 16.
Sleep deprivation (SD) causes alterations in the function of the endocannabinoid (EC) system and also results in alteration in many behaviors such as increased anxiety, deteriorated alertness, memory deficits, as well as sexual behaviors. Controversial data about the effects of SD on sexual response are provided. Fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH), the enzymes involved in the degradation of the EC system play an important role in the function of the EC system. This study aimed to investigate the effect of REM SD (RSD) and total SD (TSD) on the sexual behaviors and FAAH expression in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of male rats. RSD was carried out through the flower pot technique for 24 h and 48 h, and TSD also was induced by keeping awake the rats by gentle handling for 6 h. Immediately after RSD and TSD, sexual behaviors were recorded for 45 min. Sexual behaviors were reduced by both types of RSD and TSD. The deleterious effects of 24 h RSD were more severe compared with 6 h of TSD. Serum testosterone concentration was significantly higher after TSD but not RSD compared to the normal sleep (NS) group. FAAH expression in the PFC was significantly reduced after both RSD and TSD compared to the NS group. Given that the function of the EC system has been previously shown to change different behaviors such as sexual activity, our results could suggest that behavioral effects of both types of SD on sexual behavior may partially result from activation of this signaling pathway by the reduction of FAAH in the PFC.
睡眠剥夺（SD）会导致内源性大麻素（EC）系统功能改变，还会导致许多行为改变，如焦虑增加、警觉性下降、记忆缺陷以及性行为改变。目前提供了关于 SD 对性行为影响的有争议的数据。脂肪酸酰胺水解酶（FAAH）是参与 EC 系统降解的酶，在 EC 系统的功能中发挥着重要作用。本研究旨在探讨快速眼动睡眠剥夺（RSD）和总睡眠剥夺（TSD）对雄性大鼠前额叶皮质（PFC）中性行为和 FAAH 表达的影响。RSD 通过花盆技术进行 24 小时和 48 小时，TSD 也通过轻轻处理大鼠使其保持清醒 6 小时来诱导。在 RSD 和 TSD 后立即记录性行为 45 分钟。两种类型的 RSD 和 TSD 均导致性行为减少。与 6 小时的 TSD 相比，24 小时 RSD 的有害影响更为严重。与正常睡眠（NS）组相比，TSD 后血清睾丸酮浓度显著升高，但 RSD 后无显著升高。与 NS 组相比，RSD 和 TSD 后 PFC 中的 FAAH 表达明显降低。鉴于 EC 系统的功能已被证明会改变性行为等不同行为，我们的结果可能表明，SD 对性行为的两种类型的行为影响可能部分源于通过减少 PFC 中的 FAAH 来激活这条信号通路。
