Ehlers Cindy L, Wills Derek, Benedict Jessica, Amodeo Leslie R
Department of Neuroscience, The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California, USA.
Department of Psychology, California State University San Bernardino, San Bernardino, CA, USA.
Alcohol Clin Exp Res (Hoboken). 2023 Jun;47(6):1055-1066. doi: 10.1111/acer.15079. Epub 2023 Jun 19.
Sleep difficulties and rhythm disturbances are some of the problems associated with adolescent binge drinking. Recently, animal models of alcohol-induced insomnia have been developed. However, studies in human subjects have recently focused not only on nighttime EEG findings but also on daytime sleepiness and disrupted activity levels as typically measured by activity tracking devices such as the "Fitbit." We sought to develop and test a Fitbit-like device (the "FitBite") in rats and use it to track rest-activity cycles following adolescent alcohol exposure.
The effects of 5 weeks of adolescent ethanol vapor or control conditions were evaluated in 48 male and female Wistar rats using FitBite activity while intoxicated, and during acute (24 h post-vapor exposure) and chronic withdrawal (4 weeks post-vapor exposure). Data were analyzed using activity count and cosinor analyses. Fourteen rats were subsequently implanted with cortical electrodes, and data from the FitBite were compared with EEG data to determine how well the FitBite could identify sleep and activity cycles.
Female rats were generally more active than males, with higher circadian rhythm amplitudes and mesors (rhythm-adjusted means) across a 24-h period. There were significant correlations between EEG-estimated sleep and activity counts using the FitBite. When the rats were tested during intoxication after 4 weeks of ethanol vapor exposure, they had significantly less overall activity. Disruptions in circadian rhythm were also found with significant decreases in the circadian amplitude, mesor, and a later shift in the acrophase. At 24 h of ethanol withdrawal, rats had more episodes of activity with shorter durations during the daytime, when rats are expected to spend more of their time sleeping. This effect remained at 4 weeks following withdrawal, but circadian rhythm disruptions were no longer present.
A Fitbit-like device can be successfully used in rats to assess rest-activity cycles. Adolescent alcohol exposure produced circadian rhythm disturbances that were not observed after withdrawal. Fragmentation of ultradian rest-activity cycles during the light period was found at 24 h and 4 weeks after withdrawal and support data demonstrating the presence of sleep disturbance long after alcohol withdrawal.
睡眠困难和节律紊乱是与青少年暴饮酒精相关的一些问题。最近，已开发出酒精诱导失眠的动物模型。然而，最近针对人类受试者的研究不仅关注夜间脑电图结果，还关注日间嗜睡以及通常由“Fitbit”等活动追踪设备测量的活动水平紊乱情况。我们试图在大鼠中开发并测试一种类似Fitbit的设备（“FitBite”），并用它来追踪青少年酒精暴露后的休息 - 活动周期。
在48只雄性和雌性Wistar大鼠中，使用FitBite活动评估5周青少年乙醇蒸汽暴露或对照条件的影响，评估时间为醉酒期间、急性（蒸汽暴露后24小时）和慢性戒断期（蒸汽暴露后4周）。使用活动计数和余弦分析对数据进行分析。随后对14只大鼠植入皮质电极，并将FitBite的数据与脑电图数据进行比较，以确定FitBite识别睡眠和活动周期的能力。
雌性大鼠通常比雄性大鼠更活跃，在24小时期间具有更高的昼夜节律振幅和均数（节律调整均值）。使用FitBite进行的脑电图估计睡眠与活动计数之间存在显著相关性。在乙醇蒸汽暴露4周后的醉酒测试期间，大鼠的总体活动明显减少。还发现昼夜节律紊乱，昼夜振幅、均数显著降低，峰相位出现延迟。在乙醇戒断24小时时，大鼠在白天有更多持续时间较短的活动发作，而此时大鼠通常应花费更多时间睡觉。这种效应在戒断后4周仍然存在，但昼夜节律紊乱不再出现。
一种类似Fitbit的设备可成功用于大鼠评估休息 - 活动周期。青少年酒精暴露会产生昼夜节律紊乱，戒断后未观察到这种情况。在戒断后24小时和4周时发现光照期超日休息 - 活动周期碎片化，支持了酒精戒断后很长时间存在睡眠障碍的数据。
