Braun C M, Pivik R T
Brain Res. 1981 Dec 28;230(1-2):133-51. doi: 10.1016/0006-8993(81)90397-8.
The effects of radiofrequency lesions in the region of the locus coeruleus (LC) upon sleep--waking states and behaviors were investigated in chronically implanted New Zealand White rabbits. Polygraphic recordings were taken prior to and at 5- and 14-day intervals following lesioning. In animals exhibiting absence of paradoxical sleep and the presence of bizarre motor behavior, additional recordings were taken 30 days postlesion. Prelesion sleep-wakefulness pattern data were comparable to those previously observed in intact rabbits, including the recently reported absence of sustained PS-related nuchal muscle atonia. Lesions histologically localized to the area of the locus coeruleus were of two types, i.e., those effecting bilateral destruction of greater than or equal to 80% (n = 11) or 30-50% (n = 11) of the LC. A transient period of inactivity was present immediately following lesioning, but by two weeks postlesion animals had generally regained normal waking behavioral and physiological functioning, e.g., eating, drinking and grooming behaviors had returned and respiration, micturition and general urological functioning were normal. The more extensive LC lesions were followed by increases in the proportion of total recording time spent in wakefulness, but primarily in quiet rather than active wakefulness. Sleep was fragmented by phasic muscular activation in proportion to the amount of LC destroyed. In animals with the most extensive lesions, slow wave sleep was interrupted by brief, abrupt episodes of twitching, and episodes of marked phasic muscular activation, often violent in nature, occurred following periods of slow wave sleep. The postlesion occurrence of PS was inversely related to the degree of LC destruction and, accordingly, to the presence of episodes of phasic motor activation. These results did not confirm earlier reports in other species implicating the LC in urogenital functioning and respiration, but do corroborate previous findings indicating that neural elements in the LC regions are essential to the integrity of sleep and are especially important to the control of motor mechanisms during sleep.
在长期植入电极的新西兰白兔中，研究了蓝斑（LC）区域的射频损伤对睡眠-觉醒状态及行为的影响。在损伤前以及损伤后5天和14天间隔进行多导记录。对于表现出无快速眼动睡眠且存在怪异运动行为的动物，在损伤后30天进行额外记录。损伤前的睡眠-觉醒模式数据与之前在完整兔子中观察到的数据相当，包括最近报道的缺乏与快速眼动睡眠相关的持续颈部肌肉张力缺失。组织学上定位在蓝斑区域的损伤有两种类型，即导致蓝斑双侧破坏大于或等于80%（n = 11）或30 - 50%（n = 11）的损伤。损伤后立即出现一段短暂的无活动期，但到损伤后两周，动物通常已恢复正常的清醒行为和生理功能，例如进食、饮水和梳理行为已恢复，呼吸、排尿及一般泌尿功能正常。更广泛的蓝斑损伤后，清醒状态下的总记录时间比例增加，但主要是安静清醒而非主动清醒。睡眠因阶段性肌肉激活而碎片化，其比例与蓝斑被破坏的程度相关。在损伤最广泛的动物中，慢波睡眠被短暂、突然的抽搐发作打断，并且在慢波睡眠期后会出现明显的阶段性肌肉激活发作，通常较为剧烈。损伤后快速眼动睡眠的出现与蓝斑破坏程度呈负相关，因此与阶段性运动激活发作的存在相关。这些结果并未证实早期在其他物种中关于蓝斑参与泌尿生殖功能和呼吸的报道，但确实证实了先前的研究结果，即蓝斑区域的神经元件对于睡眠的完整性至关重要，并且对睡眠期间运动机制的控制尤为重要。
