The effect of REM sleep deprivation on histamine concentrations in different brain areas.

Rats were deprived of REM sleep (REMS) for 72 h with the platform method and decapitated in the morning immediately after the deprivation or in the afternoon after having been allowed 5 hours of rebound sleep. The histamine concentrations of the anterior and posterior hypothalamus, the cortex, the hippocampus and the pineal gland were measured, as well as the tele-methylhistamine concentrations of the anterior and posterior hypothalamus. Histamine concentrations were no different after REMS deprivation compared to large platform or dry cage controls, but in the anterior hypothalamus histamine levels increased during rebound sleep only in the REMS deprived rats. tele-Methylhistamine/histamine ratios were higher after 72 h of both REMS deprivation and the large platform treatment compared to dry cage controls, indicating increased histamine utilization during the platform treatment procedure.