G. Dewasmes

Fasting-induced rise in locomotor activity in rats coincides with increased protein utilization

The aim of this study was to investigate the possible relation between the modifications in locomotor activity (on running wheel) which occur during prolonged fasting and changes in the utilization of energy reserves. In 18-week-old rats, we found that the rate of body mass loss reflects the changes in nitrogen excretion that occur over three phases of fasting: (I) initially decreasing, (II) maintained at a low level and (III) increasing. Locomotor activity started to increase during phase II without a change in its nycthemeral pattern. By contrast, the 10-fold higher daily locomotor activity that occurred in phase III was marked by a higher proportion of diurnal activity. Using 9-, 18-, and 33-week-old rats, in order to obtain a different timing in the metabolic changes during fasting, we could confirm the coincidence between the later rise in locomotor activity and the occurrence of phase III. Refeeding of rats of either age in phase III rapidly suppressed fasting-induced changes in locomotor activity. These data accord with the idea that behavioral changes reflecting the search for food are triggered by a later and reversible change in the utilization of body protein vs. lipid stores during prolonged fasting.

Polygraphic and behavioral study of sleep in geese: Existence of nuchal atonia during paradoxical sleep

In adult geese, chronic polygraphic recordings of EEG, EOG, EMG, ECG and respiratory rate completed with behavioral observations allowed the characterization of four states of vigilance: wakefulness (W), drowsiness (D), slow wave sleep (SWS) and paradoxical sleep (PS). The EEG, EOG, EMG general patterns observed during W, D, SWS and PS episodes with nuchal isotonia or hypotonia were similar to those reported in other birds. The characteristic brevity of avian PS was confirmed since this sleep state occupied only 2.8% of the nycthemere in geese. For the first time in an adult bird it was shown that numerous PS episodes were accompanied, as in mammals, by a total disappearance of nuchal EMG activity. These observations made in a bird species with a stable head support when sleeping, suggest that, as in mammals, inhibitory mechanisms leading to a PS related nuchal atonia do exist and that head falling is not the cause of PS episodes brevity in birds.

Effects of Noise on Sleep Inertia as a Function of Circadian Placement of a One-Hour Nap

The purpose of the present study was to analyse the arousing effects of noise on sleep inertia as a function of circadian placement of a one-hour nap. In a first experiment, we measured the effects of sleep inertia in a neutral acoustic environment after a one-hour nap placed either at 0100 or 0400 on response time during a spatial memory test. In a second experiment were analysed the effects of an intense continuous noise on sleep inertia. The results showed that noise produced a total abolition of sleep inertia after an early nap (0000 to 0100). This may be due to the arousing effect of noise; however, results are less clear after a late nap 0300 to 0400 as noise seems to be ineffective. This result is discussed in terms of either a function of time-of-day effect or of prior sleep intensity. Moreover, our data suggest a possible interaction of noise with partial sleep deprivation leading to a slight deleterious effect on those subjects who did not sleep at all.

Advances of human core temperature minimum and maximal paradoxical sleep propensity by ambient thermal transients

By using slow thermal transients of reduced amplitude (+/- 3 degrees C (thermoneutrality in humans sleeping nude) during only 1 night (experimental, EX), we have advanced the minimum of rectal temperature (Tre) and the peak of their paradoxical sleep propensity (PPSP) of sleeping subjects. During this EX night Tre minimum was significantly (P = 0.0001) advanced by 143 min versus that observed during baseline night spent at thermoneutrality. The advance of PPSP was objectivated by the more rapid cumulation of paradoxical sleep (P = 0.02) during the second half of EX night, i.e. strictly after the occurrence (around 0330 h) of the new Tre minimum, and by the earlier occurrence of its barycentric point (P = 0.04) between 0330 and 0700 h. The involvement of the central thermoregulatory system on phase-shifting mechanisms is discussed.

An electrophysiological and behavioral study of sleep in emperor penguins under natural ambient conditions

In two pairs of emperor penguins surgically implanted for chronic recordings of EEG, EOG and EMG, four arousal stages were characterized on the basis of behavioral and electrophysiological criteria: wakefulness (W), drowsiness (D), slow-wave sleep (SWS) and paradoxical sleep (PS). The general patterns of electrographic correlates observed for each arousal stage resemble those reported in other birds. Sleep patterns were examined with these two pairs placed under natural ambient conditions of light and air temperature, the first pair being exposed to moderate cold under alternate conditions of day and night, and the second studied when daylight was total at thermoneutrality. The time spent in sleep (TST) by each group was 41.3% and 45.1% of the 24 hr period respectively, the difference not being significant. As in other birds, PS occurred in very brief episodes lasting, on average, 8 to 10 seconds and occupying only 5 to 6% of the 24 hr period. Whatever the external conditions, the PS to TST ratio appeared to remain unchanged (12 to 14%). Its relatively high value is discussed in relation to predation susceptibility.

Interaction of the alerting effect of noise with partial sleep deprivation and circadian rhythmicity of vigilance

Only a few studies have been devoted to the interaction of noise with sleep deprivation and time of day. In a previous study we demonstrated that noise had an alerting effect on cognitive performance during the early night but not during the late night. However, it was not clear whether these different effects of noise were related to prior sleep debt or to time of day as both factors varied simultaneously. In the present experiment, we further studied this issue to identify which of these two factors was responsible for the noise effects. Analysis showed that, when performance was tested at different times with an equivalent prior sleep debt, noise improved speed of response at 0500 but not at 0800 at which variability of response time increased. Noise had no effect on errors. It is suggested that the effect of noise depends on the underlying arousal and raises arousal from its low level due either to time of day or to partial sleep deprivation.

Regulation of local sweating in sleep-deprived exercising humans

SummaryThermoregulatory sweating [total body (msw,b), chest (msw,c) and thigh (msw,t) sweating], body temperatures [oesophageal (Toes) and mean skin temperature (Tsk)] and heart rate were investigated in five sleep-deprived subjects (kept awake for 27 h) while exercising on a cycle (45 min at approximately 50% maximal oxygen consumption) in moderate heat (Tair andTwall at 35° C. Themsw,c andmsw,t were measured under local thermal clamp (Tsk,1), set at 35.5° C. After sleep deprivation, neither the levels of body temperatures (Toes,Tsk) nor the levels ofmsw, b,msw, c ormsw, t differed from control at rest or during exercise steady state. During the transient phase of exercise (whenTsk andTsk,1 were unvarying), themsw, c andmsw, t changes were positively correlated with those ofToes. The slopes of themsw, c versusToes, ormsw, t versusToes relationships remained unchanged between control and sleep-loss experiments. Thus the slopes of the local sweating versusToes, relationships (msw, c andmsw, t sweating data pooled which reached 1.05 (SEM 0.14) mg·cm−2·min−1°C−1 and 1.14 (SEM 0.18) mg·cm−2·min−1·°C−1 before and after sleep deprivation) respectively did not differ. However, in our experiment, sleep deprivation significantly increased theToes threshold for the onset of bothmsw, c andmsw, t (+0.3° C,P<0.001). From our investigations it would seem that the delayed core temperature for sweating onset in sleep-deprived humans, while exercising moderately in the heat, is likely to have been due to alterations occurring at the central level.

Human core temperature minimum can be modified by ambient thermal transients

By using slow linear thermal transients (+/- 0.025 degree C/min) of reduced amplitude (+/- 3 degrees C around thermoneutrality), we were able to advance the minimum of human internal temperature (Ti) during nocturnal sleep. During experimental night the minimum of esophageal (Tes) and rectal (Tre) temperature were respectively advanced by 1.6 h (P < 0.01) and 2.6 h (P < 0.001) in comparison to reference night spent at thermoneutrality. It must be emphasized that the provoked advance of nocturnal Ti minimum was not accompanied by any change in sleep latency, efficiency, SWS and REM sleep percentages. The result shows that appropriate ambient temperature transient changes could be used to modify the course of human Ti one of the major biological rhythms usually considered as resistant to sleep-wake rhythm manipulation.

Effects of sleep inertia on cognitive performance following a 1-hour nap

Abstract This study investigated the effects of a 1-h nap on subsequent performance in spatial memory (SM) and logical reasoning (LR) tasks. The objective was to evaluate the duration of the effects of sleep inertia (SI). The performance was measured in two independent groups of subjects. The 1-h nap took place at 00:00 h in group 1 and at 03:00 h in group 2. In each task, the experimental design comprised one no-nap condition in which subjects had no sleep before the night tests, and a nap condition that comprised the 1-h nap followed by the test sessions. To measure the duration of SI effects, the subjects were tested in two 30-min sessions and the data in each session were analysed in sub-units of time of 3 min each. In each task the results showed no effects on accuracy, and no circadian effects of napping were found. In each task, analyses of pooled data of the two groups showed that the performance in the 1-h nap condition exhibited significant reductions of speed immediately following awakening, wh...

Human Scrotal Temperature During Heat Exposure Associated with Passive Leg Heating

In contrast to the numerous studies carried out for investigating the temperature regulation of the animal testis (especially in the ram), there are only a few reports dealing with human testis thermoregulation (Brindley, 1982; Kandeel and Swerdlof f, 1988 for a review). In man exposed to external heat load, the temperature of the testis results from the thermal equilibrium between the local heat production, the heat exchanges with the surroundings and the heat transfer occurring via the local vascular system. According to the investigation by Buettner (1969), there are no active sweat glands in the human scrotal skin, although the water loss through skin diffusion can be larger than in other areas.