Right stellate ganglion block improves learning and memory dysfunction and hippocampal injury in rats with sleep deprivation

Dongsheng Dai,Xiaodan Wu,Peng Ke,Shizhu Lin,Yijie Tang,Mengnan Chen,Chengjie Zheng,Zenggui Yu,Biqiong Zheng,Yanqing Chen

doi:10.1186/s12871-021-01486-4

Abstract

BackgroundSleep deprivation (SD) often leads to complex detrimental consequences, though the mechanisms underlying these dysfunctional effects remain largely unknown. We investigated whether the right stellate ganglion block in rats can improve the spatial learning and memory dysfunction induced by sleep deprivation by alleviating the damage of hippocampus in rats.MethodsSixty four male Sprague Dawley rats were randomly divided into four groups: Control, SD (sleep deprivation), SGB (stellate ganglion block) and SGB + SD (stellate ganglion block+ sleep deprivation) (n = 16). The SGB and SD + SGB groups were subjected to right stellate ganglion block through posterior approach method once per day. SD and SD + SGB groups were treated with modified multi-platform water environment method for 96 h sleep deprivation in rats and their body weights were analyzed. Histopathological changes of hippocampal neurons in rats and the expression of Caspase-3 in hippocampus of rats was detected by western blotting. ELISA was used to detect the content of IL-6, IL-1 in hippocampus and serum melatonin levels.ResultsCompared with the group SD, the spatial learning and memory function of the group SD + SGB was improved, the weight loss was alleviated, the pathological damage of the hippocampus was reduced and the expression of IL-6, IL-1β and Caspase-3 in the hippocampus was decreased. The content of rat serum melatonin was also increased.ConclusionsThe right stellate ganglion block can improve the spatial learning and memory dysfunction of rats with sleep deprivation, and the underlying mechanism may be related to alleviating the apoptosis and inflammation of hippocampus of rats with sleep deprivation.

Highlights

Sleep with its various physiological and temporal stages is necessary for maintaining proper health and survival in animals and humans
We study the effect of stellate ganglion block (SGB) on learning and memory dysfunction caused by sleep deprivation
The change of escape latency in SGB group and Control group tends to be consistent with time (P > 0.05) (Fig. 2A)

Summary

Introduction

Sleep with its various physiological and temporal stages is necessary for maintaining proper health and survival in animals and humans. Even after many decades of extensive research into the functional modalities of different stages of sleep-wake cycle, the mechanism underlying the detrimental consequences of sleep deprivation. Some studies have suggested that the effect of sleep deprivation may largely depend on the time window and varying duration of SD. Few researchers have investigated that 6–12 h of short-term sleep deprivation prior to cerebral ischemia produces neuroprotective effects by attenuating inflammatory responses and glial reactions in the rat hippocampus [10,11,12]. Sleep deprivation (SD) often leads to complex detrimental consequences, though the mechanisms underlying these dysfunctional effects remain largely unknown. We investigated whether the right stellate ganglion block in rats can improve the spatial learning and memory dysfunction induced by sleep deprivation by alleviating the damage of hippocampus in rats

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion