Slow-Wave Sleep and Anxiety Levels in Rats in Chronic Deficiency of Chaperone Hsp70i in the Preoptic Area of the Hypothalamus

Abstract

The preoptic area of the hypothalamus (POA) is regarded as an integrative “center” regulating sleep and behavior, though the involvement of chaperones in the molecular mechanisms controlling the sleep–waking cycle and anxiety-like behavior has received little study. Using a model based on suppression of the synthesis of inducible chaperone Hsp70i in the POA of rats using RNA interference, the present studies provided the first demonstration that long-term (1–2.5 months) 45–55% decreases in Hsp70i levels in the POA leads to reductions in slow-wave sleep in the dark phase of the day and increases in the level of anxiety. The study results may be of clinical value in seeking means of mobilizing the activity of chaperones for the treatment of sleep and behavioral disorders, particularly in aging and a number of neuropathologies, which are characterized by an imbalance in the chaperone systems and decreases in slow-wave sleep.