Effects of paradoxical sleep deprivation on blood parameters associated with cardiovascular risk in aged rats

The effects of 96 h of paradoxical sleep deprivation (PSD) on blood parameters associated with cardiovascular risk were studied in young (3-month old) and aged (22-month old) rats. In general, aging was associated with an overall increase in most measures, irrespective of sleep deprivation condition. The latter manipulation also had significant effects on blood variables, but not in a consistent pattern. Thus, PSD significantly reduced triglyceride levels in both young and aged rats; it reduced blood viscosity in aged but not in young rats, and had no effect on the increased cholesterol levels observed in aged controls. Examinations of cholesterol fractions revealed significant increases in low density lipoprotein and high density lipoprotein in aged PSD rats compared to respective controls, whereas very low density lipoprotein was significant decreased after PSD in both young and aged animals. PSD increased vitamin B(12) levels in aged rats, and significantly decreased homocysteine levels in young but not in aged rats which in turn were already reduced. Folate levels were the only variable that was unaffected by aging and/or PSD. These results indicate that PSD has significant but heterogeneous physiological effects in aged rats and may intensify certain aging-related effects which contribute to cardiovascular disease risk while attenuating others.