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Published on: October 11, 2018
Reproductive hormone replacement alters sleep in mice
Ketema N Paul1, Aaron D Laposky, Fred W Turek
1Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Morehouse School of Medicine, 720 Westview Dr., S.W. MRC F14, Atlanta, GA 30310-1495, USA. kpaul@msm.edu
Neuroscience Letters
|August 4, 2009
Summary
Reproductive hormones like estrogen and testosterone influence baseline sleep in mice. Hormone replacement did not significantly affect sleep rebound after deprivation, suggesting they primarily regulate daily sleep patterns.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Endocrinology
- Sleep Medicine
Background:
- Reproductive hormones are known to influence sleep-wake states.
- Previous research has not investigated the specific effects of hormone replacement on sleep in adult male and female mice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if androgen replacement in males and estrogen replacement in females alters sleep-wake amount.
- To investigate the impact of hormone replacement on sleep rebound following extended wakefulness in mice.
Main Methods:
- Adult male and female C57BL/6J mice underwent gonadectomy.
- Mice received continuous release hormone (testosterone or 17beta-estradiol) or placebo pellets.
- Sleep-wake states were monitored via implanted electrodes during baseline and after 6 hours of sleep deprivation.
Main Results:
- Estradiol-treated females showed reduced NREM sleep, mainly during the dark phase.
- Testosterone-treated males displayed increased NREM sleep.
- Hormone-treated mice had similar recovery sleep amounts post-deprivation, though males showed slightly more than controls.
Conclusions:
- Androgens and estrogens are key drivers of sex differences in baseline sleep-wake amounts in mice.
- These hormones do not substantially impact the homeostatic sleep rebound mechanism after prolonged wakefulness.
