Sleep fragmentation has differential effects on obese and lean mice

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Sleep Science
• Obesity Research

Background:

• Chronic sleep fragmentation (SF) is linked to obesity development.
• Sleep apnea patients commonly experience SF.
• The neurobehavioral impact of SF in obesity is not fully understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the differential effects of SF on neurobehavior in lean wild-type (WT) and obese pan-leptin receptor knockout (POKO) mice.
• To understand how obesity modulates responses to sleep fragmentation.

Main Methods:

• Established an SF paradigm by sleep interruption every 2 minutes during the light phase.
• Assessed changes in sleep architecture (NREM, REM, sleep latency, delta power).
• Evaluated neurobehavioral outcomes including thermal pain threshold, locomotor activity, and anxiety.

Main Results:

• SF reduced sleep duration and bout length, increasing state transitions and waking.
• SF altered sleep architecture, decreasing NREM and REM sleep, and increasing delta power.
• SF increased pain threshold in WT mice but not POKO mice; both SF and POKO mutation reduced activity and increased anxiety without additive effects.

Conclusions:

• SF and the POKO mutation differentially regulate mouse behavior.
• Obesity may blunt neurobehavioral responses to SF.
• Findings highlight the complex interplay between sleep fragmentation, obesity, and neurobehavioral regulation.