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Sleeping Sickness Disrupts the Sleep-Regulating Adenosine System.
Filipa Rijo-Ferreira1,2, Theresa E Bjorness3,4, Kimberly H Cox1
1Department of Neuroscience, Peter O'Donnell Jr. Brain Institute, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas 75390-9111.
Summary
Sleeping sickness disrupts sleep by altering the brain's adenosine system. Trypanosoma brucei infection in mice reduced their response to sleep deprivation, suggesting a link to adenosine signaling changes.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Parasitology
- Sleep Medicine
Background:
- Sleeping sickness, caused by *Trypanosoma brucei*, leads to significant sleep disturbances.
- The precise neurological mechanisms underlying these sleep disruptions remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of *T. brucei* infection on sleep architecture and homeostatic sleep regulation in a mouse model.
- To explore the role of the adenosine system in *T. brucei*-induced sleep alterations.
Main Methods:
- Assessed sleep architecture in male mice infected with *T. brucei* under normal and sleep-deprived conditions.
- Evaluated the electrophysiological response to an adenosine receptor antagonist.
- Measured adenosine receptor gene expression.
Main Results:
- *T. brucei*-infected mice exhibited significantly altered sleep patterns.
- Infected mice showed a diminished homeostatic sleep response following sleep deprivation.
- Electrophysiological responses to adenosine receptor antagonists were reduced, with increased adenosine receptor gene expression.
Conclusions:
- *Trypanosoma brucei* infection alters sleep patterns and impairs homeostatic sleep regulation in mice.
- Findings suggest that disrupted adenosine signaling may contribute to the sleep disturbances observed in sleeping sickness.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the exact mechanisms linking *T. brucei* infection to these neurological changes.
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