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Immune-modulatory drugs alter Candida albicans-induced sleep patterns in rabbits
1Department of Comparative Medicine, University of Tennessee, Memphis 38163, USA.
Abstract:
To evaluate the influences of immune responsiveness on sleep alteration during infectious disease, sleep was monitored during Candida albicans infection in rabbits treated with immune-modulating drugs. Intravenous administration of C. albicans to normal rabbits initially increased and subsequently decreased both the amount of slow-wave sleep (SWS) and delta-wave amplitudes (DWA) during SWS. Cortisone treatment attenuated these effects. The immunosuppressive drug cyclosporine did not alter the initial enhancement of SWS, but did attenuate the C. albicans-induced reduction in SWS time and potentiate the reduction in DWA. In contrast, administration of incomplete Freund's adjuvant and prior immunization with killed C. albicans, which were expected to enhance immune responsiveness, did not markedly alter C. albicans-induced alterations in SWS. However, the immune stimulant levamisole potentiated the effects of C. albicans on SWS. These data indicate that pharmacologic treatments expected to alter immune responsiveness modulate microbially induced sleep, and are consistent with the hypothesis that facets of the immune response mediate sleep changes during infectious disease.
Insights
Immune responses influence sleep changes during infections. Modulating the immune system with drugs altered sleep patterns in rabbits infected with Candida albicans, suggesting immune mediation of sleep alterations.
Area of Science:
- Immunology
- Sleep Science
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Infectious diseases often cause sleep alterations.
- The role of immune responses in mediating these sleep changes is not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how immune responsiveness affects sleep alterations during Candida albicans infection.
- To determine if immune-modulating drugs can alter microbially induced sleep changes.
Main Methods:
- Rabbits were infected with Candida albicans and treated with immune-modulating drugs (cortisone, cyclosporine, levamisole).
- Sleep was monitored, focusing on slow-wave sleep (SWS) and delta-wave amplitudes (DWA).
- Immune responsiveness was manipulated via drug treatment and prior immunization.
Main Results:
- Candida albicans infection initially increased then decreased SWS and DWA.
- Cortisone attenuated these sleep changes.
- Cyclosporine affected SWS time and DWA reduction.
- Levamisole potentiated the infection's effects on SWS.
Conclusions:
- Pharmacologic alteration of immune responsiveness modulates infection-induced sleep changes.
- These findings support the hypothesis that immune responses mediate sleep alterations during infectious diseases.