Effect of NMDA Lesion of the Medial Preoptic Neurons on Sleep and Other Functions

This study was undertaken to determine the effects of the destruction of the medial preoptic area (mPOA) neurons by N-methyl D-aspartic acid (NMDA), on sleep-wakefulness (S-W), locomotor activity, body weight, rectal temperature, and food and water intake in rats. The NMDA lesion of the mPOA produced long-lasting insomnia with marked reduction in the deeper stages of sleep, including paradoxical sleep. The reduction in the duration of sleep episodes in the lesioned rats indicated their inability to maintain sleep. The insomnia resulting from a decreased sleep pressure did not alter the sleep-initiating ability. Though the day-night distribution of sleep remained largely unaffected, there was an increase in locomotor activity during the light period. There was no increase in food intake to compensate for the high energy expenditure resulting not only from hyperactivity but also from hyperthermia in the mPOA-lesioned rats. Thus, body weights of the rats were reduced even without any change in food and water intake. However, the changes in body temperature and locomotor activity after the mPOA neuronal loss may not have exerted a major influence on S-W, as the alterations in all these parameters had different time courses.