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Experimental Immunomodulation, Sleep, and Sleepiness in Humans
Author(s) -
POLLMÄCHER THOMAS,
SCHULD ANDREAS,
KRAUS THOMAS,
HAACK MONIKA,
HINZESELCH DUNJA,
MULLINGTON JANET
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
annals of the new york academy of sciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.712
H-Index - 248
eISSN - 1749-6632
pISSN - 0077-8923
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2000.tb05413.x
Subject(s) - sleep (system call) , endocrine system , tumor necrosis factor alpha , inflammation , narcolepsy , sickness behavior , immunology , mediator , medicine , sleep restriction , sleep deprivation , psychology , neuroscience , cognition , hormone , endocrinology , neurology , computer science , operating system
A bstract : Infection, inflammation, and autoimmune processes are accompanied by serious disturbances of well‐being, psychosocial functioning, cognitive performance, and behavior. Here we review those studies that have investigated the effects of experimental immunomodulation on sleep and sleepiness in humans. In most of these studies bacterial endotoxin was injected intravenously to model numerous aspects of infection including the release of inflammatory cytokines. These studies show that human sleep‐wake behavior is very sensitive to host defense activation. Small amounts of endotoxin, which affect neither body temperature nor neuroendocrine systems but slightly stimulate the secretion of inflammatory cytokines, promote non‐rapid‐eye‐movement sleep amount and intensity. Febrile host responses, in contrast, go along with prominent sleep disturbances. According to present knowledge tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α) is most probably a key mediator of these effects, although it is likely that disturbed sleep during febrile host responses involves endocrine systems as well. There is preliminary evidence from human studies suggesting that inflammatory cytokines such as TNF‐α not only mediate altered sleep‐wake behavior during infections, but in addition are involved in physiological sleep regulation and in hypnotic effects of established sedating drugs.