Life Sciences Commons^™

Effects Of Alpha- And Beta-Adrenergic Receptor Blockade Upon Inflammatory Responses To Acute And Chronic Sleep Fragmentation, Nicholas David Wheeler

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Generally, sleep is viewed as a recuperative process and its dysregulation has

cognitive, metabolic, immunological, and inflammatory implications that are largely deleterious to human health. Epidemiological and empirical studies have suggested that sleep fragmentation (SF) as result of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and other sleep abnormalities leads to pronounced systemic inflammatory responses, which are influenced by the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). However, the underlying molecular mechanisms contributing to SNS regulation of SF-induced inflammatory states are not fully understood. To assess the effects of the SNS system, C57BL/6j female mice were placed in automated SF chambers (12L:12D) and subjected to either …

Acute Sleep Fragmentation Induces Tissue-Specific Changes In Cytokine Gene Expression And Increases Serum Corticosterone Concentration, Jennifer Dumaine

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Sleep fragmentation induces acute inflammation and increases glucocorticosteroids in vertebrates. Obesity and sleep fragmentation are often concurrent pro-inflammatory conditions in patients with obstructive sleep apnea. Despite the association between the two, their simultaneous effects on immune and endocrine profiles have not been explored. In the first experiment, we investigated changes in proinflammatory (IL-1β, TNF-α) and anti-inflammatory (TGF-β1) cytokine gene expression in the periphery (liver, spleen, fat, and heart) and brain (hypothalamus, prefrontal cortex, and hippocampus) in mice exposed to various intervals of sleep fragmentation. Serum corticosterone concentration was also assessed. Sleep was disrupted in male C57BL/6J mice using an automated …