Effects on sleep and wakefulness of the injection of hypocretin-1 (orexin-A) into the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus of the cat

Abstract

Anatomical data demonstrate a dense projection, in the cat, from hypocretin (orexin) neurons in the hypothalamus to the laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDT), which is a critical pontine site that is involved in the regulation of the behavioral states of sleep and wakefulness. The present study was therefore undertaken to explore the hypocretinergic control of neurons in the LDT vis-à-vis these behavioral states. Accordingly, hypocretin-1 was microinjected into the LDT of chronic, unanesthetized cats and its effects on the percentage, latency, frequency and duration of wakefulness, quiet (non-REM) sleep and active (REM) sleep were determined. There was a significant increase in the time spent in wakefulness following the microinjection of hypocretin-1 into the LDT and a significant decrease in the time spent in active sleep. The increase in the percentage of wakefulness was due to an increase in the duration of episodes of wakefulness; the reduction in active sleep was due to a decrease in the frequency of active sleep episodes, but not in their duration. These data indicate that hypocretinergic processes in the LDT play an important role in both of the promotion of wakefulness and the suppression of active sleep.