To determine how partial lesioning of the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPT) affects sleep, breathing, and blood pressure in rats, ibotenic acid (IBO) was injected bilaterally into the PPT. Sham-injected (saline) and IBO-lesioned rats were first studied under normoxic conditions (40 recordings were obtained from 15 rats, with each recording lasting for 6 daytime hours). Rats were then exposed to intermittent hypoxia for 4 ± 2 days (51 recordings from 12 rats, each lasting 6 daytime hours). The intermittent hypoxia protocol involved an oxygen decline lasting 35 s (to a nadir of 10 %) followed by a 50 s increase to normoxia. The IBO caused an estimated 53 % reduction in PPT neurons. When normoxic, IBO-lesioned rats had remarkedly normal sleep architecture, respiratory rates, and mean arterial pressure. The exposure to intermittent hypoxia evoked tachypnea in both the IBO-lesioned and sham-injected rats. When intermittently hypoxic, IBO-lesioned rats demonstrated a significant reduction in the duration of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We conclude that partial lesions of the PPT do not disrupt cardiorespiratory activities, but a reduction in PPT neurons impairs the ability to sustain REM sleep under hypoxic conditions.
Keywords: Blood pressure; Breathing; Hypoxia; Lesion; Pedunculopontine nucleus; Rapid eye movement sleep.
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