Ultrasonic Vocalizations and Behavior of Rat Pups Born From Sleep-Deprived Dams

• Published in: Handbook of Behavioral Neuroscience Vol. 25; pp. 467 - 478
• Main Authors: Gulia, Kamalesh K., Kumar, Velayudhan M.
• Format: Book Chapter
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Science & Technology 2018
• Subjects: Anxiety; NREM sleep; Pregnancy; Pup isolation; REM sleep; Sleep deprivation; Ultrasonic vocalizations; Pregnancy; Ultrasonic vocalizations; Pup isolation; Anxiety; NREM sleep; Sleep deprivation; REM sleep
• DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-809600-0.00044-5
• ISBN: 0128096004; 9780128096000
• ISSN: 1569-7339

Maternal sleep loss during pregnancy is a major health concern, much moreso for the newborns than for the mother. As recent reports showed, a mother's sleep deprivation may lead to anxiety disorders and cognitive deficits in the offspring. This review provided details of the effects of sleep deprivation of the rat dams during pregnancy on the emission of ultrasonic vocalizations (USVs) of pups during early ontogeny, and on changes in their behavior later in life. Emotional states of infants were assessed by recording USVs emitted during an isolation paradigm in the pups born in the control group, in the total sleep-deprived group, in the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep-restricted group, and in the sham control group on different postnatal days. After weaning, changes in rat anxiety were tested using the elevated plus maze in the total sleep-deprived group during the periadolescent window. The forced swim test was conducted in the REM sleep-restricted group. The results of this comprehensive study provided significant and novel evidence demonstrating that sleep loss in dams during pregnancy is a potential risk factor for various psychological disorders in the offspring.