Increasing evidence indicates that sleep deprivation alters behavioural responses to various pharmacological agents which might be associated to changes in receptor systems. The present work addressed the effects of sleep deprivation and recovery on behavioural changes induced by MK-801, and investigated whether such effects are related to changes in NMDA receptor (NMDAR) binding. Male Wistar rats were deprived of sleep for 96 h using the platform method (SD group), or were sleep deprived and then allowed to recover sleep for 24 h (SR group). Animals were treated with saline or 0.05, 0.10 or 0.20 mg/kg MK-801 before testing in an open field arena and elevated plus maze. A separate set of animals was sacrificed for [³H]MK-801 binding analysis in 40 brain regions. MK-801-induced hyperlocomotion was facilitated in a dose-dependent fashion after SR, while SD-induced increase in grooming was antagonized by the drug. Anxiolytic effects of 0.05 and 0.10 mg/kg MK-801 were unaffected by SD or SR conditions. No significant differences among groups were found in NMDAR binding. These findings indicate that the combined effects of MK-801 and sleep deprivation and recovery interact in a complex fashion to affect rat behaviour. They further suggest that such effects cannot be attributed to altered NMDAR binding in brain.
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