Date of Award

2010

Degree Type

Thesis

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Ball, Sherry

Subject Headings

Brain -- Wounds and injuries -- Animal models, Sensorimotor cortex, Sleep deprivation, Impact -- Physiological effect, Brain -- Magnetic resonance imaging, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Sleep deprivation, Sensorimotor, Controlled Cortical Impact (CCI)

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) resulting from bomb blasts and explosions is common among military personnel. The effects of Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep deprivation on the sensorimotor behavior and physiological mechanisms related to TBI are unknown. Thirty-two Long Evans rats were randomly assigned to REM sleep deprivation (RSD) with controlled cortical impact (CCI), social isolation (SI) with CCI, or normal housing (NH) with CCI or Sham. Two behavioral tasks [beam walk and bilateral tactile adhesive removal somatosensory (BTARS)] testing motor and sensory function were used to investigate recovery of function. Brain tissue was analyzed using Cresyl Violet stain (cell bodies), GFAP (astrocytes) and Fluoro Jade-B (dying cells) labeling. Results indicated that 24 hour RSD immediately prior to CCI impaired recovery of sensorimotor function when tested on the adhesive removal task. Recovery of sensorimotor function as a result of 24 hour RSD immediately prior to CCI was not significantly impaired when tested on the balance beam walk task. Results also indicated that sleep deprivation seemed to intensify inflammation, lesion size and neuron loss when compared to non sleep deprived animals

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