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Suppression of Sleep Spindle Rhythmogenesis in Mice with Deletion of CaV3.2 and CaV3.3 T-type Ca2+ Channels

Pellegrini, Chiara ; Lecci, Sandro ; Lüthi, Anita ; Astori, Simone

In: Sleep, 2016, vol. 39, no. 4, p. 875-885

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    Titre
    • Suppression of Sleep Spindle Rhythmogenesis in Mice with Deletion of CaV3.2 and CaV3.3 T-type Ca2+ Channels
    Auteur
    • Pellegrini, Chiara. Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
    • Lecci, Sandro. Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
    • Lüthi, Anita. Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
    • Astori, Simone. Department of Fundamental Neurosciences, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
    Type de document
    • Postprint
    Langue
    • Inglese
    Publié dans
    • Sleep, 2016, vol. 39, no. 4, p. 875-885. Oxford University Press
    Autre version électronique
    Identifiant OAI-PMH
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:331307
    Summary
    Abstract Study Objectives Low-threshold voltage-gated T-type Ca2+ channels (T-channels or CaV3 channels) sustain oscillatory discharges of thalamocortical (TC) and nucleus Reticularis thalami (nRt) cells. The CaV3.3 subtype dominates nRt rhythmic bursting and mediates a substantial fraction of spindle power in the NREM sleep EEG. CaV3.2 channels are also found in nRt, but whether these contribute to nRt-dependent spindle generation is unexplored. We investigated thalamic rhythmogenesis in mice lacking this subtype in isolation (CaV3.2KO mice) or in concomitance with CaV3.3 deletion (CaV3.double-knockout (DKO) mice). Methods We examined discharge characteristics of thalamic cells and intrathalamic evoked synaptic transmission in brain slices from wild-type, CaV3.2KO and CaV3.DKO mice through patch-clamp recordings. The sleep profile of freely behaving CaV3.2KO and CaV3.DKO mice was assessed by polysomnographic recordings. Results CaV3.2 channel deficiency left nRt discharge properties largely unaltered, but additional deletion of CaV3.3 channels fully abolished low-threshold whole-cell Ca2+ currents and bursting, and suppressed burst-mediated inhibitory responses in TC cells. CaV3.DKO mice had more fragmented sleep, with shorter NREM sleep episodes and more frequent microarousals. The NREM sleep EEG power spectrum displayed a relative suppression of the σ frequency band (10-15 Hz), which was accompanied by an increase in the δ band (1-4 Hz). Conclusions Consistent with previous findings, CaV3.3 channels dominate nRt rhythmogenesis, but the lack of CaV3.2 channels further aggravates neuronal, synaptic, and EEG deficits. Therefore, CaV3.2 channels can boost intrathalamic synaptic transmission, and might play a modulatory role adjusting the relative presence of NREM sleep EEG rhythms. Significance Sleep spindles are recurrent brain electrical oscillations typical for non-rapid-eye-movement sleep that protect the sleeping brain from external disturbance, sustain memory reinforcement in neuronal circuits and appear to be altered in several psychiatric disorders. We succeeded in suppressing sleep spindles in mice by genetically deleting the two low-voltage-gated Ca2+ channels responsible for rhythmic electrical discharges of cells in the nucleus Reticularis thalami, also known as the thalamic spindle pacemaker. Our findings help dissecting the genetic make-up of sleep rhythmogenesis and offer a mouse model to examine the pathophysiological consequences of disrupting sleep spindles.