Sleep and wakefulness are governed by both the suprachiasmatic nuclei of the hypothalamus (SCN), and a sleep homeostatic process; however, the interaction of these control systems is not well understood. From rodent studies it has been assumed that the SCN promote neither wake nor sleep but gate the homeostatic sleep-promoting process. Yet in humans sleep tendency is lowest during the later waking hours of the day, and sleep duration can be predicted because of the precise circadian timing of waking. Thus in primates, the SCN could assure sleep-wake cycle consolidation by actively promoting or facilitating wakefulness. To evaluate this hypothesis, we examined the sleep-wake and sleep-stage patterns of intact and SCN-lesioned (SCNx) squirrel monkeys maintained in constant light. This diurnal primate has consolidated sleep and wake patterns more similar to man than rodents. Sleep-wake, sleep stages, brain temperature, and drinking circadian rhythms were eliminated, and total sleep time was significantly increased (4.0 hr, P < 0.01) in SCNx monkeys. However, total times in deeper stages of non-rapid eye movement (non-REM; e.g., delta sleep) and REM sleep were not significantly affected by SCN lesions. Increased total sleep time was associated with a reduction in subjective day wake consolidation, as evidenced by substantially shorter wake bout lengths in SCNx monkeys (15 +/- 6 min) as compared to intact monkeys (223 +/- 10 min; P < 0.0001, ANOVA). These findings show that the SCN influence the regulation of daily total wake and sleep times, and implicate an alternative sleep-wake regulatory model in which an SCN-dependent process actively facilitates the initiation and maintenance of wakefulness and opposes homeostatic sleep tendency during the subjective day in diurnal primates.

Chronic exposure to increased force environments (+G) has pronounced effects on the circadian and homeostatic regulation of body temperature (T(b)), ambulatory activity (Act), heart rate, feeding, and adiposity. By using the Brn 3.1 knockout mouse, which lacks vestibular hair cells, we recently described a major role of the vestibular system in mediating some of these adaptive responses. The present study used the C57BL6JEi-het mouse strain (het), which lacks macular otoconia, to elucidate the contribution of specific vestibular receptors. In this study, eight het and eight WT mice were exposed to 2G for 8 weeks by means of chronic centrifugation. In addition, eight het and eight WT mice were maintained as 1G controls in similar conditions. Upon 2G exposure, the WT exhibited a decrease in T(b) and an attenuated T(b) circadian rhythm. Act means and rhythms also were attenuated. Body mass and food intake were significantly lower than the 1G controls. After 8 weeks, percent body fat was significantly lower in the WT mice (P < 0.0001). In contrast, the het mice did not exhibit a decrease in mean T(b) and only a slight decrease in T(b) circadian amplitude. het Act levels were attenuated similarly to the WT mice. Body mass and food intake were only slightly attenuated in the het mice, and percent body fat, after 8 weeks, was not different in the 2G het group. These results link the vestibular macular receptors with specific alterations in homeostatic and circadian regulation.

Insulin resistance accompanies atrophy in slow-twitch skeletal muscles such as the soleus. Using a rat hindlimb suspension model of atrophy, we have previously shown that an upregulation of JNK occurs in atrophic muscles and correlates with the degradation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) (Hilder TL, Tou JC, Grindeland RF, Wade CE, and Graves LM. FEBS Lett 553: 63-67, 2003), suggesting that insulin-dependent glucose uptake may be impaired. However, during atrophy, these muscles preferentially use carbohydrates as a fuel source. To investigate this apparent dichotomy, we examined insulin-independent pathways involved in glucose uptake following a 2- to 13-wk hindlimb suspension regimen. JNK activity was elevated throughout the time course, and IRS-1 was degraded as early as 2 wk. AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) activity was significantly higher in atrophic soleus muscle, as were the activities of the ERK1/2 and p38 MAPKs. As a comparison, we examined the kinase activity in solei of rats exposed to hypergravity conditions (2 G). IRS-1 phosphorylation, protein, and AMPK activity were not affected by 2 G, demonstrating that these changes were only observed in soleus muscle from hindlimb-suspended animals. To further examine the effect of AMPK activation on glucose uptake, C2C12 myotubes were treated with the AMPK activator metformin and then challenged with the JNK activator anisomycin. While anisomycin reduced insulin-stimulated glucose uptake to control levels, metformin significantly increased glucose uptake in the presence of anisomycin and was independent of insulin. Taken together, these results suggest that AMPK may be an important mediator of insulin-independent glucose uptake in soleus during skeletal muscle atrophy.

circadian rhythm ͉ gravity ͉ temperature regulation ͉ Brn-3.1 ͉ parabrachial

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A subpopulation of neurons in the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) is shown here to exhibit isoperiodic bursting activity. The period of discharge in these cells may be lengthened or the periodicity may be transiently disrupted by photic stimulation. It is suggested that many, if not all, of these cells are vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) neurons. It is shown that the ultradian periodicity of these cells, estimates of the VIP neuron population size in the SCN, effects of partial lesions on tau (period), and estimates of the phase stability of SCN-driven circadian rhythms are consistent with a strongly coupled, multioscillator model of circadian rhythmicity, in which the oscillator population constitutes a restricted subset of the SCN neuronal population.

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