Brain temperature is a sensitive indicator of brain health. It largely depends upon the metabolic activity of brain cells, cerebral blood flow and blood temperature (Hayward & Baker, 1969). It is regulated within narrow limits in mammals (Satinoff, 1978; Schmidt-Nielsen 1989). Minor changes in brain temperature result in significant changes in neuronal metabolism and firing frequency. This increased temperature worsens the clinical conditions by changing the neuronal membrane properties and spike activity (Kiyatkin, Brown, & Wise,2002). Several animal studies have established the existence of a positive brain-body temperature gradient, brain temperature being higher than the body temperature (Hayward &
Sleep is important for cognitive and physical performance. Sleep deprivation not only affects neural functions but also results in muscular fatigue. A good night's sleep reverses these functional derangements caused by sleep deprivation. The role of sleep in brain function has been extensively studied. However, its role in neuromuscular junction or skeletal muscle morphology is sparsely addressed although skeletal muscle atonia and suspended thermoregulation during rapid eye movement sleep possibly provide a conducive environment for the muscle to rest and repair; somewhat similar to slow-wave sleep for synaptic downscaling. In the present study, we have investigated the effect of 24 h sleep deprivation on the neuromuscular junction morphology and neurochemistry using electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry in the rat soleus muscle. Acute sleep deprivation altered synaptic ultra-structure viz. mitochondria, synaptic vesicle, synaptic proteins, basal lamina, and junctional folds needed for neuromuscular transmission. Further acute sleep deprivation showed the depletion of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine and the overactivity of its degrading enzyme acetylcholine esterase at the neuromuscular junction. The impact of sleep deprivation on synaptic homeostasis in the brain has been extensively reported recently. The present evidence from our studies shows new information on the role of sleep on neuromuscular junction homeostasis and its functioning.
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