Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Debt Accrues in Mice Exposed to Volatile Anesthetics

Abstract

Background General anesthesia has been likened to a state in which anesthetized subjects are locked out of access to both rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and wakefulness. Were this true for all anesthetics, one might expect a significant REM rebound following anesthetic exposure. However, for the intravenous anesthetic propofol, studies demonstrate that no sleep debt accrues. Moreover, pre-existing sleep debts dissipate during propofol anesthesia. To determine whether these effects are specific to propofol or are typical of volatile anesthetics we tested the hypothesis that REM sleep debt would accrue in rodents anesthetized with volatile anesthetics. Methods Electroencephalographic and electromyographic electrodes were implanted in 10 mice. After 9–11 days of recovery and habituation to a 12h:12h light:dark cycle, baseline states of wakefulness, non-rapid eye movement sleep, and REM sleep were recorded in mice exposed to 6 hours of an oxygen control and on separate days to 6 hours of isoflurane, sevoflurane, or halothane in oxygen. All exposures were conducted at the onset of light. Results Mice in all three anesthetized groups exhibited a significant doubling of REM sleep during the first six-hours of the dark phase of the circadian schedule while only mice exposed to halothane displayed a significant increase in non-rapid eye movement sleep that peaked at 152% of baseline. Conclusion REM sleep rebound following exposure to volatile anesthetics suggests that these volatile anesthetics do not fully substitute for natural sleep. This result contrasts with the published actions of propofol for which no REM sleep rebound occurred.

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“…116 As for anesthesia, different anesthetics and lengths of exposure have different effects upon REM sleep. For example, whereas 6 h of either isoflurane, sevoflurane, or halothane anesthesia caused both a REM deficit and REM rebound in mice, 117 3 h of isoflurane general anesthesia in nonsurgical volunteers had no effect upon REM. 118 Benzodiazepines as a class reduce REM sleep and are known to cause REM rebound upon discontinuation.…”