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Sleep EEG spindles have been implicated in attention, sensory processing, synaptic plasticity and memory consolidation. In humans, deficits in sleep spindles have been reported in a wide range of neurological and psychiatric disorders, including schizophrenia. Genome-wide association studies have suggested a link between schizophrenia and genes associated with synaptic plasticity, including the Gria1 gene which codes for the GluA1 subunit of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor. Gria1-/- mice exhibit a phenotype relevant for neuropsychiatric disorders, including reduced synaptic plasticity and, at the behavioural level, attentional deficits leading to aberrant salience. In this study we report a striking reduction of EEG power density including the spindle-frequency range (10-15 Hz) during sleep in Gria1-/- mice. The reduction of spindle-activity in Gria1-/- mice was accompanied by longer REM sleep episodes, increased EEG slow-wave activity in the occipital derivation during baseline sleep, and a reduced rate of decline of EEG slow wave activity (0.5-4 Hz) during NREM sleep after sleep deprivation. These data provide a novel link between glutamatergic dysfunction and sleep abnormalities in a schizophrenia-relevant mouse model.

Original publication

DOI

10.1038/s41398-018-0199-2

Type

Journal article

Journal

Transl Psychiatry

Publication Date

14/08/2018

Volume

8

Keywords

Animals, Disease Models, Animal, Electroencephalography, Genome-Wide Association Study, Humans, Male, Memory Consolidation, Mice, Mice, Knockout, Neuronal Plasticity, Phenotype, Psychomotor Agitation, Receptors, AMPA, Schizophrenia, Sleep, Sleep Deprivation, Sleep Stages