The anorexigenic peptide cocaine-and-amphetamine-regulated transcript modulates rem-sleep in rats

It is known that the sleep-waking cycle is modulated by several molecules that may also regulate food intake, among them several neuropeptides. The cocaine-and-amphetamine-regulated transcript has been studied in relation to food ingestion, but it seems to have several other functions that may include sleep regulation. In this context, we studied the effect of the intracerebroventricular administration of the cocaine-and-amphetamine-regulated transcript (0.15, 0.3, 0.6, 0.9nmol) on the sleep-waking cycle (12-h recordings), as well as its effect on food intake in rats. Additionally, we analyzed the neuronal activity as measured by c-Fos expression induced by the cocaine-and-amphetamine-regulated transcript in neurons of nuclei involved in the regulation of sleep and feeding behavior.

Our main finding is that 0.3nmol of the cocaine-and-amphetamine-regulated transcript increases rapid-eye-movement sleep. In addition, our results further support that this neuropeptide triggers satiety; c-Fos expression suggested that the cocaine-and-amphetamine-regulated transcript activates specific hypothalamic nuclei without affecting other brain structures known to be involved in sleep regulation. These data further support the notion that a few neuropeptides are involved in the regulation of both the sleep-waking and the hunger-satiety cycles.