The correlation between tau protein in the brainstem and sleep apnea in SIDS victims

Differential impact of REM sleep deprivation on cytoskeletal proteins of brain regions involved in sleep regulation

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is involved in memory consolidation, which implies synaptic plasticity. This process requires protein synthesis and the reorganization of the neural cytoskeleton. REM sleep deprivation (REMSD) has an impact on some neuronal proteins involved in synaptic plasticity, such as glutamate receptors and postsynaptic density protein 95, but its effects on cytoskeletal proteins is unknown. In this study, the effects of REMSD on the content of the cytoskeletal proteins MAP2 and TAU were analyzed. Adult female rats were submitted to selective REMSD by using the multiple platform technique. After 24, 48 or 72 h of REMSD, rats were decapitated and the following brain areas were dissected: pons, preoptic area, hippocampus and frontal cortex. Protein extraction and Western blot were performed. Results showed an increase in TAU content in the pons, preoptic area and hippocampus after 24 h of REMSD, while in the frontal cortex a significant increase in TAU content was observed after 72 h of REMSD. A TAU content decrease was observed in the hippocampus after 48 h of REMSD. Interestingly, a marked increase in TAU content was observed after 72 h of REMSD. MAP2 content only increased in the preoptic area at 24 h, and in the frontal cortex after 24 and 72 h of REMSD, without significant changes in the pons and hippocampus. These results support the idea that REM sleep plays an important role in the organization of neural cytoskeleton, and that this effect is tissue-specific.

Correlation between the Ki-67 antigen in the brainstem and physiological data on sleep apnea in SIDS victims

BACKGROUND

The Ki-67 antigen appears in all human proliferating cells during late G1, S, M and G2 phases of the cell cycle, but is consistently absent in the Go phase (noncycling) cells. The correlation between Ki-67 in the brainstem and sleep apnea in victims of the sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) was investigated to elucidate cell kinetics in the brainstem of this condition, which is still the main cause of postneonatal infant death.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Twenty-six cases of SIDS occurred among 38 infants dying under 6 months of age in a cohort of 27,000 infants studied prospectively to characterize their sleep-wake behavior. All the infants had been recorded during one night in a pediatric sleep laboratory some 3 to 12 weeks before death. The frequency and duration of sleep apnea were analyzed. At autopsy, brainstem material was collected and immunohistochemistry for Ki-67 was carried out. The density of Ki-67-positive neurons was measured semiquantitatively. Correlation analyses were carried out between the density of Ki-67-positive neurons and the data on sleep apnea.

RESULTS

Except in two cases in SIDS victims and in one control, the detection of Ki-67 was negative. No correlation analysis between the Ki-67 and of sleep apnea was found.

CONCLUSIONS

There were no abnormal cell kinetics detected by the demonstration of Ki-67 antigen in the brainstems of SIDS victims.