Thesis for obtaining a PhD degree in molecular medicine The effect of sleep deprivation on the amount of mRNA and protein of the Bcl-2 and Bax genes in the striatum region of 6-hydroxydopamine-induced Parkinsonian rats

Abstract

Introduction: In Parkinson's disease, the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons leads to extensive motor deficiets. However, neuronal degeneration is a progressive and chronic process, and it seems that the activation of compensatory pathways is effective in slowing down the disease progression. Considering the fact that most Parkinson's patients are suffered from motor and severe sleep problems, such as insomnia, this study attempted to investigate the effect of induced insomnia on striatal compensatory responses in Rats. Materials and Methods: Rats were treated with 6-hydroxy dopamine and partial sleep deprivation for 14 days. At the end of this period, behavioral tests were conducted to evaluate catalepsy, akinesia and bradykinesia. Then, the brains of the mice were isolated and the amount of mRNA and protein of the Bcl-2 and the Bax genes in the striatum and the expression of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor were measured. Results : Sleep deprivation worsened motor deficits in Parkinsonian Rats. In addition, it inhibited the anti-apoptotic compensatory responses in the striatum and therefore, increased the death of neurons continuously. Discussion and Conclusion: Management of sleep disorders can be effective in reducing the progression of dopaminergic neuronal death. Therefore, clinical and pre-clinical studies are necessary to find out their exact role in Parkinson's disease.