PUBLICATION
Effects of Modafinil on Sleep-Wake Cycles in Larval Zebrafish
- Authors
- Sigurgeirsson, B., Thornorsteinsson, H., Arnardóttir, H., Jóhannesdóttir, I., and Karlsson, K.G.
- ID
- ZDB-PUB-110907-15
- Date
- 2011
- Source
- Zebrafish 8(3): 133-40 (Journal)
- Registered Authors
- Karlsson, Karl
- Keywords
- none
- MeSH Terms
-
- Animals
- Behavior, Animal/drug effects
- Benzhydryl Compounds/pharmacology*
- Central Nervous System Stimulants/pharmacology*
- Circadian Rhythm/drug effects*
- Sleep/drug effects*
- Wakefulness/drug effects*
- Zebrafish
- PubMed
- 21882999 Full text @ Zebrafish
Citation
Sigurgeirsson, B., Thornorsteinsson, H., Arnardóttir, H., Jóhannesdóttir, I., and Karlsson, K.G. (2011) Effects of Modafinil on Sleep-Wake Cycles in Larval Zebrafish. Zebrafish. 8(3):133-40.
Abstract
We describe, for the first time, the effects of the wakefulness-promoting drug modafinil on sleep and wakefulness in larval zebrafish. Modafinil is currently used to treat narcolepsy, hypersomnia, and shift-work disorder by increasing wakefulness. Tolerance and dependence are limited with modafinil use, differentiating it from common stimulants; however, the neural mechanisms of action of modafinil are still unknown. Zebrafish, a low-cost, prolific, and genetically tractable animal model, have recently become a key model in sleep research. Zebrafish express circadian rhythms, sleep homeostasis, and sleep pressure, and, in addition, respond to common hypnotics and stimulants in a manner similar to mammals. Therefore, in the current experiment we characterize the effects of modafinil on sleep–wake cycles in larval zebrafish as a first step to gaining further insight into the neural mechanisms underlying the effects of modafinil. We show that modafinil modulates sleep–wake activity in larval zebrafish in a manner consistent with what would be predicted from mammalian data. Modafinil increases wakefulness by lengthening wake-bouts, an effect that likely restricted to the night (lights-off). These results validate the use of zebrafish as an animal model for the study of sleep and provide a means for dissecting the neural mechanisms of modafinil, and, more broadly, sleep disorders.
Genes / Markers
Expression
Phenotype
Mutations / Transgenics
Human Disease / Model
Sequence Targeting Reagents
Fish
Orthology
Engineered Foreign Genes
Mapping