Hormones and behavior
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This study evaluated the impact of sex on the short term consequences of different periods of sleep deprivation and the effect of the respective sleep recovery periods on nociceptive responses. Male and female C57BL/6J mice were assigned to the following groups: paradoxical sleep deprived (PSD) for 72 h, sleep restricted (SR) for 15 days, exposed to respective recovery periods for 24 h, or untreated home-cage controls (CTRL). Mice were submitted to a noxious thermal stimulus to evaluate their nociceptive response after PSD, SR, or recovery periods. ⋯ Our study revealed that PSD and SR induce hyperalgesia in mice. The SR groups showed marked changes in the nociceptive response, and the females were more sensitive to these alterations. This finding indicates that, although different periods of sleep deprivation change the nociceptive sensitivity in male and female mice, sex could influence hyperalgesia induced by chronic sleep loss.