Investigação das correlações existentes entre o ciclo vigília-sono e a dor num modelo experimental de fibromialgia

Abstract

Sleep disorders are highly prevalent in patients with fibromyalgia. Many of the daytime symptoms, such as excessive sleepiness and fatigue, can be related to non-restorative sleep patterns and associated with the typical pain conditions of the disease. In this context, we aim to study the possible correlations between the sleep-wake cycle and pain behavior in an animal model of fibromyalgia induced by repeated injections of reserpine. Male and female adult Wistar rats received chronic implants to record EEG and EMG activity. Injections of reserpine produced increases in the response to mechanical stimulation detected using the von Frey test. The reserpine treated rats showed increased incidence of the behavioral states of the sleep-wake cycle with concomitant reduction in the respective durations, showing fragmentation of the cycle. Additionally, the presence of aberrant behaviors was observed in these animals accompanied by notable electroencephalographic changes when compared to control animals. Also noteworthy are changes in specific frequency bands of the EEG corresponding to attentive wakefulness and slow-wave sleep states. Based on these findings, it is possible to infer that the reserpine model of fibromyalgia can be a useful model for this disease in humans.