Preoperative sleep loss can amplify post-operative mechanical hyperalgesia. However, the underlying mechanisms are still largely unknown. In the current study, rats were randomly allocated to a control group and an acute sleep deprivation (ASD) group which experienced 6 h ASD before surgery. Then the variations in cerebral function and activity were investigated with multi-modal techniques, such as nuclear magnetic resonance, functional magnetic resonance imaging, c-Fos immunofluorescence, and electrophysiology. The results indicated that ASD induced hyperalgesia, and the metabolic kinetics were remarkably decreased in the striatum and midbrain. The functional connectivity (FC) between the nucleus accumbens (NAc, a subregion of the ventral striatum) and the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vLPAG) was significantly reduced, and the c-Fos expression in the NAc and the vLPAG was suppressed. Furthermore, the electrophysiological recordings demonstrated that both the neuronal activity in the NAc and the vLPAG, and the coherence of the NAc-vLPAG were suppressed in both resting and task states. This study showed that neuronal activity in the NAc and the vLPAG were weakened and the FC between the NAc and the vLPAG was also suppressed in rats with ASD-induced hyperalgesia. This study highlights the importance of preoperative sleep management for surgical patients.
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