RESUMO
The chronic changes in sleep-wakefulness (S-W), body temperature (Tb), locomotor activity (LMA) and thermal preference were studied in male Wistar rats after the destruction of neurons in both the medial preoptic area (mPOA) and the medial septum (MS) by intracerebral injection of N-methyl-D-aspartic acid. An increase in the Tb, and a preference for higher ambient temperature (Tamb) of 30 degrees C were observed after the combined lesion of the mPOA and the MS. Similar changes were reported to occur after the lesion that was restricted to the mPOA. But these alterations were in contrast to the decrease in Tb and preference for lower Tamb, observed after the MS lesion. The thermostat of the brain would have been reset at a higher level after the combined lesion, as there was an increase in Tb, along with a preference for a higher Tamb, and an increase in LMA. There was a reduction in the frequency and the duration of the slow wave sleep (SWS) episodes, and a reduction in the frequency of the paradoxical sleep (PS) episodes after the combined lesion. The destruction of the MS neurons was probably responsible for the reduction in the frequency of SWS, whereas the loss of mPOA neurons was responsible for the decrease in the duration of SWS and frequency of PS. It can be suggested that the MS exerts its influence on thermoregulation through the mPOA. However, the MS and the mPOA seem to play independent, but complementary roles in sleep promotion.