Interaction of lithium and sleep deprivation on memory performance and anxiety-like behavior in male Wistar rats

Sleep plays a crucial role in the modulation of physiological and cognitive functions. Many studies have reported the impairment effect of sleep deprivation (SD) on cognitive functions such as learning and memory. On the other hand, lithium as one of the oldest drugs used for the treatment of psychiatric disorders, affects cognitive functions and mood state. In this study, we aimed to assess the effect of lithium, SD (for 24 h), and the interaction effect of SD and lithium, on memory function and anxiety-like behavior. The water box, the shuttle box, elevated plus maze, and the three-chamber paradigm test were used to evaluate rat's behavior. Also, lithium was injected intraperitoneal at the doses of 10 and 20 mg/kg, for three consecutive days. The results showed that SD impaired passive avoidance memory and social interaction memory, and decreased anxiety-like behavior. Lithium also impaired passive avoidance memory and induced an anxiolytic effect, while it improved social interaction memory and reversed the impairment effect of SD on social interaction memory. In conclusion, we suggested that interaction effect of SD and lithium on the function of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and glycogen synthase kinase3-13 (GSK3-13) may be involved in the modulation of cognitive functions. As a limitation of this research, it was declared that we did not evaluate the function of GSK3-13 and BDNF in the brain of rats, especially in the hippocampus. We suggested conducting more studies focusing on the interaction of SD and lithium on the function of BDNF and GSK3-13, and on different cognitive functions.