Microdialysis measurement of cortical and hippocampal acetylcholine release during sleep-wake cycle in freely moving cats.

The variations of Acetylcholine (ACh) release in the cerebral cortex and dorsal hippocampus were monitored by microdialysis during the electroencephalographically recorded sleep-waking cycle in freely moving cats. The results show a state-dependent variation in ACh output in both the cortex and the hippocampus. ACh release increased by approximately 100% during quiet waking (QW) and by 175% during active waking (AW) as referred to slow wave sleep (SWS) baseline. In contrast, a clear difference between the two areas was observed during REM sleep. During this stage ACh release in the cortex reached approximately the same values observed during QW, while in the hippocampus ACh release rose to about 4-fold the level obtained during SWS or twice that of QW. The results support the idea that the increase in ACh release in the cortex reflects the desynchronized EEG of wakefulness and REM sleep, while the marked increase of ACh during REM in the hippocampus may be related to the sustained theta activity in this area.