Effects of ozone exposure during pregnancy on ontogeny of sleep in rats.

Few studies regarding the effects of ozone exposure in the central nervous system (CNS), during the early stages of development have been reported. The study of sleep on newborn rats represents a model to understand the effects of this gas on the CNS. We studied the sleep organization in rats whose mothers were exposed to 1 part per million (ppm) ozone during pregnancy. We found severe sleep disturbances such as a decrease in paradoxical sleep duration and inversion of the light-dark cycle or a circadian phase-shift of vigilance states. These results suggest that ozone exposure during pregnancy may affect the generating mechanisms of paradoxical sleep, and the regulation of circadian rhythms in rats.