THE EFFECTS OF OZONE EXPOSURE ON THE SLEEP-WAKE CYCLE AND SEROTONIN CONTENTS IN THE PONS OF THE RAT

Polysomnographic studies were done at hourly intervals during 0.00, 0. 35, 0.75 and 1.50 ppm of ozone (O-3) exposure. We found a significant decrease in paradoxical sleep after 2 h and an increase in slow wave s leep after 12 h at all concentrations of O-3 High resolution liquid ch romatography demonstrated an increase in 5-HT concentration in the rat pens, in a roughly stepwise fashion as the O-3 concentration increase d. We propose that reaction products derived from O-3 exposure, such a s prostaglandins, could be affecting those physiological and biochemic al mechanisms critical for the generation and maintenance of the sleep -wake cycle.