Agomelatine improves sleep patterns and increases key brain receptors and growth factors during daytime in rats under constant light

Rats exposed to chronic constant light (CCL) exhibited impaired diurnal rhythms of motor activity and sleep/wake cycles.

• CCL exposure led to reduced non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and delta power, while increasing rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and theta power.
• The duration and number of wake episodes decreased during the subjective dark phase in rats under CCL.
• Melatonin receptor and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in the hippocampus were altered, with BDNF decreasing during the subjective light phase.
• Agomelatine treatment restored the diurnal rhythm of motor activity and improved the disrupted sleep/wake cycle.
• The beneficial effects of agomelatine were associated with increased expression of melatonin receptors and BDNF in the hippocampus at 10:00 in CCL rats.

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