Sleep is a fundamental component of vertebrate life, although its exact functions remain unclear. Animals deprived of sleep typically show reduced neurobiological performance, health, and in some cases, survival. However, a number of vertebrate taxa exhibit adaptations that permit normal activities even when sleep is reduced. Lapland longspurs (Calcarius lapponicus), arctic-breeding passerine birds, exhibit around-the-clock activity during their short breeding season, with an inactive period of ca. 4 h/day. Whether behavioral or physiological costs occur from sleep loss (SL) in this species is unknown. To assess the effects of SL, wild-caught male longspurs were placed in captivity (12L:12D) and trained for one month to successfully learn color association and spatial memory tasks. Birds were then placed in automated sleep fragmentation cages that utilize a moving wire to force movement every 1 min (60 arousals/h) during 12D (inactive period) or control conditions (during 12L; active period). After SL (or control) treatment, birds were presented with color association and spatial memory tasks a final time to assess executive function. Baseline plasma corticosterone concentration, body mass, and satiety were also measured. SL significantly elevated corticosterone levels and increased accuracy during color association recall but did not affect the overall time required to complete the task. SL had no effect upon spatial memory, body mass, or satiety. Taken together, these results suggest that Lapland longspurs exhibit a degree of behavioral, but not physiological, insensitivity to acute SL. Whether elevated plasma concentrations of corticosterone play a direct role in ameliorating cognitive deficits from SL require additional study.

中文翻译：

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睡眠丧失对北极繁殖鸣禽拉普兰长s（Calcarius lapponicus）的执行功能和血浆皮质酮水平的影响。

睡眠是脊椎动物生活的基本组成部分，尽管其确切功能尚不清楚。被剥夺睡眠的动物通常表现出降低的神经生物学性能，健康状况以及某些情况下的存活率。但是，许多脊椎动物类群表现出的适应能力即使在睡眠减少的情况下也可以正常活动。拉普兰长刺（Calcarius lapponicus），北极繁殖的雀形目鸟类，在短繁殖季节表现出全天候活动，大约没有活动期。4小时/天。该物种是否因睡眠不足（SL）而产生行为或生理成本。为了评估SL的影响，将野生捕获的雄性长马刺圈养（12L：12D）并训练了一个月，以成功学习颜色关联和空间记忆任务。然后将鸟放在自动睡眠破碎笼中，该笼利用活动金属丝在12天（非活动期间）或对照条件（12升；活动期间）中每1分钟（60唤醒/小时）强迫运动。经过SL（或对照）治疗后，最后一次给鸟类提供颜色关联和空间记忆任务，以评估执行功能。还测量了基线血浆皮质酮浓度，体重和饱腹感。SL显着提高了颜色联想记忆期间的皮质酮水平，并提高了准确性，但并未影响完成任务所需的总时间。SL对空间记忆，体重或饱腹感没有影响。综上，这些结果表明，拉普兰长刺对急性SL表现出一定程度的行为敏感性，但没有生理敏感性。