The rat as an experimental model for sleep neurophysiology

The aim of this study was to develop a sleep-wake recording system for rats that would yield results more comparable to those obtained from cats than those that are usually reported. For 18 male Sprague-Dawley rats, the authors combined measures of cortical and hippocampal electroencephalogram (EEG) and neck muscle electromyogram with the electrooculogram and pontine EEG, so that the behavioral states could be identified with greater confidence with the use of polygraphic criteria developed in the cat and so that the distinctive phasic events of REM sleep could be more easily studied in the rat. The results suggest that for many neurophysiological studies, the rat is a suitable alternative to the cat.