Effect of neurotropic drugs on sleep disturbance caused by electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus in cats

Abstract

A state of stress induced in cats by electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus was shown to reduce the total duration of sleep at the expense of its paradoxical phase. Haloperidol (1, 2, or 3 mg/kg), diazepam (0.5 or 1 mg/kg), nitrazepam (1 or 6 mg/kg), Noxyron (glutethimide) (10, 30, and 60 mg/kg), and pentobarbital (5, 15, and 30 mg/kg) did not restore the structure of sleep when disturbed by stress, and lithium hydroxybutyrate (100 and 150 mg/kg), dimedrol (diphenhydramine) (1, 5, and 6 mg/kg), and imipramine (1, 3, and 6 mg/kg) increased the total duration of sleep on account of the slow-wave phase. Sodium hydroxybutyrate (100 mg/kg) restored the normal electrophysiological pattern of sleep, reduced the latent period, and increased the total duration and number of episodes of the paradoxical phase, and also reduced the number of awakenings.