Periodic cessation of respiratory effort during sleep in adult rats.
Using a noninvasive technique which measures respiration as a function of chest and abdominal movement, it was found that adults rats have periodic cessations of respiratory effort during the daytime. In a preliminary study, male Fischer-344 rats had respiratory pauses of 2.4-2.6 seconds duration, which tended to be more frequent in older (22-month) compared to young adult (3-month) rats. Respiratory rate was lower and respiratory volume greater in the 22-month-old animals. In a more detailed study of 3-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats, respiratory pauses were divided into two types: those preceded by a large inspiration ("sighs") and those which were not. The latter, which appear to be most analogous to human apneas of clinical interest, occurred in all animals studied, with a frequency of 13 to 26 events during six hour recordings. These pauses varied in duration from 2.0 to 6.1 seconds and were most frequent and longest in REM sleep.
Mendelson
W B
WB
State University of New York, Department of Psychiatry, Stony Brook 11794-8101.
Martin
J V
JV
Perlis
M
M
Giesen
H
H
Wagner
R
R
Rapoport
S I
SI
D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001239:Inhalation; D051381:Rats; D011916:Rats, Inbred F344 / Q000254:growth & development*; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains / Q000254:growth & development*; D012119:Respiration; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012895:Sleep, REM / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology