title: Reliability of spontaneous electrodermal activity in the cat as a function of waking and sleep stages.
abstract: This study was designed to examine the reliability of spontaneous electrodermal activity (EDA) as a function of the stages of sleep and waking in freely moving cats. Five adult cats were observed during waking--sleep sessions. The results show that: (a) for all stages, the reliability of EDA is slightly higher for amplitude of SSPRs than for frequency; (b) during drowsiness, a maximum of reliability is observed, as is a slight decrease during slow wave sleep; during paradoxical sleep, reliability decreases greatly to below that of the waking level; (c) the reliability of spontaneous EDA appears to be higher in waking cats than that quoted for human subjects. These results are discussed with reference to individual characteristics and state variables.
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D005712:Galvanic Skin Response / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000502:physiology*