title: A preliminary study of sleep ontogenesis in the ferret (Mustela putorius furo).
abstract: We investigated sleep ontogenesis in the ferret-a placental mammal that is highly altricial compared to other mammalian species. Because altriciality is linked with elevated rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep amounts during infancy, it was expected that ferret kits would display very high levels of this state. Longitudinal polysomnographic measurements were made from 8 ferret kits from approximately eye-opening (postnatal day [P]30)-P50 using an experimental routine that minimized the effects of maternal separation. These data were compared to values from 8 adult ferrets (>3 months of age) and 6 neonatal cats (mean age: P31.7). We find that the polygraphic features of REM and non-REM (NREM) sleep are present by at least P30. Over the next 2 weeks, REM sleep amounts slightly declined while wakefulness and NREM sleep amounts increased. However, a comparison to published values from developing cats and rats showed that the ferret did not exhibit a disproportionate amount of REM sleep at similar postnatal ages or relative to a common developmental milestone (eye-opening).
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.
authors.forename: Allison
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Thurber
authors.forename: Sushil K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Jha
authors.forename: Tammi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Coleman
authors.forename: Marcos G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Frank
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000831:Animals, Newborn / Q000502:physiology*; D001921:Brain / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D002415:Cats; D005260:Female; D005289:Ferrets / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D010865:Pilot Projects; D017286:Polysomnography; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000502:physiology*; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000502:physiology*