Deprivation of rapid eye movement sleep and nesting behavior in rats

Abstract

We studied the effects of partial rapid eye movement (REM) sleep deprivation on nesting activity in male rats using the platform technique. Four groups were tested after a 96-hr exposure to one of the following conditions: (a) Housing in standard cages; (b) Swimming for 1 hr/24 hr which produces stress; (c) Confinement to a platform 6.5 cm in dia. which partially suppresses REM sleep; (d) Confinement to a 12.5 cm platform which suppresses REM sleep only during the initial 24 hr. Rats on the 6.5 cm platforms differed significantly from rats in standard cages only in the amounts of nesting materials used; pooled results from animals on all platforms showed a significant increase in amounts of nesting materials used and nesting frequency as compared with pooled results from standardly housed and stressed controls. These findings suggest that REM deprivation may selectively increase certain aspects of behavior. Rats on the 6.5 cm platforms also differed significantly from stressed controls with respect to amounts of nesting materials and frequency of nesting, indicating that the effects of the platform technique of REM deprivation on nesting differ from those of forced swimming.