Spectral analyses of PGO-on neurons during paradoxical sleep in freely moving cats

Abstract

We have investigated the power spectral density (PSD) characteristics of spontaneous neuronal activities during paradoxical sleep (PS), including phasically firing PGO-on and tonically discharging type I-R neurons in the pontine tegmentum. The PSD of lateral geniculate PGO waves and blood pressure (BP) were also examined. During PS, the PSD of PGO-on neurons and PGO waves showed an almost white noise-like pattern, while that of TI-R neurons and BP exhibited a1/f spectrum. It appears, therefore, that the neuronal and autonomic slow fluctuations found in the1/f spectrum during PS are not driven by the PGO wave system.