Divergent selection for pentobarbital-induced sleeping times in mice

A pharmacogenetic model for sensitivity of mice to pentobarbital is being developed by selection for sleep-time response. One generation of divergent selection for long and short sleep-time in mice resulted in a 19% increase in the long-sleep line and a 15% decrease in the short-sleep line. Calculated heritability estimates averaged 0.49 and realized heritabilities averaged 0.24. The extent of the selection progress and the heritability values indicate that genetic constitution plays a major role in controlling variations of sleep-time response to pentobarbital.