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Updated: Jun 21, 2026

Polygraphic Recording Procedure for Measuring Sleep in Mice
Published on: January 25, 2016
5-Hydroxytryptamine neurons and the sleep-wakefulness cycle. Effects of methergoline and zimelidine
1Department of Histology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm Sweden; Research Laboratories of the State Alcohol Monopoly (Alko), Box 350, SF-00101 Helsinki 10 Finland.
Abstract:
Methergoline, a 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) receptor blocking agent, produced a significant decrease in the number of slow wave sleep 2 (SWS 2) and paradoxical sleep (PS) episodes and an increase in the length of wakefulness (W) episodes. Zimelidine, a specific 5-HT uptake blocking agent, produced a significant reduction of the number of PS episodes and an increase in the number of spisodes spent in W and slow wave sleep 1 (SWS 1), the total time spent in SWS 1 being increased. The findings demonstrate that increases and decreases of 5-HT receptor activity will produce differential effects on SWS 2 events and on W mechanisms.
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