Differences in the sleep-wake patterns of the AA and ANA rat lines developed for high and low alcohol intake

The sleep-wake patterns of the AA and ANA rat lines, developed for high and low voluntary alcohol consumption by genetic selection, were studied at the age of 10 days with a movement sensitive mattress, and at the age of four months with a monitor for anesthesia and brain activity. The amount of REM sleep was significantly higher in the ANA rats than in the AA rats both as newborns and as adults. The total sleep times, however, were the same in both rat lines. These findings suggest that the differences in alcohol drinking observed in the AA and ANA rats may be related to REM sleep, possibly due to differences in cerebral monoaminergic activity.