Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 19, 2026

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice
Published on: August 2, 2017
Changes in sympathetic activity to heart and blood vessels during desynchronized sleep
Abstract:
In mid-collicular decerebrate cats, the activity in sympathetic nerves to the heart, kidney, gastro-intestinal tract, pelvic viscera and blood vessels of skeletal muscle was examined during periods of extensor rigidity and during desynchronized sleep-like periods (DSp) either occurring spontaneously or induced by physostigmine sulphate. During DSp the activity in sympathetic vasoconstricstor fibres to muscle increased whereas that in the other sympathetic nerves decreased. The changes were present in vagotomized and sino-aortic denervated animals as well as in paralyzed preparations. It was concluded that the differential pattern of sympathetic activity was a characteristic of the tonic stage of desynchronized sleep and originated from a site in the central nervous system independently of afferent input.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
The Parasympathetic Nervous System
Sleep-Wake Cycles
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
Sympathetic Activation
Disorders of the Autonomic Nervous System
Raynaud's disease, also known as Raynaud's phenomenon, is a...
Regulation of Heart Rates
The SNS increases heart rate through the release of norepinephrine and epinephrine, which act on beta-1 adrenergic receptors in the heart. This action increases the rate of depolarization in the sinoatrial (SA) node, the heart's...
Neural Regulation of Blood Pressure
Baroreceptor Reflex
Baroreceptors, located in the carotid sinuses and aortic arch, detect changes in blood pressure. When blood pressure rises, these stretch-sensitive receptors...

