EEG delta power and auditory arousal in rested and sleep-deprived rabbits

Slow-wave activity in the electroencephalogram is thought to reflect the depth or intensity of sleep. This hypothesis is primarily derived from studies of rats or humans. However, some characteristics of sleep of rabbits differ from those of rats or humans. To determine whether slow-wave activity (power density in the delta frequency band of 0.5-5.0 Hz) correlates with arousability in rabbits, we presented auditory stimuli (72-90 dB) to control or sleep-deprived animals during slow-wave sleep. The resulting behavioral responses, defined by changes in eye state and body posture, and the latency to return to sleep were used as measures of arousability. Behavioral responsiveness to auditory stimuli increased with increasing stimulus intensity in both control and sleep-deprived animals. Overall, however, sleep-deprived animals exhibited fewer postural changes and eye openings than did control rabbits. Sleep-deprived rabbits also more rapidly returned to sleep after the stimulus presentation than did control animals. Latency to return to sleep was correlated with delta power before stimulus presentation, but behavioral responsiveness was not. These data suggest that, in this rabbit model, delta power may not be predictive of behavioral arousability but may reflect sleep propensity.