Rat strain comparisons on drug and sleep sensitive behaviors.

Rat swimming behaviors have been productive in both sleep research and neuropharmacology. In this report, both of these areas are addressed in the context of inbred strain effects. Thirty-two rats from three stocks were tested in a seven day, repeated measures design. Each rat swam for 5 min each day in shallow 25 degrees C water. There were significant differences between inbred stocks on two measures which can be related to both REM sleep deprivation and adrenergic drug effects. Nonsignificant strain differences were found on two other behaviors which also lack significance under REM sleep deprivation and atropine sulfate treatments. It is concluded that there may be differential stress affecting the treatment-sensitive and the change-resistant behaviors.