An automatic device for forced wakefulness in dogs.
An automatic device is described which maintains sustained wakefulness of 12 h or more in dogs with chronically implanted electrodes for sleepwaking recording. The procedure consists of automatic sleep detection using EEG, EMG and body movement (BM), and of avoidance conditioning to arouse the animal with sound as conditioned stimulus, and with electroshock as unconditioned stimulus. The procedure does not disturb feeding, drinking and freely moving, and is not associated with forced exercise, or with a marked stress reaction as measured with cortisol and growth hormone. These advantages enable us to maintain 12 h of forced wakefulness in the same animal for 7 or more consecutive days.