EEG evaluation of reflex testing as assessment of depth of pentobarbital anaesthesia in the rat.

Electroencephalography (EEG) was applied to evaluate the validity of the paw pinch reflex as an indicator of anaesthetic depth in rats which are anaesthetized with a single intraperitoneal dose of pentobarbital. After induction of the anaesthesia, characterized by the rapid loss of the animals' ability to maintain upright posture, the EEG of 10 out of 11 rats was dominated by paroxysmal (burst suppression) activity, associated with unconsciousness. In seven out of 11 rats, the paw pinch reflex was lost after onset of paroxysmal electroencephalographic activity. However, the paw pinch reflex remained present in four out of 11 animals, demonstrating that the response is independent of cortical activity. In five out of seven rats, the EEG still showed paroxysmal activity when the paw pinch reflex was regained. However, in two other rats the EEG returned to a pattern similar to that shown by awake animals, 4 and 21 min respectively, before the reflex was regained. These data indicate that in the pentobarbital-anaesthetized rat, presence of the paw pinch reflex is not related to the level of depression of electrical activity in the cerebral cortex, and consequently is probably not related to the level of consciousness. Based upon these findings it is concluded that the paw pinch reflex is unreliable as a sole indicator of anaesthetic depth.