Microinjections of muscimol and bicuculline into the pontine reticular formation modify the sleep-waking cycle in the rat.

The role of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the sleep-waking cycle was evaluated by means of microinjections of muscimol and bicuculline into the rat pontine reticular formation (PRF). Muscimol (20 ng) produced a marked increase in wakefulness (70%), a decrease in slow-wave sleep (SWS) (35%) and a remarkable delay in the onset of both SWS and paradoxical sleep, without modifying the percentage of the latter. Bicuculline (4 ng) shortened SWS latency by about 70%. These results suggest that GABAergic transmission in the PRF is involved in the regulation of sleep-waking cycle in the rat.