Sleep-wakefulness: inverse deviation from randomness of neuronal firing patterns in the feline thalamus. A new form of homeostasis?

During stereotypic goal-directed behavior, neurons in the feline nucleus reticularis thalami emitted specific temporal patterns, while other patterns occurred much less often than predicted by the random model. During subsequent slow wave sleep, the mean firing rate increased, but the patterns that were emitted during behavior were eliminated or suppressed far below chance level, while those that were previously suppressed became dominant.