Phasic influences during REM sleep upon dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus unit activity in the rat.

The single unit activity of dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus cells was recorded in freely moving, unanesthetized albino rats and studied in relation to the sleep-wake cycle and the occurrence of REM sleep ponto-geniculo-occipital (PGO) waves. Spontaneous mean discharge rates are shown to be significantly related to sleep-wake stages, and 70 percent of the units demonstrate a temporal relationship with hindbrain PGO waves. These data are consistent with the existence of a phasic event system in the rat.