[External respiration as an index of the individual physiological characteristics of higher nervous activity in rats].

A special type of external breathing (stressed breathing) of rats has been described which develops spontaneously or is induced by an external factor. This type of behaviour is accompanied by a catatonic "freezing". Rats with stressed breathing significantly differ from those in the normal state in lower open-field activity and rate of the local volume blood flow in the hippocampus and motor cortex. The possibility is discussed of correlation of this type of breathing with the catatonia-like state.