ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC DESYNCHRONIZATION IN IRRADIATED RATS WITH TRANSECTED SPINAL CORDS.

Rats with transected spinal cords showed electroencephalographic desynchronization and exhibited behavioral arousal in response to x-irradiation of the whole body of the head only, at dose rates between 0.5 and 1.5 roentgens per second. Neither arousal nor desynchronization occurred when only the body of the animal was exposed. Results indicate that neither the circulatory system nor the vagi are essential to the arousal reaction to x-irradiation.