[Effect of deprivation of the "rapid" phase of sleep on self stimulation of the hypothalamus and septum in white rats].

26 rats with bipolar electrodes in lateral hypothalamic and septal areas were learned to press the bar for electrical stimulation of the brain (monopolar square pulses, 0.1 msec, 100 cps, train length 250 msec). After stabilization of self-stimulation (SS) responses, the animals were deprived of rapid eye movement sleep (REM) for up to 4 days by confinement to a small platform surrounded by water. The rats were allowed to SS for 40 min per day during and after REM deprivation up to 1 month. It was found that REM deprivation strongly increased hypothalamic SS rates but failed to change SS thresholds. As to the septal SS, its rate either increased, with threshold unchanged or lowered (1st type), or remained steady (2nd type), or decreased, with threshold unchanged or risen. In most cases the deprivation led to alteration in the shape of SS rate/intensity curve, which remained during the whole experimental period (1 month).