Effect of timiperone, a new antipsychotic drug, on the sleep-wakefulness cycle in cats.

The effect of timiperone, a new antipsychotic drug, on the sleep-wakefulness cycle in cats was assessed by EEG, EMG and eye movement potential. Timiperone (0.03 to 0.3 mg/kg, i.p.) dose-dependently increased the slow wave sleep (SWS) time and decreased the paradoxical sleep (PS) time. Further, the onset of the first period of PS was delayed, and the number of PS phases tended to be decreased after the 0.3 mg/kg dose. These results suggest that the neurological control of the cerebral dopaminergic system might be at least in part attributable to the effect of timiperone on sleep mechanisms.