Sequential discharges of phasic waves in the pontine oculomotor system during paradoxical sleep in chronic mesencephalic and decorticate cats.

The temporal organization of sequences of phasic activity (PGO) in the pontine oculomotor system during paradoxical sleep was compared in normal cats, in "mesencephalic" preparations, and in completely decorticated animals. After both types of operation, PGO discharges lost their random character, becoming grouped in bursts separated by long intervals. These observations suggest that the cerebral cortex is involved in the regulation of patterns of PGO sequences.