[Effects of afloqualone, a centrally acting muscle relaxant, on the sleep-wakefulness cycle in cats with chronically implanted electrodes (author's transl)].

The present study was carried out to elucidate whether or whether not afloqualone has a hypnotic action because of its similarity in chemical structure to methaqualone. In the sleep-wakefulness cycles during the 8-hour observation period (9:00-17:00), afloqualone increased the percentages of resting (REST) and slow wave light sleep (SWLS) stages at a dose of 25 mg/kg (p.o.), producing a moderate muscle relaxation. Even at a dose of 50 mg/kg (p.o.) where a marked muscle relaxation was produced, afloqualone had no influence on the percentage of slow wave deep sleep (SWDS) stage, though it increased the percentages of SWLS and decreased the percentages of awake (AWK), REST and fast wave sleep (FWS) stages. On the other hand, tolperisone . HCl, chlormezanone, methaqualone and pentobarbital . Na, used as the reference drugs, all increased the percentage of SWDS stage, but either decreased or had no effect on the percentages of the other four stages at pharmacologically effective doses. From these results it was concluded that afloqualone seems to be devoid of a hypnotic action and has different effects on the sleep-wakefulness cycle than those of both the hypnotics and the other muscle relaxants used.