SCORING OF SLEEP AND WAKEFULNESS BY BEHAVIORAL-ANALYSIS FROM VIDEO RECORDINGS IN RHESUS-MONKEYS - COMPARISON WITH CONVENTIONAL EEG-ANALYSIS

Extensive work on sleep-wake cycles in non-human primates has been car ried out using conventional EEG scoring. In this study, simultaneous s omnopolygrams and video recordings at 1 frame/s were performed on 6 ad ult rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta) during a 24 h period. Wakefulness, NREM sleep and REM sleep were scored by analysis of animal behavior f rom video data, using characteristic criteria for each state of vigila nce. Results were then compared with those of conventional EEG scoring . Values of the total amount for each state obtained by the two scorin g methods during the light and the dark periods were significantly clo sely related (P < 0.001) with a high correlation coefficient for wakef ulness (r(1) = 0.99956), for NREM sleep (r(1) = 0.99641) and for REM s leep (r(1) = 0.98708). Moreover, the epoch by epoch analysis between b oth methods showed a high concordance with percent agreement values of 95.68% for wakefulness, 93.52% for NREM sleep and 94.02% for REM slee p. The number of REM sleep episodes was similarly defined. The pattern s of successive sleep-wake cycles determined from both scorings were s uperimposable, as were the frequent state changes for the same time se gments. The video method's main limitation was that the 4 stages of NR EM sleep could not be differentiated. Reliability and advantages of sl eep-wake scoring by behavioral analysis are discussed. These results s uggest that the video methodology is relevant as a non-invasive techni que complementary to conventional EEG analysis for sleep studies in rh esus monkeys. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd.