PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - CURT P. RICHTER
TI  - SLEEP PRODUCED BY HYPNOTICS STUDIED BY THE ELECTRICAL SKIN RESISTANCE METHOD
DP  - 1931 Aug 01
TA  - Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics
PG  - 471--486
VI  - 42
IP  - 4
4099  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/42/4/471.short
4100  - http://jpet.aspetjournals.org/content/42/4/471.full
SO  - J Pharmacol Exp Ther1931 Aug 01; 42
AB  - 1. Sleep produced by hypnotics, paraldehyde, chloral hydrate, amytal, and somnifene, is associated with a large increase in the electrical resistance of the skin on the pads of the cat's feet. This observation brings further proof of the close relationship between sleep and the electrical resistance of the skin. In previous experiments the large increase in normal sleep was demonstrated. 2. The magnitude of the increase was very marked in hyphotic sleep. In some cats the resistance of the skin increased from a waking level of 8,000 to over 9,000,000 ohms when the sleep was deepest. 3. The increase in skin resistance persisted as long as ninetysix hours in some animals in which almost lethal doses of chloral hydrate, amytal, or somnifene were given. The effects produced by almost lethal doses of paraldehyde disappeared regularly in twenty-four hours' time or less. This difference was explained on the basis of the greater volatility of paraldehyde. 4. These results demonstrated that paraldehyde, in contrast to the other drugs, leaves no after-effect, even when given in large doses. 5. No evidence was obtained in support of the separation of of the hypnotics into cortical and subcortical groups. 6. There were large individual differences in the susceptibility of the animals to the different drugs. 7. The increase in skin resistance was consistently greater in the hind-feet than in the fore-feet. This is in agreement with the fact that the hind-legs seem to become paralyzed first. 8. The significance of the increase in normal and artificial sleep was discussed from both biological and neurological points of view. 9. It was shown that the evidence at hand supports the view that these drugs have a large part of their action in the sympathetic nervous system.