Abstract
Changes in the antidromic responsiveness of the cells of the lateral geniculate body (LGB) to single or repetitive stimulation of the optic radiation were studied in free behaving cats during the natural sleep-wakefulness cycle. The anti-dromic cellular response was minimum during light sleep (high voltage slow wave sleep) and increased during deep sleep (low voltage fast wave sleep). The responsiveness during resting arousal was intermediate between those during light and deep sleep. The deep sleep wave, a peculiar spontaneous electrical activity seen in the LGB during deep sleep, was found to intensify responsiveness of the LGB cells to antidromic stimulation.
