Behavioral phenotyping based on physical inactivity can predict sleep in female rats before, during, and after sleep disruption.

Background: A noninvasive method that can accurately quantify sleep before, during, and after sleep disruption (SD) has not been validated in female rats across their estrous cycle. In female rats, we hypothesized that the duration of physical inactivity (PIA) required to predict sleep would 1) change with the differences in baseline sleep between the circadian and estrous cycle phases and 2) predict sleep and the change in sleep (Δsleep) before, during, and after SD independent of circadian and estrous cycle phase.

New Methods: EEG, EMG, physical activity and estrous cycle phase were measured in female Sprague-Dawley rats before, during, and after SD.