Mild insomnia induced by environmental perturbations in the rat: a study of this new model and of its possible applications in pharmacological research.

This paper describes an experimental model for testing new products in a situation where sleep is impaired by a nonpharmacological procedure. This model consists in studying the effect of hypnogenic substances on sleep perturbations which take place when chronically implanted rats are moved to a novel individual cage, connected for the first time to their recording cable and dosed intragastrically with test products, vehicle or placebo. Continuous polygraphic recordings were taken throughout the daily treatment period (15 days) and scored for the presence of slow wave sleep (SWS), and rapid eye movement sleep (REM).

Pharmacological evaluation of minaprine dihydrochloride, a new psychotropic drug.

Minaprine (3-[2-morpholino-ethlamino]-4-methyl-6-phenyl-pyridazine dihydrochloride; 30038CM; trade name in France: Cantor) is a new psychotropic drug. The therapeutic profile of minaprine differs from that of other known psychotropic agents; in man the drug antagonizes the "inhibitory syndrome" characterized by decreased spontaneous activity, reduction in basic drives, slowed thoughts, feelings of tiredness and social withdrawal. Preliminary clinical trials have indicated that minaprine may also be effective in certain depressive states.

Des-tyr-gamma-endorphin (DT gamma E) and pineal levels of melatonin and arginine vasopressin (AVP).

In this experiment we investigated in rats the effects of chronic injections (13 X 1.0 microgram and 13 X 2 micrograms i.m.