Sleep-stage scoring in the rat using a support vector machine.

Analysis and classification of sleep stages is a fundamental part of basic sleep research. Rat sleep stages are scored based on electrocorticographic (ECoG) signals recorded from electrodes implanted epidurally and electromyographic (EMG) signals from the temporalis or nuchal muscle. An automated sleep scoring system was developed using a support vector machine (SVM) to discriminate among waking, nonrapid eye movement sleep, and paradoxical sleep.