Disk-over-water method

Last updated

The disk-over-water method is a technique for producing sleep deprivation in laboratory animals.

Contents

The subject—for example, a rat [1] or a pigeon [2] —is placed on a disk. When the animal shows signs of falling asleep, the disk begins to rotate slowly, at a few revolutions per minute. To avoid being carried into the surrounding pool of water, the subject must walk to keep pace with the disk. [3]

Background and applications

The disk-over-water (DOW) method was first developed in the early 1980s to study the effects of prolonged sleep deprivation in small mammals. [4] It was later adapted for use in birds. [2] The method allows researchers to maintain continuous wakefulness and to evaluate behavioral, physiological, and neurological consequences of sleep loss under controlled laboratory conditions. [1]

One advantage of the DOW method is that it reduces the need for direct human handling compared to earlier techniques such as manual stimulation or movable cages, while still reliably preventing sleep. However, because the animal is kept under stress and compulsion, the method has been the subject of ethical debate. [5]

Limitations

Ethical considerations

Because of the physical and psychological strain imposed on the animals, the disk-over-water method has been controversial. Animal rights groups argue that it conflicts with modern standards of animal welfare and results in unnecessary suffering. Consequently, many ethics committees have called for limiting or replacing this technique with more humane alternatives, such as computer modeling or non-invasive approaches. [6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Rechtschaffen, Allan; Bergmann, Bernard M. (1995). "Sleep deprivation in the rat by the disk-over-water method". Behavioural Brain Research. 69 (1–2): 55–63. doi:10.1016/0166-4328(95)00020-T. PMID   7546318. S2CID   4042505.
  2. 1 2 3 Newman, S.M.; Paletz, E.M.; Rattenborg, N.C.; Obermeyer, W.H.; Benca, R.M. (2008). "Sleep deprivation in the pigeon using the Disk-Over-Water method". Physiology & Behavior. 93 (1–2): 50–58. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2007.07.012. PMID   17765274. S2CID   13105681.
  3. Kushida, Clete Anthony (2004). Sleep Deprivation: Basic Science, Physiology, and Behavior. Informa Health Care. p. 90. ISBN   0-8247-5949-4.
  4. Everson, Carol A.; Laatsch, Christa D.; Hogg, Neil (2005). "Antioxidant defense responses to sleep loss and sleep recovery". Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 288 (2): R374 –R383. doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00565.2004. PMID   15472007.
  5. 1 2 Rechtschaffen, Allan; Bergmann, Bernard M. (2002). "Sleep deprivation in the rat: An update of the 1989 paper". Sleep. 25 (1): 18–24. doi:10.1093/sleep/25.1.18. PMID   11833858.
  6. Whitehouse, David (1 May 2002). "Animal experiments under fire". BBC News. Retrieved 25 September 2025.