Flowerpot method of rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) deprivation (REMSD) has been most extensively used in experiments to decipher the functions of REMS. The most common but serious criticism of this method has been presumed stress experienced by the experimental animals. The lack of systematic studies with appropriate controls to resolve this issue prompted this study. We have compared serum corticosterone levels as a marker of stress in male rats under REMSD by the flowerpot method and multiple types of control conditions. Additionally, to maintain consistency and uniformity of REMSD among groups, in the same rats, we estimated brain Na-K ATPase activity, which has been consistently reported to increase upon REMSD. The most effective method was one rat in single- or multiple-platforms set-up in a pool because it significantly increased Na-K ATPase activity without elevating serum corticosterone level. More than one rat in multiple platform set-up was ineffective and must be avoided. Also, large platform- and recovery-controls must be carried out simultaneously to rule out non-specific confounding effects.

快速眼动睡眠剥夺（REMS）的花盆方法（REMSD）已在实验中最广泛地用于破译REMS的功能。这种方法最常见但最严重的批评是实验动物承受的压力。缺乏系统的研究并没有适当的控制来解决这个问题，促使这项研究。我们已经通过花盆法和多种类型的控制条件比较了在REMSD下雄性大鼠的血清皮质酮水平作为应激指标。另外，为了保持各组间REMSD的一致性和均匀性，我们在同一只大鼠中估计了脑Na-K ATPase活性，据报道，该活性随REMSD的增加而增加。最有效的方法是在池中建立单平台或多平台的一只大鼠，因为它可以显着增加Na-K ATPase活性，而不会升高血清皮质酮水平。多平台设置中的多于一只老鼠是无效的，必须避免。而且，必须同时执行大型平台控制和恢复控制，以排除非特定的混杂影响。