STUDY THE EFFECT OF HYPNOTICS IN MICE. Chemicals Phenobarbitone 15 mg per kg, diazepam 4 mg per kg.

Principle Hypnotics are those drugs which induce sleep. Most sedatives in larger doses produces hypnosis. Sleep is temporary interruption of awakefullness. It is very essential in life. A normal sleep has two phases one non rapid eye movement (NREM) and second rapid eye movement (REM). Although REM sleep is disturbing phase but it is concern with repair of mental fatigue. Lack of this phase may cause irritation and other psychological disturbance. Hypnotics ar therapeutically used in treatment of insomnia. An ideal hypnotics should be nontoxicaddictive and free from hang over effect. Barbiturates and benzodiazepines are two important group of hypnotics which are widely used in clinical practices.Depending on duration of action barbiturates are further divided in to long acting, intermediate and short acting.Benzodiazepines have higher therapeutic index, e.g. dizepam, oxazepam, lorazepam,etc. They induce sleep which is almost identical to normal sleep as the REM component is not suppressed while in barbiturates it is depressed. Procedure Take three healthy mice of either sex. They are marked one, two and three respectively. Inject one ml of saline solution intraperitonealy to the mouse no. 1. Mouse no. 2 and 3 are administered phenobarbitone 15 mg per kg body weight and diazepam 4 mg per kg body weight respectively and report the on set of action and duration of action of phenobarbitone and diazepam. Loss of righting reflex of the mice is the indicative of the initiation of the hypnosis effect of the drugs. Righting reflex: Restoration of the normal posture by the animal which is drop from height on soft surface of the table is termed as righting reflex .The saline treated mouse is kept as control. Report