Loss of Gnas imprinting differentially affects REM/NREM sleep and cognition in mice.

PubMed

Lassi, Glenda; Ball, Simon T; Maggi, Silvia; Colonna, Giovanni; Nieus, Thierry; Cero, Cheryl; Bartolomucci, Alessandro; Peters, Jo; Tucci, Valter

2012-01-01

It has been suggested that imprinted genes are important in the regulation of sleep. However, the fundamental question of whether genomic imprinting has a role in sleep has remained elusive up to now. In this work we show that REM and NREM sleep states are differentially modulated by the maternally expressed imprinted gene Gnas. In particular, in mice with loss of imprinting of Gnas, NREM and complex cognitive processes are enhanced while REM and REM-linked behaviors are inhibited. This is the first demonstration that a specific overexpression of an imprinted gene affects sleep states and related complex behavioral traits. Furthermore, in parallel to the Gnas overexpression, we have observed an overexpression of Ucp1 in interscapular brown adipose tissue (BAT) and a significant increase in thermoregulation that may account for the REM/NREM sleep phenotypes. We conclude that there must be significant evolutionary advantages in the monoallelic expression of Gnas for REM sleep and for the consolidation of REM-dependent memories. Conversely, biallelic expression of Gnas reinforces slow wave activity in NREM sleep, and this results in a reduction of uncertainty in temporal decision-making processes.

Night-to-Night Variability of Muscle Tone, Movements, and Vocalizations in Patients with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

PubMed Central

Cygan, Fanny; Oudiette, Delphine; Leclair-Visonneau, Laurène; Leu-Semenescu, Smaranda; Arnulf, Isabelle

2010-01-01

Objectives: The video-polysomnographic criteria of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) have not been well described. We evaluated the between-night reproducibility of phasic and tonic enhanced muscle activity during REM sleep as well as the associated behaviors and vocalizations of the patients. Methods: Fifteen patients with clinical RBD underwent two consecutive video-polysomnographies. The amount of excessive phasic and tonic chin muscle activity during REM sleep was measured in 15 patients in 3-sec mini-epochs. The time spent with motor (minor, major, complex, and scenic) or vocal (sounds, mumblings, and comprehensible speeches) events was measured in 7 patients during REM sleep. Results: There was a good between-night agreement for tonic (Spearman rho = 0.55, p = 0.03; Kendall tau = 0.48, p = 0.01) but not for phasic (rho = 0.47, p = 0.1; tau = 0.31, p = 0.1) excessive chin muscle activity. On the video and audio recordings, the minor RBD behaviors tended to occur more frequently during the second night than the first, whereas the patients spoke longer during the first than the second night. Conclusion: The excessive tonic activity during REM sleep is a reliable marker of RBD. It could represent the extent of dysfunction in the permissive atonia systems. In contrast, the more variable phasic activity and motor/vocal events could be more dependent on dream content (executive systems). Citation: Cygan F; Oudiette D; Leclair-Visonneau L; Leu-Semenescu S; Arnulf I. Night-to-night variability of muscle tone, movements, and vocalizations in patients with REM sleep behavior disorder. J Clin Sleep Med 2010;6(6):551-555. PMID:21206543

Trauma Associated Sleep Disorder: A Proposed Parasomnia Encompassing Disruptive Nocturnal Behaviors, Nightmares, and REM without Atonia in Trauma Survivors

PubMed Central

Mysliwiec, Vincent; O'Reilly, Brian; Polchinski, Jason; Kwon, Herbert P.; Germain, Anne; Roth, Bernard J.

2014-01-01

Study Objectives: To characterize the clinical, polysomnographic and treatment responses of patients with disruptive nocturnal behaviors (DNB) and nightmares following traumatic experiences. Methods: A case series of four young male, active duty U.S. Army Soldiers who presented with DNB and trauma related nightmares. Patients underwent a clinical evaluation in a sleep medicine clinic, attended overnight polysomnogram (PSG) and received treatment. We report pertinent clinical and PSG findings from our patients and review prior literature on sleep disturbances in trauma survivors. Results: DNB ranged from vocalizations, somnambulism to combative behaviors that injured bed partners. Nightmares were replays of the patient's traumatic experiences. All patients had REM without atonia during polysomnography; one patient had DNB and a nightmare captured during REM sleep. Prazosin improved DNB and nightmares in all patients. Conclusions: We propose Trauma associated Sleep Disorder (TSD) as a unique sleep disorder encompassing the clinical features, PSG findings, and treatment responses of patients with DNB, nightmares, and REM without atonia after trauma. Citation: Mysliwiec V, O'Reilly B, Polchinski J, Kwon HP, Germain A, Roth BJ. Trauma associated sleep disorder: a proposed parasomnia encompassing disruptive nocturnal behaviors, nightmares, and REM without atonia in trauma survivors. J Clin Sleep Med 2014;10(10):1143-1148. PMID:25317096

Enhanced emotional reactivity after selective REM sleep deprivation in humans: an fMRI study

PubMed Central

Rosales-Lagarde, Alejandra; Armony, Jorge L.; del Río-Portilla, Yolanda; Trejo-Martínez, David; Conde, Ruben; Corsi-Cabrera, Maria

2012-01-01

Converging evidence from animal and human studies suggest that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep modulates emotional processing. The aim of the present study was to explore the effects of selective REM sleep deprivation (REM-D) on emotional responses to threatening visual stimuli and their brain correlates using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Twenty healthy subjects were randomly assigned to two groups: selective REM-D, by awakening them at each REM sleep onset, or non-rapid eye movement sleep interruptions (NREM-I) as control for potential non-specific effects of awakenings and lack of sleep. In a within-subject design, a visual emotional reactivity task was performed in the scanner before and 24 h after sleep manipulation. Behaviorally, emotional reactivity was enhanced relative to baseline (BL) in the REM deprived group only. In terms of fMRI signal, there was, as expected, an overall decrease in activity in the NREM-I group when subjects performed the task the second time, particularly in regions involved in emotional processing, such as occipital and temporal areas, as well as in the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, involved in top-down emotion regulation. In contrast, activity in these areas remained the same level or even increased in the REM-D group, compared to their BL level. Taken together, these results suggest that lack of REM sleep in humans is associated with enhanced emotional reactivity, both at behavioral and neural levels, and thus highlight the specific role of REM sleep in regulating the neural substrates for emotional responsiveness. PMID:22719723

REM sleep selectively prunes and maintains new synapses in development and learning

PubMed Central

Li, Wei; Ma, Lei; Yang, Guang; Gan, Wenbiao

2017-01-01

The functions and underlying mechanisms of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep remain unclear. Here we show that REM sleep prunes newly-formed postsynaptic dendritic spines of layer 5 pyramidal neurons in the mouse motor cortex during development and motor learning. This REM sleep-dependent elimination of new spines facilitates subsequent spine formation in development and when a new motor task is learned, indicating a role of REM sleep in pruning to balance the number of new spines formed over time. In addition, REM sleep also strengthens and maintains some newly-formed spines that are critical for neuronal circuit development and behavioral improvement after learning. We further show that dendritic calcium spikes arising during REM sleep are important for pruning and strengthening of new spines. Together, these findings indicate that REM sleep has multifaceted functions in brain development, learning, and memory consolidation by selectively eliminating and maintaining newly-formed synapses via dendritic calcium spike-dependent mechanisms. PMID:28092659

The effect of REM sleep deprivation on motivation for food reward.

PubMed

Hanlon, Erin C; Andrzejewski, Matthew E; Harder, Bridgette K; Kelley, Ann E; Benca, Ruth M

2005-08-30

Prolonged sleep deprivation in rats produces a characteristic syndrome consisting of an increase in food intake yet a decrease in weight. Moreover, the increase in food intake generally precedes the weight loss, suggesting that sleep deprivation may affect appetitive behaviors. Using the multiple platform method to produce rapid eye movement (REM) sleep deprivation, we investigated the effect of REM sleep deprivation (REMSD) on motivation for food reward utilizing food-reinforced operant tasks. In acquisition or maintenance of an operant task, REM sleep-deprived rats, with or without simultaneous food restriction, decreased responding for sucrose pellet reward in comparison to controls, despite the fact that all REM sleep-deprived rats lost weight. Furthermore, the overall response deficit of the REM sleep-deprived rats was due to a within-session decline in responding. REM sleep-deprived rats showed evidence of understanding the contingency of the task comparable to controls throughout deprivation period, suggesting that the decrements in responding were not primarily related to deficits in learning or memory. Rather, REM sleep deprivation appears to alter systems involved in motivational processes, reward, and/or attention.

The Evolution of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder in Early Parkinson Disease.

PubMed

Sixel-Döring, Friederike; Zimmermann, Johannes; Wegener, Andrea; Mollenhauer, Brit; Trenkwalder, Claudia

2016-09-01

To investigate the development of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and REM sleep behavioral events (RBE) not yet fulfilling diagnostic criteria for RBD as markers for neurodegeneration in a cohort of Parkinson disease (PD) patients between their de novo baseline assessment and two-year follow-up in comparison to healthy controls (HC). Clinically confirmed PD patients and HC with video-supported polysomnography (vPSG) data at baseline were re-investigated after two years. Diagnostic scoring for RBE and RBD was performed in both groups and related to baseline findings. One hundred thirteen PD patients and 102 healthy controls (HC) were included in the study. Within two years, the overall occurrence of behaviors during REM sleep in PD patients increased from 50% to 63% (P = 0.02). RBD increased from 25% to 43% (P < 0.001). Eleven of 29 (38%) RBE positive PD patients and 10/56 (18%) patients with normal REM sleep at baseline converted to RBD. In HC, the occurrence of any REM behavior increased from 17% to 20% (n.s.). RBD increased from 2% to 4% (n.s.). One of 15 (7%) RBE positive HC and 1/85 (1%) HC with normal REM at baseline converted to RBD. RBD increased significantly in PD patients from the de novo state to two-year follow-up. We propose RBE being named "prodromal RBD" as it may follow a continuous evolution in PD possibly similar to the spreading of Lewy bodies in PD patients. RBD itself was shown as a robust and stable marker of early PD. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Apnea-induced rapid eye movement sleep disruption impairs human spatial navigational memory.

PubMed

Varga, Andrew W; Kishi, Akifumi; Mantua, Janna; Lim, Jason; Koushyk, Viachaslau; Leibert, David P; Osorio, Ricardo S; Rapoport, David M; Ayappa, Indu

2014-10-29

Hippocampal electrophysiology and behavioral evidence support a role for sleep in spatial navigational memory, but the role of particular sleep stages is less clear. Although rodent models suggest the importance of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in spatial navigational memory, a similar role for REM sleep has never been examined in humans. We recruited subjects with severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) who were well treated and adherent with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Restricting CPAP withdrawal to REM through real-time monitoring of the polysomnogram provides a novel way of addressing the role of REM sleep in spatial navigational memory with a physiologically relevant stimulus. Individuals spent two different nights in the laboratory, during which subjects performed timed trials before and after sleep on one of two unique 3D spatial mazes. One night of sleep was normally consolidated with use of therapeutic CPAP throughout, whereas on the other night, CPAP was reduced only in REM sleep, allowing REM OSA to recur. REM disruption via this method caused REM sleep reduction and significantly fragmented any remaining REM sleep without affecting total sleep time, sleep efficiency, or slow-wave sleep. We observed improvements in maze performance after a night of normal sleep that were significantly attenuated after a night of REM disruption without changes in psychomotor vigilance. Furthermore, the improvement in maze completion time significantly positively correlated with the mean REM run duration across both sleep conditions. In conclusion, we demonstrate a novel role for REM sleep in human memory formation and highlight a significant cognitive consequence of OSA. Copyright © 2014 the authors 0270-6474/14/3414571-07$15.00/0.

Update on Parasomnias

PubMed Central

Jaffe, Fredric; Doghramji, Karl

2006-01-01

Parasomnias, defined as undesirable behavioral, physiological, or experiential events that accompany sleep, are common in the general population. As a rule, they occur more frequently in children than in adults with the exception of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), which is more common in men over 50. No longer considered to be invariably a sign of psychopathology, parasomnias are currently understood as clinical phenomena that arise as brain transitions between REM sleep, non-REM sleep, and wakefulness. This paper presents a clinical approach to diagnosing and treating parasomnias in the general population and in psychiatric patients. PMID:20975819

Night-to-night variability of muscle tone, movements, and vocalizations in patients with REM sleep behavior disorder.

PubMed

Cygan, Fanny; Oudiette, Delphine; Leclair-Visonneau, Laurène; Leu-Semenescu, Smaranda; Arnulf, Isabelle

2010-12-15

The video-polysomnographic criteria of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) have not been well described. We evaluated the between-night reproducibility of phasic and tonic enhanced muscle activity during REM sleep as well as the associated behaviors and vocalizations of the patients. Fifteen patients with clinical RBD underwent two consecutive video-polysomnographies. The amount of excessive phasic and tonic chin muscle activity during REM sleep was measured in 15 patients in 3-sec mini-epochs. The time spent with motor (minor, major, complex, and scenic) or vocal (sounds, mumblings, and comprehensible speeches) events was measured in 7 patients during REM sleep. There was a good between-night agreement for tonic (Spearman rho = 0.55, p = 0.03; Kendall tau = 0.48, p = 0.01) but not for phasic (rho = 0.47, p = 0.1; tau = 0.31, p = 0.1) excessive chin muscle activity. On the video and audio recordings, the minor RBD behaviors tended to occur more frequently during the second night than the first, whereas the patients spoke longer during the first than the second night. The excessive tonic activity during REM sleep is a reliable marker of RBD. It could represent the extent of dysfunction in the permissive atonia systems. In contrast, the more variable phasic activity and motor/vocal events could be more dependent on dream content (executive systems).

REM Sleep at its Core – Circuits, Neurotransmitters, and Pathophysiology

PubMed Central

Fraigne, Jimmy J.; Torontali, Zoltan A.; Snow, Matthew B.; Peever, John H.

2015-01-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is generated and maintained by the interaction of a variety of neurotransmitter systems in the brainstem, forebrain, and hypothalamus. Within these circuits lies a core region that is active during REM sleep, known as the subcoeruleus nucleus (SubC) or sublaterodorsal nucleus. It is hypothesized that glutamatergic SubC neurons regulate REM sleep and its defining features such as muscle paralysis and cortical activation. REM sleep paralysis is initiated when glutamatergic SubC cells activate neurons in the ventral medial medulla, which causes release of GABA and glycine onto skeletal motoneurons. REM sleep timing is controlled by activity of GABAergic neurons in the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray and dorsal paragigantocellular reticular nucleus as well as melanin-concentrating hormone neurons in the hypothalamus and cholinergic cells in the laterodorsal and pedunculo-pontine tegmentum in the brainstem. Determining how these circuits interact with the SubC is important because breakdown in their communication is hypothesized to underlie narcolepsy/cataplexy and REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). This review synthesizes our current understanding of mechanisms generating healthy REM sleep and how dysfunction of these circuits contributes to common REM sleep disorders such as cataplexy/narcolepsy and RBD. PMID:26074874

Trauma associated sleep disorder: a proposed parasomnia encompassing disruptive nocturnal behaviors, nightmares, and REM without atonia in trauma survivors.

PubMed

Mysliwiec, Vincent; O'Reilly, Brian; Polchinski, Jason; Kwon, Herbert P; Germain, Anne; Roth, Bernard J

2014-10-15

To characterize the clinical, polysomnographic and treatment responses of patients with disruptive nocturnal behaviors (DNB) and nightmares following traumatic experiences. A case series of four young male, active duty U.S. Army Soldiers who presented with DNB and trauma related nightmares. Patients underwent a clinical evaluation in a sleep medicine clinic, attended overnight polysomnogram (PSG) and received treatment. We report pertinent clinical and PSG findings from our patients and review prior literature on sleep disturbances in trauma survivors. DNB ranged from vocalizations, somnambulism to combative behaviors that injured bed partners. Nightmares were replays of the patient's traumatic experiences. All patients had REM without atonia during polysomnography; one patient had DNB and a nightmare captured during REM sleep. Prazosin improved DNB and nightmares in all patients. We propose Trauma associated Sleep Disorder (TSD) as a unique sleep disorder encompassing the clinical features, PSG findings, and treatment responses of patients with DNB, nightmares, and REM without atonia after trauma.

Differential modulation of global and local neural oscillations in REM sleep by homeostatic sleep regulation

PubMed Central

Kim, Bowon; Kocsis, Bernat; Hwang, Eunjin; Kim, Youngsoo; Strecker, Robert E.; McCarley, Robert W.; Choi, Jee Hyun

2017-01-01

Homeostatic rebound in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep normally occurs after acute sleep deprivation, but REM sleep rebound settles on a persistently elevated level despite continued accumulation of REM sleep debt during chronic sleep restriction (CSR). Using high-density EEG in mice, we studied how this pattern of global regulation is implemented in cortical regions with different functions and network architectures. We found that across all areas, slow oscillations repeated the behavioral pattern of persistent enhancement during CSR, whereas high-frequency oscillations showed progressive increases. This pattern followed a common rule despite marked topographic differences. The findings suggest that REM sleep slow oscillations may translate top-down homeostatic control to widely separated brain regions whereas fast oscillations synchronizing local neuronal ensembles escape this global command. These patterns of EEG oscillation changes are interpreted to reconcile two prevailing theories of the function of sleep, synaptic homeostasis and sleep dependent memory consolidation. PMID:28193862

Differential modulation of global and local neural oscillations in REM sleep by homeostatic sleep regulation.

PubMed

Kim, Bowon; Kocsis, Bernat; Hwang, Eunjin; Kim, Youngsoo; Strecker, Robert E; McCarley, Robert W; Choi, Jee Hyun

2017-02-28

Homeostatic rebound in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep normally occurs after acute sleep deprivation, but REM sleep rebound settles on a persistently elevated level despite continued accumulation of REM sleep debt during chronic sleep restriction (CSR). Using high-density EEG in mice, we studied how this pattern of global regulation is implemented in cortical regions with different functions and network architectures. We found that across all areas, slow oscillations repeated the behavioral pattern of persistent enhancement during CSR, whereas high-frequency oscillations showed progressive increases. This pattern followed a common rule despite marked topographic differences. The findings suggest that REM sleep slow oscillations may translate top-down homeostatic control to widely separated brain regions whereas fast oscillations synchronizing local neuronal ensembles escape this global command. These patterns of EEG oscillation changes are interpreted to reconcile two prevailing theories of the function of sleep, synaptic homeostasis and sleep dependent memory consolidation.

Acute administration of fluoxetine normalizes rapid eye movement sleep abnormality, but not depressive behaviors in olfactory bulbectomized rats.

PubMed

Wang, Yi-Qun; Tu, Zhi-Cai; Xu, Xing-Yuan; Li, Rui; Qu, Wei-Min; Urade, Yoshihiro; Huang, Zhi-Li

2012-01-01

In humans, depression is associated with altered rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. However, the exact nature of the relationship between depressive behaviors and sleep abnormalities is debated. In this study, bilateral olfactory bulbectomy (OBX) was carried out to create a model of depression in rats. The sleep-wake profiles were assayed using a cutting-edge sleep bioassay system, and depressive behaviors were evaluated by open field and forced swimming tests. The monoamine content and monoamine metabolite levels in the brain were determined by a HPLC-electrochemical detection system. OBX rats exhibited a significant increase in REM sleep, especially between 15:00 and 18:00 hours during the light period. Acute treatment with fluoxetine (10 mg/kg, i.p.) immediately abolished the OBX-induced increase in REM sleep, but hyperactivity in the open field test and the time spent immobile in the forced swimming test remained unchanged. Neurochemistry studies revealed that acute administration of fluoxetine increased serotonin (5-HT) levels in the hippocampus, thalamus, and midbrain and decreased levels of the 5-HT metabolite 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA). The ratio of 5-HIAA to 5-HT decreased in almost all regions of the brain. These results indicate that acute administration of fluoxetine can reduce the increase in REM sleep but does not change the depressive behaviors in OBX rats, suggesting that there was no causality between REM sleep abnormalities and depressive behaviors in OBX rats. © 2011 The Authors. Journal of Neurochemistry © 2011 International Society for Neurochemistry.

Brain gene expression during REM sleep depends on prior waking experience.

PubMed

Ribeiro, S; Goyal, V; Mello, C V; Pavlides, C

1999-01-01

In most mammalian species studied, two distinct and successive phases of sleep, slow wave (SW), and rapid eye movement (REM), can be recognized on the basis of their EEG profiles and associated behaviors. Both phases have been implicated in the offline sensorimotor processing of daytime events, but the molecular mechanisms remain elusive. We studied brain expression of the plasticity-associated immediate-early gene (IEG) zif-268 during SW and REM sleep in rats exposed to rich sensorimotor experience in the preceding waking period. Whereas nonexposed controls show generalized zif-268 down-regulation during SW and REM sleep, zif-268 is upregulated during REM sleep in the cerebral cortex and the hippocampus of exposed animals. We suggest that this phenomenon represents a window of increased neuronal plasticity during REM sleep that follows enriched waking experience.

Contrasting expressions of aggressive behavior released by lesions of the central nucleus of the amygdala during wakefulness and rapid eye movement sleep without atonia in cats.

PubMed

Zagrodzka, J; Hedberg, C E; Mann, G L; Morrison, A R

1998-06-01

Whether damage to the central nucleus of the amygdala (Ace) contributes to the predatorylike attack sometimes observed in rapid eye movement sleep without atonia (REM-A), created in cats by bilateral pontine lesions, was examined. Such lesions eliminate REM sleep skeletal muscle atonia and release elaborate behavior. Unilateral damage to the Ace alone increased affective defensive aggressive behavior toward humans and conspecifics without altering predatory behavior in wakefulness. Pontine lesions added at loci normally not leading to aggression induced predatorylike attacks in REM-A as well as the waking affective defense. Alterations of autonomic activity, the absence of relevant environmental stimuli in REM-A, or both may explain the state-related differences.

Cholinergic, Glutamatergic, and GABAergic Neurons of the Pedunculopontine Tegmental Nucleus Have Distinct Effects on Sleep/Wake Behavior in Mice.

PubMed

Kroeger, Daniel; Ferrari, Loris L; Petit, Gaetan; Mahoney, Carrie E; Fuller, Patrick M; Arrigoni, Elda; Scammell, Thomas E

2017-02-01

The pedunculopontine tegmental (PPT) nucleus has long been implicated in the regulation of cortical activity and behavioral states, including rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep. For example, electrical stimulation of the PPT region during sleep leads to rapid awakening, whereas lesions of the PPT in cats reduce REM sleep. Though these effects have been linked with the activity of cholinergic PPT neurons, the PPT also includes intermingled glutamatergic and GABAergic cell populations, and the precise roles of cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic PPT cell groups in regulating cortical activity and behavioral state remain unknown. Using a chemogenetic approach in three Cre-driver mouse lines, we found that selective activation of glutamatergic PPT neurons induced prolonged cortical activation and behavioral wakefulness, whereas inhibition reduced wakefulness and increased non-REM (NREM) sleep. Activation of cholinergic PPT neurons suppressed lower-frequency electroencephalogram rhythms during NREM sleep. Last, activation of GABAergic PPT neurons slightly reduced REM sleep. These findings reveal that glutamatergic, cholinergic, and GABAergic PPT neurons differentially influence cortical activity and sleep/wake states. More than 40 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disruption, and the development of effective treatments requires a more detailed understanding of the neuronal mechanisms controlling sleep and arousal. The pedunculopontine tegmental (PPT) nucleus has long been considered a key site for regulating wakefulness and REM sleep. This is mainly because of the cholinergic neurons contained in the PPT nucleus. However, the PPT nucleus also contains glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons that likely contribute to the regulation of cortical activity and sleep-wake states. The chemogenetic experiments in the present study reveal that cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic PPT neurons each have distinct effects on sleep/wake behavior, improving our understanding of how the PPT nucleus regulates cortical activity and behavioral states. Copyright © 2017 the authors 0270-6474/17/371352-15$15.00/0.

Diagnostic thresholds for quantitative REM sleep phasic burst duration, phasic and tonic muscle activity, and REM atonia index in REM sleep behavior disorder with and without comorbid obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

McCarter, Stuart J; St Louis, Erik K; Duwell, Ethan J; Timm, Paul C; Sandness, David J; Boeve, Bradley F; Silber, Michael H

2014-10-01

We aimed to determine whether phasic burst duration and conventional REM sleep without atonia (RSWA) methods could accurately diagnose REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) patients with comorbid OSA. We visually analyzed RSWA phasic burst durations, phasic, "any," and tonic muscle activity by 3-s mini-epochs, phasic activity by 30-s (AASM rules) epochs, and conducted automated REM atonia index (RAI) analysis. Group RSWA metrics were analyzed and regression models fit, with receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves determining the best diagnostic cutoff thresholds for RBD. Both split-night and full-night polysomnographic studies were analyzed. N/A. Parkinson disease (PD)-RBD (n = 20) and matched controls with (n = 20) and without (n = 20) OSA. N/A. All mean RSWA phasic burst durations and muscle activities were higher in PD-RBD patients than controls (P < 0.0001), and RSWA associations with PD-RBD remained significant when adjusting for age, gender, and REM AHI (P < 0.0001). RSWA muscle activity (phasic, "any") cutoffs for 3-s mini-epoch scorings were submentalis (SM) (15.5%, 21.6%), anterior tibialis (AT) (30.2%, 30.2%), and combined SM/AT (37.9%, 43.4%). Diagnostic cutoffs for 30-s epochs (AASM criteria) were SM 2.8%, AT 11.3%, and combined SM/AT 34.7%. Tonic muscle activity cutoff of 1.2% was 100% sensitive and specific, while RAI (SM) cutoff was 0.88. Phasic muscle burst duration cutoffs were: SM (0.65) and AT (0.79) seconds. Combining phasic burst durations with RSWA muscle activity improved sensitivity and specificity of RBD diagnosis. This study provides evidence for REM sleep without atonia diagnostic thresholds applicable in Parkinson disease-REM sleep behavior disorder (PD-RBD) patient populations with comorbid OSA that may be useful toward distinguishing PD-RBD in typical outpatient populations. © 2014 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Theta and gamma coordination of hippocampal networks during waking and rapid eye movement sleep.

PubMed

Montgomery, Sean M; Sirota, Anton; Buzsáki, György

2008-06-25

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep has been considered a paradoxical state because, despite the high behavioral threshold to arousing perturbations, gross physiological patterns in the forebrain resemble those of waking states. To understand how intrahippocampal networks interact during REM sleep, we used 96 site silicon probes to record from different hippocampal subregions and compared the patterns of activity during waking exploration and REM sleep. Dentate/CA3 theta and gamma synchrony was significantly higher during REM sleep compared with active waking. In contrast, gamma power in CA1 and CA3-CA1 gamma coherence showed significant decreases in REM sleep. Changes in unit firing rhythmicity and unit-field coherence specified the local generation of these patterns. Although these patterns of hippocampal network coordination characterized the more common tonic periods of REM sleep (approximately 95% of total REM), we also detected large phasic bursts of local field potential power in the dentate molecular layer that were accompanied by transient increases in the firing of dentate and CA1 neurons. In contrast to tonic REM periods, phasic REM epochs were characterized by higher theta and gamma synchrony among the dentate, CA3, and CA1 regions. These data suggest enhanced dentate processing, but limited CA3-CA1 coordination during tonic REM sleep. In contrast, phasic bursts of activity during REM sleep may provide windows of opportunity to synchronize the hippocampal trisynaptic loop and increase output to cortical targets. We hypothesize that tonic REM sleep may support off-line mnemonic processing, whereas phasic bursts of activity during REM may promote memory consolidation.

Dopamine agonist suppression of rapid-eye-movement sleep is secondary to sleep suppression mediated via limbic structures

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Miletich, R.S.

The effects of pergolide, a direct dopamine receptor agonist, on sleep and wakefulness, motor behavior and /sup 3/H-spiperone specific binding in limbic structures and striatum in rats was studied. The results show that pergolide induced a biphasic dose effect, with high doses increasing wakefulness and suppressing sleep while low dose decreased wakefulness, but increased sleep. It was shown that pergolide-induced sleep suppression was blocked by ..cap alpha..-glupenthixol and pimozide, two dopamine receptor antagonists. It was further shown that pergolide merely delayed the rebound resulting from rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep deprivation, that dopamine receptors stimulation had no direct effect on the period,more » phase or amplitude of the circadian rhythm of REM sleep propensity and that there was no alteration in the coupling of REM sleep episodes with S/sub 2/ episodes. Rapid-eye-movement sleep deprivation resulted in increased sensitivity to the pergolide-induced wakefulness stimulation and sleep suppression and pergolide-induced motor behaviors of locomotion and head bobbing. /sup 3/H-spiperone specific binding to dopamine receptors was shown to be altered by REM sleep deprivation in the subcortical limbic structures. It is concluded that the REM sleep suppressing action of dopamine receptor stimulation is secondary to sleep suppression per se and not secondary to a unique effect on the REM sleep. Further, it is suggested that the wakefulness stimulating action of dopamine receptor agonists is mediated by activation of the dopamine receptors in the terminal areas of the mesolimbocortical dopamine projection system.« less

Cholinergic, Glutamatergic, and GABAergic Neurons of the Pedunculopontine Tegmental Nucleus Have Distinct Effects on Sleep/Wake Behavior in Mice

PubMed Central

Kroeger, Daniel; Ferrari, Loris L.; Mahoney, Carrie E.; Arrigoni, Elda

2017-01-01

The pedunculopontine tegmental (PPT) nucleus has long been implicated in the regulation of cortical activity and behavioral states, including rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep. For example, electrical stimulation of the PPT region during sleep leads to rapid awakening, whereas lesions of the PPT in cats reduce REM sleep. Though these effects have been linked with the activity of cholinergic PPT neurons, the PPT also includes intermingled glutamatergic and GABAergic cell populations, and the precise roles of cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic PPT cell groups in regulating cortical activity and behavioral state remain unknown. Using a chemogenetic approach in three Cre-driver mouse lines, we found that selective activation of glutamatergic PPT neurons induced prolonged cortical activation and behavioral wakefulness, whereas inhibition reduced wakefulness and increased non-REM (NREM) sleep. Activation of cholinergic PPT neurons suppressed lower-frequency electroencephalogram rhythms during NREM sleep. Last, activation of GABAergic PPT neurons slightly reduced REM sleep. These findings reveal that glutamatergic, cholinergic, and GABAergic PPT neurons differentially influence cortical activity and sleep/wake states. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT More than 40 million Americans suffer from chronic sleep disruption, and the development of effective treatments requires a more detailed understanding of the neuronal mechanisms controlling sleep and arousal. The pedunculopontine tegmental (PPT) nucleus has long been considered a key site for regulating wakefulness and REM sleep. This is mainly because of the cholinergic neurons contained in the PPT nucleus. However, the PPT nucleus also contains glutamatergic and GABAergic neurons that likely contribute to the regulation of cortical activity and sleep–wake states. The chemogenetic experiments in the present study reveal that cholinergic, glutamatergic, and GABAergic PPT neurons each have distinct effects on sleep/wake behavior, improving our understanding of how the PPT nucleus regulates cortical activity and behavioral states. PMID:28039375

From bench to bed: putative animal models of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD).

PubMed

Krenzer, Martina; Lu, Jun; Mayer, Geert; Oertel, Wolfgang

2013-04-01

REM behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia characterized by REM sleep without atonia, leading to abnormal and potentially injurious behavior during REM sleep. It is considered one of the most specific predictors of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease. In this paper, we provide an overview of animal models contributing to our current understanding of REM-associated atonia, and, as a consequence, the pathophysiology of RBD. The generator of REM-associated atonia is located in glutamatergic neurons of the pontine sublaterodorsal nucleus (SLD), as shown in cats, rats and mice. These findings are supported by clinical cases of patients with lesions of the homologous structure in humans. Glutamatergic SLD neurons, presumably in conjunction with others, project to (a) the ventromedial medulla, where they either directly target inhibitory interneurons to alpha motor neurons or are relayed, and (b) the spinal cord directly. At the spinal level, alpha motor neurons are inhibited by GABAergic and glycinergic interneurons. Our current understanding is that lesions of the glutamatergic SLD are the key factor for REM sleep behavior disorder. However, open questions remain, e.g. other features of RBD (such as the typically aggressive dream content) or the frequent progression from idiopathic RBD to neurodegenerative disorders, to name only a few. In order to elucidate these questions, a constant interaction between basic and clinical researchers is required, which might, ultimately, create an early therapeutic window for neurodegenerative disorders.

[REM sleep behavior disorders in Parkinson's disease].

PubMed

Liashenko, E A; Poluéktov, M G; Levin, O S

2014-01-01

The article presents a literature review on REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). The loss of REM atonia of sleep, such that patients act out the contents of their dreams, is described. The most important implication of research into this area is that patients with idiopathic RBD are at very high risk of developing synuclein-mediated neurodegenerative disease (Parkinson's disease, dementia with Lewy bodies and multiple system atrophy), with risk estimates that approximate 40-65% at 10 years. Thus, RBD is a reliable marker of prodromal synucleinopathy that open possibilities for neuroprotective therapy.

Sleep alterations following exposure to stress predict fear-associated memory impairments in a rodent model of PTSD.

PubMed

Vanderheyden, William M; George, Sophie A; Urpa, Lea; Kehoe, Michaela; Liberzon, Israel; Poe, Gina R

2015-08-01

Sleep abnormalities, such as insomnia, nightmares, hyper-arousal, and difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, are diagnostic criteria of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The vivid dream state, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, has been implicated in processing emotional memories. We have hypothesized that REM sleep is maladaptive in those suffering from PTSD. However, the precise neurobiological mechanisms regulating sleep disturbances following trauma exposure are poorly understood. Using single prolonged stress (SPS), a well-validated rodent model of PTSD, we measured sleep alterations in response to stressor exposure and over a subsequent 7-day isolation period during which the PTSD-like phenotype develops. SPS resulted in acute increases in REM sleep and transition to REM sleep, and decreased waking in addition to alterations in sleep architecture. The severity of the PTSD-like phenotype was later assessed by measuring freezing levels on a fear-associated memory test. Interestingly, the change in REM sleep following SPS was significantly correlated with freezing behavior during extinction recall assessed more than a week later. Reductions in theta (4-10 Hz) and sigma (10-15 Hz) band power during transition to REM sleep also correlated with impaired fear-associated memory processing. These data reveal that changes in REM sleep, transition to REM sleep, waking, and theta and sigma power may serve as sleep biomarkers to identify individuals with increased susceptibility to PTSD following trauma exposure.

Sleep Alterations Following Exposure to Stress Predict Fear-Associated Memory Impairments in a Rodent Model of PTSD

PubMed Central

Vanderheyden, William M.; George, Sophie A.; Urpa, Lea; Kehoe, Michaela; Liberzon, Israel; Poe, Gina R.

2015-01-01

Sleep abnormalities such as insomnia, nightmares, hyper-arousal, and difficulty initiating or maintaining sleep, are diagnostic criteria of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The vivid dream state, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, has been implicated in processing emotional memories. We have hypothesized that REM sleep is maladaptive in those suffering from PTSD. However, the precise neurobiological mechanisms regulating these sleep disturbances following trauma exposure are poorly understood. Using single prolonged stress (SPS), a well-validated rodent model of PTSD, we measured sleep alterations in response to stress exposure and over a subsequent 7-day isolation period during which the PTSD-like phenotype develops in rats. SPS resulted in acutely increased REM sleep, transition to REM sleep, and decreased waking in addition to alterations in sleep architecture. The severity of the PTSD-like phenotype was later assessed by measuring freezing levels on a fear-associated memory test. Interestingly, the change in REM sleep following SPS was significantly correlated with freezing behavior during extinction recall assessed more than a week later. We also report reductions in theta (4–10 Hz) and sigma (10–15 Hz) band power during transition to REM sleep which also correlated with impaired fear-associated memory processing. These data reveal that changes in REM sleep, transition to REM sleep, waking, and theta and sigma power may serve as sleep biomarkers to identify individuals with increased susceptibility to PTSD following trauma exposure. PMID:26019008

Laughing as a manifestation of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder.

PubMed

Siclari, F; Wienecke, M; Poryazova, R; Bassetti, C L; Baumann, C R

2011-06-01

Among the range of sleep-related behavior displayed by patients with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD), aggressive acts are particularly common, while pleasant behaviors have rarely been reported. We aimed at identifying the frequency and characteristics of patients who displayed laughing as a pleasant, nonviolent manifestation of RBD. We reviewed 67 consecutive polysomnographic recordings of patients with RBD, obtained in our sleep laboratory between July 2004 and July 2009. We identified 14 patients (21% of our RBD patients with degenerative parkinsonism: 10 males, mean age 63 ± 11 years) who repeatedly laughed during REM sleep. Ten patients had idiopathic Parkinson's disease, 3 suffered from multisystem atrophy and 1 patient was diagnosed with dementia with Lewy bodies. Other RBD-associated behaviors included smiling, crying, aggressive behavior, screaming, and somniloquia. Nine of the 14 patients were depressed during daytime. Laughing belongs to the spectrum of behavioral manifestations of RBD. Many of our patients with RBD-associated laughter were depressed, suggesting a dissociation between emotional expression during daytime and REM sleep. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Altered sleep and affect in the neurotensin receptor 1 knockout mouse.

PubMed

Fitzpatrick, Karrie; Winrow, Christopher J; Gotter, Anthony L; Millstein, Joshua; Arbuzova, Janna; Brunner, Joseph; Kasarskis, Andrew; Vitaterna, Martha H; Renger, John J; Turek, Fred W

2012-07-01

Sleep and mood disorders have long been understood to have strong genetic components, and there is considerable comorbidity of sleep abnormalities and mood disorders, suggesting the involvement of common genetic pathways. Here, we examine a candidate gene implicated in the regulation of both sleep and affective behavior using a knockout mouse model. Previously, we identified a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for REM sleep amount, REM sleep bout number, and wake amount in a genetically segregating population of mice. Here, we show that traits mapping to this QTL correlated with an expression QTL for neurotensin receptor 1 (Ntsr1), a receptor for neurotensin, a ligand known to be involved in several psychiatric disorders. We examined sleep as well as behaviors indicative of anxiety and depression in the NTSR1 knockout mouse. NTSR1 knockouts had a lower percentage of sleep time spent in REM sleep in the dark phase and a larger diurnal variation in REM sleep duration than wild types under baseline conditions. Following sleep deprivation, NTSR1 knockouts exhibited more wake and less NREM rebound sleep. NTSR1 knockouts also showed increased anxious and despair behaviors. Here we illustrate a link between expression of the Ntsr1 gene and sleep traits previously associated with a particular QTL. We also demonstrate a relationship between Ntsr1 and anxiety and despair behaviors. Given the considerable evidence that anxiety and depression are closely linked with abnormalities in sleep, the data presented here provide further evidence that neurotensin and Ntsr1 may be a component of a pathway involved in both sleep and mood disorders.

Adenosine and sleep

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Yanik, G.M. Jr.

Behavioral and biochemical approaches have been used to determine the relative contribution of endogenous adenosine and adenosine receptors to the sleep-wake cycle in the rat. Adenosine concentrations in specific areas of the rat brain were not affected by 24 hours of total sleep deprivation, or by 24 or 48 hours of REM sleep deprivation. In order to assess the effect of REM sleep deprivation on adenosine A/sub 1/ receptors, /sup 3/H-L-PIA binding was measured. The Bmax values for /sup 3/H-L-PIA binding to membrane preparations of the cortices and corpus striata from 48 hour REM sleep-deprived animals were increased 14.8% andmore » 23%, respectively. These increases were not maintained following the cessation of sleep deprivation and recovered within 2 hours. The results of a 96 hour REM deprivation experiment were similar to those of the 48 hour REM sleep deprivation experiment. However, these increases were not evident in similar structures taken from stress control animals, and conclusively demonstrated that the changes in /sup 3/H-L-PIA binding resulted from REM sleep deprivation and not from stress.« less

Mammalian sleep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Staunton, Hugh

2005-05-01

This review examines the biological background to the development of ideas on rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep), so-called paradoxical sleep (PS), and its relation to dreaming. Aspects of the phenomenon which are discussed include physiological changes and their anatomical location, the effects of total and selective sleep deprivation in the human and animal, and REM sleep behavior disorder, the latter with its clinical manifestations in the human. Although dreaming also occurs in other sleep phases (non-REM or NREM sleep), in the human, there is a contingent relation between REM sleep and dreaming. Thus, REM is taken as a marker for dreaming and as REM is distributed ubiquitously throughout the mammalian class, it is suggested that other mammals also dream. It is suggested that the overall function of REM sleep/dreaming is more important than the content of the individual dream; its function is to place the dreamer protagonist/observer on the topographical world. This has importance for the developing infant who needs to develop a sense of self and separateness from the world which it requires to navigate and from which it is separated for long periods in sleep. Dreaming may also serve to maintain a sense of ‘I’ness or “self” in the adult, in whom a fragility of this faculty is revealed in neurological disorders.

Changes in processing of masked stimuli across early- and late-night sleep: a study on behavior and brain potentials.

PubMed

Verleger, Rolf; Schuknecht, Simon-Vitus; Jaśkowski, Piotr; Wagner, Ullrich

2008-11-01

Sleep has proven to support the memory consolidation in many tasks including learning of perceptual skills. Explicit, conscious types of memory have been demonstrated to benefit particularly from slow-wave sleep (SWS), implicit, non-conscious types particularly from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. By comparing the effects of early-night sleep, rich in SWS, and late-night sleep, rich in REM sleep, we aimed to separate the contribution of these two sleep stages in a metacontrast masking paradigm in which explicit and implicit aspects in perceptual learning could be assessed separately by stimulus identification and priming, respectively. We assumed that early sleep intervening between two sessions of task performance would specifically support stimulus identification, while late sleep would specifically support priming. Apart from overt behavior, event-related EEG potentials (ERPs) were measured to record the cortical mechanisms associated with behavioral changes across sleep. In contrast to our hypothesis, late-night sleep appeared to be more important for changes of behavior, both for stimulus identification, which tended to improve across late-night sleep, and for priming, with the increase of errors induced by masked stimuli correlating with the duration of REM sleep. ERP components proved sensitive to presence of target shapes in the masked stimuli and to their priming effects. Of these components, the N2 component, indicating processing of conflict, became larger across early-night sleep and was related to the duration of S4 sleep, the deepest substage of SWS containing particularly high portions of EEG slow waves. These findings suggest that sleep promotes perceptual learning primarily by its REM sleep portion, but indirectly also by way of improved action monitoring supported by deep slow-wave sleep.

The role of REM sleep in the processing of emotional memories: evidence from behavior and event-related potentials.

PubMed

Groch, S; Wilhelm, I; Diekelmann, S; Born, J

2013-01-01

Emotional memories are vividly remembered for the long-term. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep has been repeatedly proposed to support the superior retention of emotional memories. However, its exact contribution and, specifically, whether its effect is mainly on the consolidation of the contents or the processing of the affective component of emotional memories is not clear. Here, we investigated the effects of sleep rich in slow wave sleep (SWS) or REM sleep on the consolidation of emotional pictures and the accompanying changes in affective tone, using event-related potentials (ERPs) together with subjective ratings of valence and arousal. Sixteen healthy, young men learned 50 negative and 50 neutral pictures before 3-h retention sleep intervals that were filled with either SWS-rich early or REM sleep-rich late nocturnal sleep. In accordance with our hypothesis, recognition was better for emotional pictures than neutral pictures after REM compared to SWS-rich sleep. This emotional enhancement after REM-rich sleep expressed itself in an increased late positive potential of the ERP over the frontal cortex 300-500 ms after stimulus onset for correctly classified old emotional pictures compared with new emotional and neutral pictures. Valence and arousal ratings of emotional pictures were not differentially affected by REM or SWS-rich sleep after learning. Our results corroborate that REM sleep contributes to the consolidation of emotional contents in memory, but suggest that the affective tone is preserved rather than reduced by the processing of emotional memories during REM sleep. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

REM Sleep EEG Instability in REM Sleep Behavior Disorder and Clonazepam Effects.

PubMed

Ferri, Raffaele; Rundo, Francesco; Silvani, Alessandro; Zucconi, Marco; Bruni, Oliviero; Ferini-Strambi, Luigi; Plazzi, Giuseppe; Manconi, Mauro

2017-08-01

We aimed to analyze quantitatively rapid eye movement (REM) sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) in controls, drug-naïve idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder patients (iRBD), and iRBD patients treated with clonazepam. Twenty-nine drug-naïve iRBD patients (mean age 68.2 years), 14 iRBD patients under chronic clonazepam therapy (mean age 66.3 years), and 21 controls (mean age 66.8 years) were recruited. Power spectra were obtained from sleep EEG (central derivation), using a 2-second sliding window, with 1-second steps. The power values of each REM sleep EEG spectral band (one every second) were normalized with respect to the average power value obtained during sleep stage 2 in the same individual. In drug-naïve patients, the normalized power values showed a less pronounced REM-related decrease of power in all bands with frequency <15 Hz than controls and an increase in the beta band, negatively correlated with muscle atonia; in patients treated with clonazepam there was a partial return of all bands <15 Hz toward the control values. The standard deviation values of the normalized power were higher for untreated patients in all EEG bands and were almost completely normalized in patients treated with clonazepam. The REM sleep EEG structure changes found in this study disclose subtle but significant alterations in the cortical electrophysiology of RBD that might represent the early expression of the supposed neurodegenerative processes already taking place at this stage of the disease and might be the target of better and effective future therapeutic strategies for this condition. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Why does rem sleep occur? A wake-up hypothesis.

PubMed

Klemm, W R

2011-01-01

Brain activity differs in the various sleep stages and in conscious wakefulness. Awakening from sleep requires restoration of the complex nerve impulse patterns in neuronal network assemblies necessary to re-create and sustain conscious wakefulness. Herein I propose that the brain uses rapid eye movement (REM) to help wake itself up after it has had a sufficient amount of sleep. Evidence suggesting this hypothesis includes the facts that, (1) when first going to sleep, the brain plunges into Stage N3 (formerly called Stage IV), a deep abyss of sleep, and, as the night progresses, the sleep is punctuated by episodes of REM that become longer and more frequent toward morning, (2) conscious-like dreams are a reliable component of the REM state in which the dreamer is an active mental observer or agent in the dream, (3) the last awakening during a night's sleep usually occurs in a REM episode during or at the end of a dream, (4) both REM and awake consciousness seem to arise out of a similar brainstem ascending arousal system (5) N3 is a functionally perturbed state that eventually must be corrected so that embodied brain can direct adaptive behavior, and (6) cortico-fugal projections to brainstem arousal areas provide a way to trigger increased cortical activity in REM to progressively raise the sleeping brain to the threshold required for wakefulness. This paper shows how the hypothesis conforms to common experience and has substantial predictive and explanatory power regarding the phenomenology of sleep in terms of ontogeny, aging, phylogeny, abnormal/disease states, cognition, and behavioral physiology. That broad range of consistency is not matched by competing theories, which are summarized herein. Specific ways to test this wake-up hypothesis are suggested. Such research could lead to a better understanding of awake consciousness.

Effect of oxcarbazepine on sleep architecture.

PubMed

Ayala-Guerrero, Fructuoso; Mexicano, Graciela; González, Valentín; Hernandez, Mario

2009-07-01

The most common side effects following administration of antiepileptic drugs involve alterations in sleep architecture and varying degrees of daytime sleepiness. Oxcarbazepine is a drug that is approved as monotherapy for the treatment of partial seizures and generalized tonic-clonic seizures. However, there is no information about its effects on sleep pattern organization; therefore, the objective of this work was to analyze such effects. Animals (Wistar rats) exhibited three different behavioral and electrophysiological states of vigilance: wakefulness, slow wave sleep (SWS), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Oral treatment with oxcarbazepine (100 mg/kg) produced an increment in total sleep time throughout the recording period. This increment involved both SWS and REM sleep. Mean duration of the REM sleep phase was not affected. In contrast, the frequency of this sleep phase increased significantly across the 10-hour period. REM sleep latency shortened significantly. Results obtained in this work indicate that oxcarbazepine's acute effects point to hypnotic properties.

Periodic Limb Movements During Sleep Mimicking REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: A New Form of Periodic Limb Movement Disorder.

PubMed

Gaig, Carles; Iranzo, Alex; Pujol, Montserrat; Perez, Hernando; Santamaria, Joan

2017-03-01

To describe a group of patients referred because of abnormal sleep behaviors that were suggestive of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in whom video-polysomnography ruled out RBD and showed the reported behaviors associated with vigorous periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS). Clinical history and video-polysomnography review of patients identified during routine visits in a sleep center. Patients were 15 men and 2 women with a median age of 66 (range: 48-77) years. Reported sleep behaviors were kicking (n = 17), punching (n = 16), gesticulating (n = 8), falling out of bed (n = 5), assaulting the bed partner (n = 2), talking (n = 15), and shouting (n = 10). Behaviors resulted in injuries in 3 bed partners and 1 patient. Twelve (70.6%) patients were not aware of displaying abnormal sleep behaviors that were only noticed by their bed partners. Ten (58.8%) patients recalled unpleasant dreams such as being attacked or chased. Video-polysomnography showed (1) frequent and vigorous stereotyped PLMS involving the lower limbs, upper limbs, and trunk (median PLMS index 61.2; median PLMS index in NREM sleep 61.9; during REM sleep only 8 patients had PLMS and their median PLMS index in REM sleep was 39.5); (2) abnormal behaviors (e.g., punching, groaning) during some of the arousals that immediately followed PLMS in NREM sleep; and (3) ruled out RBD and other sleep disorders such as obstructive sleep apnea. Dopaminergic agents were prescribed in 14 out of the 17 patients and resulted in improvement of abnormal sleep behaviors and unpleasant dreams in all of them. After dopaminergic treatment, follow-up video-polysomnography in 7 patients showed a decrease in the median PLMS index from baseline (108.9 vs. 19.2, p = .002) and absence of abnormal behaviors during the arousals. Abnormal sleep behaviors and unpleasant dreams simulating RBD symptomatology may occur in patients with severe PLMS. In these cases, video-polysomnography ruled out RBD and identified prominent PLMS followed by arousals containing abnormal behaviors. Our cases represent an objectively documented subtype of periodic limb movement disorder causing abnormal sleep behaviors. © Sleep Research Society 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

The hypocretins (orexins) mediate the “phasic” components of REM sleep: A new hypothesis

PubMed Central

Torterolo, Pablo; Chase, Michael H.

2014-01-01

In 1998, a group of phenotypically distinct neurons were discovered in the postero-lateral hypothalamus which contained the neuropeptides hypocretin 1 and hypocretin 2 (also called orexin A and orexin B), which are excitatory neuromodulators. Hypocretinergic neurons project throughout the central nervous system and have been involved in the generation and maintenance of wakefulness. The sleep disorder narcolepsy, characterized by hypersomnia and cataplexy, is produced by degeneration of these neurons. The hypocretinergic neurons are active during wakefulness in conjunction with the presence of motor activity that occurs during survival-related behaviors. These neurons decrease their firing rate during non-REM sleep; however there is still controversy upon the activity and role of these neurons during REM sleep. Hence, in the present report we conducted a critical review of the literature of the hypocretinergic system during REM sleep, and hypothesize a possible role of this system in the generation of REM sleep. PMID:26483897

Antidepressants Increase REM Sleep Muscle Tone in Patients with and without REM Sleep Behavior Disorder.

PubMed

McCarter, Stuart J; St Louis, Erik K; Sandness, David J; Arndt, Katlyn; Erickson, Maia; Tabatabai, Grace; Boeve, Bradley F; Silber, Michael H

2015-06-01

REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is associated with antidepressant treatment, especially in younger patients; but quantitative REM sleep without atonia (RSWA) analyses of psychiatric RBD patients remain limited. We analyzed RSWA in adults receiving antidepressants, with and without RBD. We comparatively analyzed visual, manual, and automated RSWA between RBD and control groups. RSWA metrics were compared between groups, and regression was used to explore associations with clinical variables. Tertiary-care sleep center. Participants included traditional RBD without antidepressant treatment (n = 30, 15 Parkinson disease [PD-RBD] and 15 idiopathic); psychiatric RBD receiving antidepressants (n = 30); and adults without RBD, including antidepressant-treated psychiatric (n = 30), untreated psychiatric (n = 15), and OSA (n = 60) controls. N/A. RSWA was highest in traditional and psychiatric RBD, intermediate in treated psychiatric controls, and lowest in untreated psychiatric and OSA controls (P < 0.01). RSWA distribution and type also differed between antidepressant-treated patients having higher values in anterior tibialis, and PD-RBD with higher submentalis and tonic RSWA. Psychiatric RBD had significantly younger age at onset than traditional RBD patients (P < 0.01). Antidepressant treatment was associated with elevated REM sleep without atonia (RSWA) even without REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), suggesting that antidepressants, not depression, promote RSWA. Differences in RSWA distribution and type were also seen, with higher anterior tibialis RSWA in antidepressant-treated patients and higher tonic RSWA in Parkinson disease-RBD patients, which could aid distinction between RBD subtypes. These findings suggest that antidepressants may mediate different RSWA mechanisms or, alternatively, that RSWA type and distribution evolve during progressive neurodegeneration. Further prospective RSWA analyses are necessary to clarify the relationships between antidepressant treatment, psychiatric disease, and RBD. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Sleep disorders in Parkinson's disease: a narrative review of the literature.

PubMed

Raggi, Alberto; Bella, Rita; Pennisi, Giovanni; Neri, Walter; Ferri, Raffaele

2013-01-01

Parkinson's disease (PD) is classically considered to be a motor system affliction; however, also non-motor alterations, including sleep disorders, are important features of the disease. The aim of this review is to provide data on sleep disturbances in PD in the following grouping: difficulty initiating sleep, frequent night-time awakening and sleep fragmentation, nocturia, restless legs syndrome/periodic limb movements, sleep breathing disorders, drug induced symptoms, parasomnias associated with rapid eye movements (REM) sleep, sleep attacks, reduced sleep efficiency and excessive daytime sleepiness. Research has characterized some of these disturbances as typical examples of dissociated states of wakefulness and sleep that are admixtures or incomplete declarations of wakefulness, REM sleep, and non-REM (NREM) sleep. Moreover, sleep disorders may precede the typical motor system impairment of PD and their ability to predict disease has important implications for development of neuroprotective treatment; in particular, REM sleep behavior disorder may herald any other clinical manifestation of PD by more than 10 years.

A new view of “dream enactment” in REM sleep behavior disorder

PubMed Central

Blumberg, Mark S.; Plumeau, Alan M.

2015-01-01

SUMMARY REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a disorder in which patients exhibit increased muscle tone and exaggerated myoclonic twitching during REM sleep. In addition, violent movements of the limbs, and complex behaviors that can sometimes appear to involve the enactment of dreams, are associated with RBD. These behaviors are widely thought to result from a dysfunction involving atonia-producing neural circuitry in the brainstem, thereby unmasking cortically generated dreams. Here we scrutinize the assumptions that led to this interpretation of RBD. In particular, we challenge the assumption that motor cortex produces twitches during REM sleep, thus calling into question the related assumption that motor cortex is primarily responsible for all of the pathological movements of RBD. Moreover, motor cortex is not even necessary to produce complex behavior; for example, stimulation of some brainstem structures can produce defensive and aggressive behaviors in rats and monkeys that are striking similar to those reported in human patients with RBD. Accordingly, we suggest an interpretation of RBD that focuses increased attention on the brainstem as a source of the pathological movements and that considers sensory feedback from moving limbs as an important influence on the content of dream mentation. PMID:26802823

Comparison Between Automatic and Visual Scorings of REM Sleep Without Atonia for the Diagnosis of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder in Parkinson Disease.

PubMed

Figorilli, Michela; Ferri, Raffaele; Zibetti, Maurizio; Beudin, Patricia; Puligheddu, Monica; Lopiano, Leonardo; Cicolin, Alessandro; Durif, Frank; Marques, Ana; Fantini, Maria Livia

2017-02-01

To compare three different methods, two visual and one automatic, for the quantification of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep without atonia (RSWA) in the diagnosis of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. Sixty-two consecutive patients with idiopathic PD underwent video-polysomnographic recording and showed more than 5 minutes of REM sleep. The electromyogram during REM sleep was analyzed by means of two visual methods (Montréal and SINBAR) and one automatic analysis (REM Atonia Index or RAI). RBD was diagnosed according to standard criteria and a series of diagnostic accuracy measures were calculated for each method, as well as the agreement between them. RBD was diagnosed in 59.7% of patients. The accuracy (85.5%), receiver operating characteristic (ROC) area (0.833) and Cohen's K coefficient (0.688) obtained with RAI were similar to those of the visual parameters. Visual tonic parameters, alone or in combination with phasic activity, showed high values of accuracy (93.5-95.2%), ROC area (0.92-0.94), and Cohen's K (0.862-0.933). Similarly, the agreement between the two visual methods was very high, and the agreement between each visual methods and RAI was substantial. Visual phasic measures alone performed worse than all the other measures. The diagnostic accuracy of RSWA obtained with both visual and automatic methods was high and there was a general agreement between methods. RAI may be used as the first line method to detect RSWA in the diagnosis of RBD in PD, together with the visual inspection of video-recorded behaviors, while the visual analysis of RSWA might be used in doubtful cases. © Sleep Research Society 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Video analysis of motor events in REM sleep behavior disorder.

PubMed

Frauscher, Birgit; Gschliesser, Viola; Brandauer, Elisabeth; Ulmer, Hanno; Peralta, Cecilia M; Müller, Jörg; Poewe, Werner; Högl, Birgit

2007-07-30

In REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), several studies focused on electromyographic characterization of motor activity, whereas video analysis has remained more general. The aim of this study was to undertake a detailed and systematic video analysis. Nine polysomnographic records from 5 Parkinson patients with RBD were analyzed and compared with sex- and age-matched controls. Each motor event in the video during REM sleep was classified according to duration, type of movement, and topographical distribution. In RBD, a mean of 54 +/- 23.2 events/10 minutes of REM sleep (total 1392) were identified and visually analyzed. Seventy-five percent of all motor events lasted <2 seconds. Of these events, 1,155 (83.0%) were classified as elementary, 188 (13.5%) as complex behaviors, 50 (3.6%) as violent, and 146 (10.5%) as vocalizations. In the control group, 3.6 +/- 2.3 events/10 minutes (total 264) of predominantly elementary simple character (n = 240, 90.9%) were identified. Number and types of motor events differed significantly between patients and controls (P < 0.05). This study shows a very high number and great variety of motor events during REM sleep in symptomatic RBD. However, most motor events are minor, and violent episodes represent only a small fraction. Copyright 2007 Movement Disorder Society

REM sleep behavior disorder in Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies.

PubMed

Boeve, Bradley F; Silber, Michael H; Ferman, Tanis J

2004-09-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia manifested by vivid, often frightening dreams associated with simple or complex motor behavior during REM sleep. Patients appear to "act out their dreams," in which the exhibited behaviors mirror the content of the dreams. Management of RBD involves counseling about safety measures in the sleep environment; in those at risk for injury, clonazepam and/or melatonin is usually effective. In this article, the authors present a detailed review of the clinical and polysomnographic features, differential diagnosis, diagnostic criteria, management strategies, and pathophysiologic mechanisms of RBD. They then review the literature and their institutional experience of RBD associated with neurodegenerative disease, particularly Parkinson's disease and dementia with Lewy bodies. The evolving data suggests that RBD may have clinical diagnostic and pathophysiologic significance in isolation and when associated with neurodegenerative disease.

Functional role of diverse changes in sympathetic nerve activity in regulating arterial pressure during REM sleep.

PubMed

Yoshimoto, Misa; Yoshida, Ikue; Miki, Kenju

2011-08-01

This study aimed to investigate whether REM sleep evoked diverse changes in sympathetic outflows and, if so, to elucidate why REM sleep evokes diverse changes in sympathetic outflows. Male Wistar rats were chronically implanted with electrodes to measure renal (RSNA) and lumbar sympathetic nerve activity (LSNA), electroencephalogram, electromyogram, and electrocardiogram, and catheters to measure systemic arterial and central venous pressure; these parameters were measured simultaneously and continuously during the sleep-awake cycle in the same rat. REM sleep resulted in a step reduction in RNSA by 36.1% ± 2.7% (P < 0.05), while LSNA increased in a step manner by 15.3% ± 2% (P < 0.05) relative to the NREM level. Systemic arterial pressure increased gradually (P < 0.05), while heart rate decreased in a step manner (P < 0.05) during REM sleep. In contrast to REM sleep, RSNA, LSNA, systemic arterial pressure, and heart rate increased in a unidirectional manner associated with increases in physical activity levels in the order from NREM sleep, quiet awake, moving, and grooming state. Thus, the relationship between RSNA vs. LSNA and systemic arterial pressure vs. heart rate observed during REM sleep was dissociated compared with that obtained during the other behavioral states. It is suggested that the diverse changes in sympathetic outflows during REM sleep may be needed to increase systemic arterial pressure by balancing vascular resistance between muscles and vegetative organs without depending on the heart.

Subliminal gait initiation deficits in REM sleep behavior disorder: a harbinger of freezing of gait?

PubMed Central

Alibiglou, L.; Videnovic, A.; Planetta, P.J.; Vaillancourt, D.E.; MacKinnon, C.D.

2016-01-01

Background Muscle activity during REM sleep is markedly increased in people with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) who have freezing of gait. This study examined if individuals with RBD, who do not have a diagnosis of PD, show abnormalities in gait initiation that resemble the impairments observed in PD and whether there is a relationship between these deficits and the level of REM sleep without atonia. Methods Gait initiation and polysomnography studies were conducted in four groups of 10 subjects each: RBD, PD with and without freezing of gait and control subjects. Results Significant reductions were seen in the posterior shift of the center of pressure during the propulsive phase of gait initiation in the RBD and PD with freezing of gait groups compared with controls and PD non-freezers. These reductions negatively correlated with the amount of REM sleep without atonia. The duration of the initial dorsiflexor muscle burst during gait initiation was significantly reduced in both PD groups and the RBD cohort. Conclusions These results provide evidence that people with RBD, prior to a diagnosis of a degenerative neurologic disorder, show alterations in the coupling of posture and gait similar to those seen in PD. The correlation between increased REM sleep without atonia and deficits in forward propulsion during the push-off phase of gait initiation suggests that abnormities in the regulation of muscle tone during REM sleep may be related to the pathogenesis of freezing of gait. PMID:27250871

Repeated Exposure to Conditioned Fear Stress Increases Anxiety and Delays Sleep Recovery Following Exposure to an Acute Traumatic Stressor

PubMed Central

Greenwood, Benjamin N.; Thompson, Robert S.; Opp, Mark R.; Fleshner, Monika

2014-01-01

Repeated stressor exposure can sensitize physiological responses to novel stressors and facilitate the development of stress-related psychiatric disorders including anxiety. Disruptions in diurnal rhythms of sleep–wake behavior accompany stress-related psychiatric disorders and could contribute to their development. Complex stressors that include fear-eliciting stimuli can be a component of repeated stress experienced by human beings, but whether exposure to repeated fear can prime the development of anxiety and sleep disturbances is unknown. In the current study, adult male F344 rats were exposed to either control conditions or repeated contextual fear conditioning for 22 days followed by exposure to no, mild (10), or severe (100) acute uncontrollable tail shock stress. Exposure to acute stress produced anxiety-like behavior as measured by a reduction in juvenile social exploration and exaggerated shock-elicited freezing in a novel context. Prior exposure to repeated fear enhanced anxiety-like behavior as measured by shock-elicited freezing, but did not alter social exploratory behavior. The potentiation of anxiety produced by prior repeated fear was temporary; exaggerated fear was present 1 day but not 4 days following acute stress. Interestingly, exposure to acute stress reduced rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep during the hours immediately following acute stress. This initial reduction in sleep was followed by robust REM rebound and diurnal rhythm flattening of sleep/wake behavior. Prior repeated fear extended the acute stress-induced REM and NREM sleep loss, impaired REM rebound, and prolonged the flattening of the diurnal rhythm of NREM sleep following acute stressor exposure. These data suggest that impaired recovery of sleep/wake behavior following acute stress could contribute to the mechanisms by which a history of prior repeated stress increases vulnerability to subsequent novel stressors and stress-related disorders. PMID:25368585

Perchance to dream? Primordial motor activity patterns in vertebrates from fish to mammals: their prenatal origin, postnatal persistence during sleep, and pathological reemergence during REM sleep behavior disorder.

PubMed

Corner, Michael A; Schenck, Carlos H

2015-12-01

An overview is presented of the literature dealing with sleep-like motility and concomitant neuronal activity patterns throughout the life cycle in vertebrates, ectothermic as well as endothermic. Spontaneous, periodically modulated, neurogenic bursts of non-purposive movements are a universal feature of larval and prenatal behavior, which in endothermic animals (i.e. birds and mammals) continue to occur periodically throughout life. Since the entire body musculature is involved in ever-shifting combinations, it is proposed that these spontaneously active periods be designated as 'rapid-BODY-movement' (RBM) sleep. The term 'rapid-EYE-movement (REM) sleep', characterized by attenuated muscle contractions and reduced tonus, can then be reserved for sleep at later stages of development. Mature stages of development in which sustained muscle atonia is combined with 'paradoxical arousal' of cortical neuronal firing patterns indisputably represent the evolutionarily most recent aspect of REM sleep, but more research with ectothermic vertebrates, such as fish, amphibians and reptiles, is needed before it can be concluded (as many prematurely have) that RBM is absent in these species. Evidence suggests a link between RBM sleep in early development and the clinical condition known as 'REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD)', which is characterized by the resurgence of periodic bouts of quasi-fetal motility that closely resemble RBM sleep. Early developmental neuromotor risk factors for RBD in humans also point to a relationship between RBM sleep and RBD.

Quantitative assessment of isolated rapid eye movement (REM) sleep without atonia without clinical REM sleep behavior disorder: clinical and research implications.

PubMed

Sasai-Sakuma, Taeko; Frauscher, Birgit; Mitterling, Thomas; Ehrmann, Laura; Gabelia, David; Brandauer, Elisabeth; Inoue, Yuichi; Poewe, Werner; Högl, Birgit

2014-09-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep without atonia (RWA) is observed in some patients without a clinical history of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). It remains unknown whether these patients meet the refined quantitative electromyographic (EMG) criteria supporting a clinical RBD diagnosis. We quantitatively evaluated EMG activity and investigated its overnight distribution in patients with isolated qualitative RWA. Fifty participants with an incidental polysomnographic finding of RWA (isolated qualitative RWA) were included. Tonic, phasic, and 'any' EMG activity during REM sleep on PSG were quantified retrospectively. Referring to the quantitative cut-off values for a polysomnographic diagnosis of RBD, 7/50 (14%) and 6/50 (12%) of the patients showed phasic and 'any' EMG activity in the mentalis muscle above the respective cut-off values. No patient was above the cut-off value for tonic EMG activity or phasic EMG activity in the anterior tibialis muscles. Patients with RWA above the cut-off value showed higher amounts of RWA during later REM sleep periods. This is the first study showing that some subjects with incidental RWA meet the refined quantitative EMG criteria for a diagnosis of RBD. Future longitudinal studies must investigate whether this subgroup with isolated qualitative RWA is at an increased risk of developing fully expressed RBD and/or neurodegenerative disease. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice.

PubMed

Fernandez, Laura M J; Lecci, Sandro; Cardis, Romain; Vantomme, Gil; Béard, Elidie; Lüthi, Anita

2017-08-02

Three vigilance states dominate mammalian life: wakefulness, non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep, and REM sleep. As more neural correlates of behavior are identified in freely moving animals, this three-fold subdivision becomes too simplistic. During wakefulness, ensembles of global and local cortical activities, together with peripheral parameters such as pupillary diameter and sympathovagal balance, define various degrees of arousal. It remains unclear the extent to which sleep also forms a continuum of brain states-within which the degree of resilience to sensory stimuli and arousability, and perhaps other sleep functions, vary gradually-and how peripheral physiological states co-vary. Research advancing the methods to monitor multiple parameters during sleep, as well as attributing to constellations of these functional attributes, is central to refining our understanding of sleep as a multifunctional process during which many beneficial effects must be executed. Identifying novel parameters characterizing sleep states will open opportunities for novel diagnostic avenues in sleep disorders. We present a procedure to describe dynamic variations of mouse non-REM sleep states via the combined monitoring and analysis of electroencephalogram (EEG)/electrocorticogram (ECoG), electromyogram (EMG), and electrocardiogram (ECG) signals using standard polysomnographic recording techniques. Using this approach, we found that mouse non-REM sleep is organized into cycles of coordinated neural and cardiac oscillations that generate successive 25-s intervals of high and low fragility to external stimuli. Therefore, central and autonomic nervous systems are coordinated to form behaviorally distinct sleep states during consolidated non-REM sleep. We present surgical manipulations for polysomnographic (i.e., EEG/EMG combined with ECG) monitoring to track these cycles in the freely sleeping mouse, the analysis to quantify their dynamics, and the acoustic stimulation protocols to assess their role in the likelihood of waking up. Our approach has already been extended to human sleep and promises to unravel common organizing principles of non-REM sleep states in mammals.

Characteristics of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder in Childhood

PubMed Central

Lloyd, Robin; Tippmann-Peikert, Maja; Slocumb, Nancy; Kotagal, Suresh

2012-01-01

Study Objective: To describe our experience regarding the clinical and polysomnographic features of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in childhood. Methods: This was a retrospective chart review of children and adolescents with RBD and REM sleep without atonia. Demographics, and clinical and polysomnographic information were tabulated. Our findings were compared with those in the existing literature. Results: The 15 subjects identified (13 RBD and 2 having REM sleep without atonia) had a mean age at diagnosis of 9.5 years (range 3-17 years); 11/15 (73%) were male. Nightmares were reported in 13/15 and excessive daytime sleepiness in 6/15. Two children had caused bodily harm to bedmate siblings. Comorbidities, which were multiple in some subjects, included anxiety (8/15), attention deficit disorder (10/15), nonspecific developmental delay (6/15), Smith-Magenis syndrome (1/15), pervasive developmental disorder (1/15), narcolepsy (1/15), idiopathic hypersomnia (1/15), and Moebius Syndrome (1/15). Abnormal MRI scans were seen in 5/8 evaluated subjects. Treatments consisted of clonazepam (10/15), melatonin (2/15), and discontinuation of a tricyclic agent (1/15), with a favorable response in 11 of 13. Two of 15 patients with REM sleep without atonia did not require pharmacotherapy. Conclusions: RBD in children may be associated with neurodevelopmental disabilities, narcolepsy, or medication use. It seems to be modestly responsive to benzodiazepines or melatonin. The etiology is distinct from that of common childhood arousal parasomnias and RBD in adults; congenital and neurodevelopmental disorders, medication effect, and narcolepsy coexisted in some, but none had an extrapyramidal neurodegenerative disorder. Citation: Lloyd R; Tippmann-Peikert M; Slocumb N; Kotagal S. Characteristics of REM sleep behavior disorder in childhood. J Clin Sleep Med 2012;8(2):127-131. PMID:22505856

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: Updated Review of the Core Features, the RBD-Neurodegenerative Disease Association, Evolving Concepts, Controversies, and Future Directions

PubMed Central

Boeve, Bradley F.

2010-01-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia manifested by vivid, often frightening dreams associated with simple or complex motor behavior during REM sleep. Patients appear to “act out their dreams,” in which the exhibited behaviors mirror the content of the dreams, and the dream content often involves a chasing or attacking theme. The polysomnographic features of RBD include increased electromyographic tone +/- dream enactment behavior during REM sleep. Management with counseling and pharmacologic measures is usually straight-forward and effective. In this review, the terminology, clinical and polysomnographic features, demographic and epidemiologic features, diagnostic criteria, differential diagnosis, and management strategies are discussed. Recent data on the suspected pathophysiologic mechanisms of RBD are also reviewed. The literature and our institutional experience on RBD are next discussed, with an emphasis on the RBD-neurodegenerative disease association and particularly the RBD-synucleinopathy association. Several issues relating to evolving concepts, controversies, and future directions are then reviewed, with an emphasis on idiopathic RBD representing an early feature of a neurodegenerative disease and particularly an evolving synucleinopathy. Planning for future therapies that impact patients with idiopathic RBD is reviewed in detail. PMID:20146689

REM sleep enhancement and behavioral cataplexy following orexin (hypocretin)-II receptor antisense perfusion in the pontine reticular formation.

PubMed

Thakkar, M M; Ramesh, V; Cape, E G; Winston, S; Strecker, R E; McCarley, R W

1999-01-01

Orexin (hypocretin)-containing neurons of the hypothalamus project to brainstem sites that are involved in the neural control of REM sleep, including the locus coeruleus, the dorsal raphe nucleus, the cholinergic zone of the mesopontine tegmentum, and the pontine reticular formation (PRF). Orexin knockout mice exhibit narcolepsy/cataplexy, and a mutant and defective gene for the orexin type II receptor is present in dogs with an inherited form of narcolepsy/cataplexy. However, the physiological systems mediating these effects have not been described. We reasoned that, since the effector neurons for the majority of REM sleep signs, including muscle atonia, were located in the PRF, this region was likely implicated in the production of these orexin-related abnormalities. To test this possibility, we used microdialysis perfusion of orexin type II receptor antisense in the PRF of rats. Ten to 24 hours after antisense perfusion, REM sleep increased two- to three-fold during both the light period (quiescent phase) and the dark period (active phase), and infrared video showed episodes of behavioral cataplexy. Moreover, preliminary data indicated no REM-related effects following perfusion with nonsense DNA, or when perfusion sites were outside the PRF. More work is needed to provide precise localization of the most effective site of orexin-induced inhibition of REM sleep phenomena.

Sleep-Related Electrophysiology and Behavior of Tinamous (Eudromia elegans): Tinamous Do Not Sleep Like Ostriches.

PubMed

Tisdale, Ryan K; Vyssotski, Alexei L; Lesku, John A; Rattenborg, Niels C

2017-01-01

The functions of slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, distinct sleep substates present in both mammals and birds, remain unresolved. One approach to gaining insight into their function is to trace the evolution of these states through examining sleep in as many taxonomic groups as possible. The mammalian and avian clades are each composed of two extant groups, i.e., the monotremes (echidna and platypus) and therian (marsupial and eutherian [or placental]) mammals, and Palaeognaths (cassowaries, emus, kiwi, ostriches, rheas, and tinamous) and Neognaths (all other birds) among birds. Previous electrophysiological studies of monotremes and ostriches have identified a unique "mixed" sleep state combining features of SWS and REM sleep unlike the well-delineated sleep states observed in all therian mammals and Neognath birds. In the platypus this state is characterized by periods of REM sleep-related myoclonic twitching, relaxed skeletal musculature, and rapid eye movements, occurring in conjunction with SWS-related slow waves in the forebrain electroencephalogram (EEG). A similar mixed state was also observed in ostriches; although in addition to occurring during periods with EEG slow waves, reduced muscle tone and rapid eye movements also occurred in conjunction with EEG activation, a pattern typical of REM sleep in Neognath birds. Collectively, these studies suggested that REM sleep occurring exclusively as an integrated state with forebrain activation might have evolved independently in the therian and Neognath lineages. To test this hypothesis, we examined sleep in the elegant crested tinamou (Eudromia elegans), a small Palaeognath bird that more closely resembles Neognath birds in size and their ability to fly. A 24-h period was scored for sleep state based on electrophysiology and behavior. Unlike ostriches, but like all of the Neognath birds examined, all indicators of REM sleep usually occurred in conjunction with forebrain activation in tinamous. The absence of a mixed REM sleep state in tinamous calls into question the idea that this state is primitive among Palaeognath birds and therefore birds in general. © 2017 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Modulation of group II metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGlu2) elicits common changes in rat and mice sleep-wake architecture.

PubMed

Ahnaou, Abdellah; Dautzenberg, Frank M; Geys, Helena; Imogai, Hassan; Gibelin, Antoine; Moechars, Dieder; Steckler, Thomas; Drinkenburg, Wilhelmus H I M

2009-01-28

Compiling pharmacological evidence implicates metabotropic glutamate mGlu(2) receptors in the regulation of emotional states and suggests positive modulators as a novel therapeutic approach of Anxiety/Depression and Schizophrenia. Here, we investigated subcutaneous effects of the metabotropic glutamate mGlu(2/3) agonist (LY354740) on sleep-wake architecture in rat. To confirm the specific effects on rapid eye movement (REM) sleep were mediated via metabotropic glutamate mGlu(2) receptors, we characterized the sleep-wake cycles in metabotropic glutamate mGlu(2) receptor deficient mice (mGlu(2)R(-/-)) and their arousal response to LY354740. We furthermore examined effects on sleep behavior in rats of the positive allosteric modulator, biphenyl-indanone A (BINA) alone and in combination with LY354740 at sub-effective doses. LY354740 (1, 3 and 10 mg/kg) dose-dependently suppressed REM sleep and prolonged its onset latency. Metabotropic glutamate mGlu(2)R(-/-) and their wild type (WT) littermates exhibited similar spontaneous sleep-wake phenotype, while LY354740 (10 mg/kg) significantly affected REM sleep variables in WT but not in the mutant. In rats, BINA (1, 3, 10, 20, 40 mg/kg) dose-dependently suppressed REM sleep, lengthened its onset latency and slightly enhanced passive waking. Additionally, combined treatment elicited a synergistic action on REM sleep variables. Our findings show common changes of REM sleep variables following modulation of metabotropic glutamate mGlu(2) receptor and support an active role of this receptor in the regulation of REM sleep. The synergistic action of BINA on LY354740's effects on sleep pattern implies that positive modulators would tune the endogenous glutamate tone suggesting potential benefit in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, in which REM sleep overdrive is manifested.

Effects of Rotigotine on REM Sleep Behavior Disorder in Parkinson Disease

PubMed Central

Wang, Yan; Yang, Yuechang; Wu, Huijuan; Lan, Danmei; Chen, Ying; Zhao, Zhongxin

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a common manifestation of Parkinson disease (PD). In this study, we assessed the effects of rotigotine transdermal patch on RBD features in patients with PD. Methods: In this prospective open-label study, eleven PD patients with untreated RBD were administered rotigotine patches for up to seven months to ameliorate their parkinsonism. The severities of their RBD symptoms before and after rotigotine therapy were evaluated through patient and bed partner interviews, a validated evaluation scale (REM sleep behavior disorder questionnaire-Hong Kong, RBDQ-HK), and blinded assessments based on video-polysomnographic (VPSG) measure. Results: Rotigotine improved parkinsonism and subjective sleep quality in PD patients with RBD. The RBDQ-HK total score, especially the Factor 2 score, was decreased, which demonstrated that the subjective severity of RBD symptoms was improved after rotigotine treatment, especially the frequency and severity of abnormal RBD-related motor behaviors. The VPSG analyses showed that the total sleep time (TST) and stage 1% were increased and that the PLMS index was decreased. However, no differences in the RBD-related sleep measures were observed. Conclusions: The improved RBD symptoms and VPSG measures of PD patients in this study (TST, stage 1%, and PLMS index) suggest that, in PD, rotigotine may partially improve RBD-related symptoms. Rotigotine should be considered to be an optional drug for the treatment of RBD symptoms in PD. Citation: Wang Y, Yang Y, Wu H, Lan D, Chen Y, Zhao Z. Effects of rotigotine on REM sleep behavior disorder in Parkinson disease. J Clin Sleep Med 2016;12(10):1403–1409. PMID:27568909

[Historical overview of REM sleep behavior disorder in relation to its pathophysiology].

PubMed

Tachibana, Naoko

2009-05-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD), which is characterized by dream-enacted, sometimes violent and aggressive, behaviors was firstly reported by Schenck and his colleagues in 1986; thereafter, it was incorporated as parasomnia in the International Classification of Sleep Disorders 1st edition (ICSD-1). The polysomnographical hallmarks of RBD include intermittent/sustained loss of the skeletal muscle atonia of REM sleep (REM sleep without atonia [RWA]); further, this finding has been mandatory in the diagnostic criterion (requiring polysomnographic [PSG] monitoring) in the ICSD-2 in 2005. The animal equivalent of RBD was previously described by Jouvet's and Morrison's groups, dated back to 1965, when Jouvet's group firstly created experimentally lesioned cats (in the bilateral pontine tegmentum areas) presenting with "oneiric behaviors". In 1970s Hishikawa's group had also described peculiar sleep state in alcoholics and other subjects of drug withdrawal with rapid eye movements and tonically increased chin muscle activity (reffered to as "Stage 1-REM with tonic EMG" [Stage 1-REM]). It was difficult to determine from the polysomnographical features whether Stage 1-REM was REM sleep or not, as this state did not preserve proper cyclic appearance of REM sleep. They also reported Stage 1-REM in patients with Shy-Drager syndrome in 1981. The latter finding of Hishikawa's group, together with RBD observed in multiple system atrophy (MSA) reported by other groups, could be best explained by the experimental cat model because of its presumed extensive brainstem pathology. However, neurophysiology of withdrawal states has not been well understood; therefore, Stage 1-REM should be reappraised from new perspectives. After 1990, more extensive studies on RBD revealed that about half of RBD cases were associated with neurological disorders, especially neurodegenerative diseases pathologically known as syncleiopathies (Parkinson disease [PD], dementia with Lewy bodies, and MSA). In addition, it has been shown that a substantial number of idiopathic RBD (iRBD) patients eventually developed Parkinsonian diseases. In accordance with accumulative data indicating that various non-parkinsonian features can precede the onset of motor symptoms of PD (or pathologically Lewy body diseases), a search of early PD markers in patients with iRBD has been performed. The results of the studies support the hypothesis of RBD as an early sign of a neurodegenerative disorder. More recently, it was reported that RBD is frequently symptomatic of narcolepsy, although the pathophysiological mechanism of this state was still unknown. RBD in stroke patients have been anecdotal; however, under such conditions, specific lesion studies can be possible, as data in the experimental RBD rats have been accumulated during these few years. In conclusion, RBD is observed in a wide range of neurological disorders, and the causative mechanism of RWA and behavioral manifestations may not only be attributable to brainstem lesions. RBD is not a homogeneous clinical entity, and further refinement of its diagnostic classification is warranted to avoid diagnostic confusion.

Sleep and memory. I: The influence of different sleep stages on memory.

PubMed

Rotenberg, V S

1992-01-01

A new approach to the sleep stages role in memory is discussed in the context of the two opposite patterns of behavior-search activity and renunciation of search. Search activity is activity designed to change the situation (or the subjects attitudes to it) in the absence of a definite forecast of the results of such activity, but with the constant consideration of these results at all stages of activity. Search activity increases general adaptability and body resistance while renunciation of search decreases adaptability and requires REM sleep for its compensation. Unprepared learning, which is often accompanied by failures on the first steps of learning, is suggested to produce renunciation of search, which decreases learning ability, suppress retention, and increase REM sleep requirement. A prolonged REM sleep deprivation before training causes learned helplessness and disturbs the learning process, while short REM sleep deprivation cause the "rebound" of the compensatory search activity that interferes with passive avoidance. REM sleep deprivation performed after a training session can increase distress caused by a training procedure, with the subsequent negative outcome on retention.

Abnormal sleep architecture is an early feature in the E46K familial synucleinopathy.

PubMed

Zarranz, Juan J; Fernández-Bedoya, Anabel; Lambarri, Imanol; Gómez-Esteban, Juan C; Lezcano, Elena; Zamacona, Javier; Madoz, Pedro

2005-10-01

We examined 7 patients from a family harboring a novel mutation in the alpha-synuclein gene (E46K) that segregated with a phenotype of parkinsonism and dementia with Lewy bodies. An abnormal restless sleep was the presenting symptom in 2 of them. Polysomnographic (PSG) studies were performed in 4 of the 7 patients and in 2 asymptomatic carriers of the mutation. A severe loss of both rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep was observed in 2 patients complaining of insomnia and in a third parkinsonian member of the family who did not complain of trouble with sleeping. Another parkinsonian family member had a mild disorganization of the sleep architecture. The 2 asymptomatic carriers also had minor changes in the PSG findings. Episodes of bizarre behavior at night were reported historically in the 2 symptomatic patients, but we did not observed the behaviors during the PSG studies. REM sleep behavior disorder could not be recorded in any case. Our findings expand the spectrum of sleep disorders reported in synucleinopathies whether sporadic or familial. Copyright (c) 2005 Movement Disorder Society.

Diagnostic Value of Isolated Mentalis Versus Mentalis Plus Upper Limb Electromyography in Idiopathic REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Patients Eventually Developing a Neurodegenerative Syndrome.

PubMed

Fernández-Arcos, Ana; Iranzo, Alex; Serradell, Mónica; Gaig, Carles; Guaita, Marc; Salamero, Manel; Santamaria, Joan

2017-04-01

To compare two electromyographic (EMG) montages, isolated mentalis muscle versus mentalis in combination with upper limb muscles in the baseline diagnostic video-polysomnography (V-PSG) of patients with idiopathic REM sleep behaviors disorder (IRBD) who eventually were diagnosed with a clinically defined neurodegenerative syndrome. Forty-nine patients were included. At baseline, diagnosis of RBD was based on a typical history of dream enactment behaviors plus V-PSG showing REM sleep with qualitative increased EMG activity and/or abnormal behaviors. Quantification of EMG activity (tonic, phasic and "any") in the mentalis and upper limb muscles (biceps brachii-BB, n = 36 or flexor digitorum superficialis-FDS, n = 13) was performed manually and compared with published cut-offs. Nine (18.4%) patients had either tonic or phasic EMG below the cut-offs for the isolated mentalis and four of them (11.1 %) also had values below the cut-off for the mentalis combined with BB. All 13 patients recorded with the FDS were above the mentalis combined with FDS cut-off. For the diagnosis of IRBD, sensitivity of isolated mentalis was 81.6% and of the combination of mentalis plus upper limb muscles was 91.8% (p = .03). Audiovisual analysis showed abnormal REM sleep behaviors in all nine patients with values below the cut-offs. Quantification of EMG activity in the upper limbs combined with the mentalis increases the ability to diagnose IRBD when compared with the isolated measurement of the mentalis. Detection of typical abnormal behaviors during REM sleep with audiovisual analysis is essential for the diagnosis of IRBD in patients with EMG values below the published cut-offs. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Heart rate variability during carbachol-induced REM sleep and cataplexy.

PubMed

Torterolo, Pablo; Castro-Zaballa, Santiago; Cavelli, Matías; Velasquez, Noelia; Brando, Victoria; Falconi, Atilio; Chase, Michael H; Migliaro, Eduardo R

2015-09-15

The nucleus pontis oralis (NPO) exerts an executive control over REM sleep. Cholinergic input to the NPO is critical for REM sleep generation. In the cat, a single microinjection of carbachol (a cholinergic agonist) into the NPO produces either REM sleep (REMc) or wakefulness with muscle atonia (cataplexy, CA). In order to study the central control of the heart rate variability (HRV) during sleep, we conducted polysomnographic and electrocardiogram recordings from chronically prepared cats during REMc, CA as well as during sleep and wakefulness. Subsequently, we performed statistical and spectral analyses of the HRV. The heart rate was greater during CA compared to REMc, NREM or REM sleep. Spectral analysis revealed that the low frequency band (LF) power was significantly higher during REM sleep in comparison to REMc and CA. Furthermore, we found that during CA there was a decrease in coupling between the RR intervals plot (tachogram) and respiratory activity. In contrast, compared to natural behavioral states, during REMc and CA there were no significant differences in the HRV based upon the standard deviation of normal RR intervals (SDNN) and the mean squared difference of successive intervals (rMSSD). In conclusion, there were differences in the HRV during naturally-occurring REM sleep compared to REMc. In addition, in spite of the same muscle atonia, the HRV was different during REMc and CA. Therefore, the neuronal network that controls the HRV during REM sleep can be dissociated from the one that generates the muscle atonia during this state. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sleep Talking (Somniloquy)

MedlinePlus

... Overview & Facts Symptoms & Risk Factors Diagnosis & Treatment Sleep Terrors Overview & Facts Symptoms & Risk Factors Diagnosis & Treatment Sleep ... radius: Email Print Parasomnias Confusional Arousals Sleepwalking Sleep Terrors Sleep Eating Disorder REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Sleep ...

Altered Sleep and Affect in the Neurotensin Receptor 1 Knockout Mouse

PubMed Central

Fitzpatrick, Karrie; Winrow, Christopher J.; Gotter, Anthony L.; Millstein, Joshua; Arbuzova, Janna; Brunner, Joseph; Kasarskis, Andrew; Vitaterna, Martha H.; Renger, John J.; Turek, Fred W.

2012-01-01

Study Objective: Sleep and mood disorders have long been understood to have strong genetic components, and there is considerable comorbidity of sleep abnormalities and mood disorders, suggesting the involvement of common genetic pathways. Here, we examine a candidate gene implicated in the regulation of both sleep and affective behavior using a knockout mouse model. Design: Previously, we identified a quantitative trait locus (QTL) for REM sleep amount, REM sleep bout number, and wake amount in a genetically segregating population of mice. Here, we show that traits mapping to this QTL correlated with an expression QTL for neurotensin receptor 1 (Ntsr1), a receptor for neurotensin, a ligand known to be involved in several psychiatric disorders. We examined sleep as well as behaviors indicative of anxiety and depression in the NTSR1 knockout mouse. Measurements and Results: NTSR1 knockouts had a lower percentage of sleep time spent in REM sleep in the dark phase and a larger diurnal variation in REM sleep duration than wild types under baseline conditions. Following sleep deprivation, NTSR1 knockouts exhibited more wake and less NREM rebound sleep. NTSR1 knockouts also showed increased anxious and despair behaviors. Conclusions: Here we illustrate a link between expression of the Ntsr1 gene and sleep traits previously associated with a particular QTL. We also demonstrate a relationship between Ntsr1 and anxiety and despair behaviors. Given the considerable evidence that anxiety and depression are closely linked with abnormalities in sleep, the data presented here provide further evidence that neurotensin and Ntsr1 may be a component of a pathway involved in both sleep and mood disorders. Citation: Fitzpatrick K; Winrow CJ; Gotter AL; Millstein J; Arbuzova J; Brunner J; Kasarskis A; Vitaterna MH; Renger JJ; Turek FW. Altered sleep and affect in the neurotensin receptor 1 knockout mouse. SLEEP 2012;35(7):949-956. PMID:22754041

Restless legs syndrome, rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, and hypersomnia in patients with two parkin mutations.

PubMed

Limousin, Nadège; Konofal, Eric; Karroum, Elias; Lohmann, Ebba; Theodorou, Ioannis; Dürr, Alexandra; Arnulf, Isabelle

2009-10-15

Parkin gene mutations cause a juvenile parkinsonism. Patients with these mutations may commonly exhibit REM sleep behaviour disorders, but other sleep problems (insomnia, sleepiness, restless legs syndrome) have not been studied. The aim of this study was to evaluate the sleep-wake phenotype in patients with two parkin mutations, compared with patients with idiopathic Parkinson's disease (iPD). Sleep interview and overnight video-polysomnography, followed by multiple sleep latency tests, were assessed in 11 consecutive patients with two parkin mutations (aged 35-60 years, from seven families) and 11 sex-matched patients with iPD (aged 51-65 years). Sleep complaints in the parkin group included insomnia (73% patients versus 45% in the iPD group), restless legs syndrome (45%, versus none in the iPD group, P = 0.04), and daytime sleepiness (45%, versus 54% in the iPD group). Of the parkin patients, 45% had REM sleep without atonia, but only 9% had a definite REM sleep behavior disorder. All sleep measures were similar in the parkin and iPD groups. Two parkin siblings had a central hypersomnia, characterized by mean daytime sleep latencies of 3 min, no sleep onset REM periods, and normal nighttime sleep. Although the patients with two parkin mutations were young, their sleep phenotype paralleled the clinical and polygraphic sleep recording abnormalities reported in iPD, except that restless legs syndrome was more prevalent and secondary narcolepsy was absent.

Phospholipase C-beta4 is essential for the progression of the normal sleep sequence and ultradian body temperature rhythms in mice.

PubMed

Ikeda, Masayuki; Hirono, Moritoshi; Sugiyama, Takashi; Moriya, Takahiro; Ikeda-Sagara, Masami; Eguchi, Naomi; Urade, Yoshihiro; Yoshioka, Tohru

2009-11-09

THE SLEEP SEQUENCE: i) non-REM sleep, ii) REM sleep, and iii) wakefulness, is stable and widely preserved in mammals, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. It has been shown that this sequence is disrupted by sudden REM sleep onset during active wakefulness (i.e., narcolepsy) in orexin-deficient mutant animals. Phospholipase C (PLC) mediates the signaling of numerous metabotropic receptors, including orexin receptors. Among the several PLC subtypes, the beta4 subtype is uniquely localized in the geniculate nucleus of thalamus which is hypothesized to have a critical role in the transition and maintenance of sleep stages. In fact, we have reported irregular theta wave frequency during REM sleep in PLC-beta4-deficient mutant (PLC-beta4-/-) mice. Daily behavioral phenotypes and metabotropic receptors involved have not been analyzed in detail in PLC-beta4-/- mice, however. Therefore, we analyzed 24-h sleep electroencephalogram in PLC-beta4-/- mice. PLC-beta4-/- mice exhibited normal non-REM sleep both during the day and nighttime. PLC-beta4-/- mice, however, exhibited increased REM sleep during the night, their active period. Also, their sleep was fragmented with unusual wake-to-REM sleep transitions, both during the day and nighttime. In addition, PLC-beta4-/- mice reduced ultradian body temperature rhythms and elevated body temperatures during the daytime, but had normal homeothermal response to acute shifts in ambient temperatures (22 degrees C-4 degrees C). Within the most likely brain areas to produce these behavioral phenotypes, we found that, not orexin, but group-1 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR)-mediated Ca(2+) mobilization was significantly reduced in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGNd) of PLC-beta4-/- mice. Voltage clamp recordings revealed that group-1 mGluR-mediated currents in LGNd relay neurons (inward in wild-type mice) were outward in PLC-beta4-/- mice. These lines of evidence indicate that impaired LGNd relay, possibly mediated via group-1 mGluR, may underlie irregular sleep sequences and ultradian body temperature rhythms in PLC-beta4-/- mice.

Carbachol models of REM sleep: recent developments and new directions.

PubMed

Kubin, L

2001-02-01

Since the early '60s, injections of a broad-spectrum muscarinic cholinergic agonist, carbachol, into the medial pontine reticular formation (mPRF) of cats have been extensively used as a tool with which to study the neural mechanisms of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. During the last decade, new carbachol models of REM sleep were introduced, including chronically instrumented/behaving rats and "reduced" preparations such as decerebrate or anesthetized cats and rats. The combined results from these distinct models show interspecies similarities and differences. The dual nature, both REM sleep-promoting and wakefulness (or arousal)-promoting, of the cholinergic effects exerted within the mPRF is more strongly expressed in rats than in cats. This strengthens the possibility suggested by earlier central neuronal recordings that active wakefulness and REM sleep have extensive common neuronal substrates, and may have evolved from a common behavioral state. Carbachol studies using different intact and reduced models also suggest that powerful REM sleep episode-terminating effects originate in suprapontine structures. In contrast, the timing of REM sleep-like episodes in decerebrate models is determined by a pontomedullary neuronal network responsible for the generation of an ultradian cycle similar to the basic rest-activity cycle of N. Kleitman. Other presumed species differences, such as the more widespread distribution of carbachol-sensitive sites or the relative failure of carbachol to increase the duration of REM sleep episodes in rats when compared to cats, may be of a quantitative or technical nature. While carbachol and many other neurotransmitters and peptides microinjected into the mPRF evoke, enhance or suppress REM sleep, the most sensitive site(s) of their actions have not been fully mapped, and the nature of the cellular and neurochemical interactions taking place at the sites where carbachol triggers the REM sleep-like state remain largely unknown. Similarly, little is known about the pathways between the mPRF and medial medullary reticular formation, but the existing evidence suggests that they are reciprocal and essential for the generation of both natural and carbachol-induced REM sleep. Studies of the mesopontine cholinergic neurons, which are hypothesized to be the main source of endogenous acetylcholine for the mPRF, need to be extended to neurons of the mPRF and cells located functionally downstream from this important site for REM sleep, or both REM sleep and active wakefulness.

Increased Motor Activity During REM Sleep Is Linked with Dopamine Function in Idiopathic REM Sleep Behavior Disorder and Parkinson Disease.

PubMed

Zoetmulder, Marielle; Nikolic, Miki; Biernat, Heidi; Korbo, Lise; Friberg, Lars; Jennum, Poul

2016-06-15

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia characterized by impaired motor inhibition during REM sleep, and dream-enacting behavior. RBD is especially associated with α-synucleinopathies, such as Parkinson disease (PD). Follow-up studies have shown that patients with idiopathic RBD (iRBD) have an increased risk of developing an α-synucleinopathy in later life. Although abundant studies have shown that degeneration of the nigrostriatal dopaminergic system is associated with daytime motor function in Parkinson disease, only few studies have investigated the relation between this system and electromyographic (EMG) activity during sleep. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between the nigrostriatal dopamine system and muscle activity during sleep in iRBD and PD. 10 iRBD patients, 10 PD patients with PD, 10 PD patients without RBD, and 10 healthy controls were included and assessed with (123)I-N-omega-fluoropropyl-2-beta-carboxymethoxy-3beta-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane ((123)I-FP-CIT) Single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) scanning ((123)I-FP-CIT SPECT), neurological examination, and polysomnography. iRBD patients and PD patients with RBD had increased EMG-activity compared to healthy controls. (123)I-FP-CIT uptake in the putamen-region was highest in controls, followed by iRBD patients, and lowest in PD patients. In iRBD patients, EMG-activity in the mentalis muscle was correlated to (123)I-FP-CIT uptake in the putamen. In PD patients, EMG-activity was correlated to anti-Parkinson medication. Our results support the hypothesis that increased EMG-activity during REM sleep is at least partly linked to the nigrostriatal dopamine system in iRBD, and with dopamine function in PD. © 2016 American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Neural Circuitry of Wakefulness and Sleep.

PubMed

Scammell, Thomas E; Arrigoni, Elda; Lipton, Jonathan O

2017-02-22

Sleep remains one of the most mysterious yet ubiquitous animal behaviors. We review current perspectives on the neural systems that regulate sleep/wake states in mammals and the circadian mechanisms that control their timing. We also outline key models for the regulation of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM sleep, how mutual inhibition between specific pathways gives rise to these distinct states, and how dysfunction in these circuits can give rise to sleep disorders. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Parasomnias

MedlinePlus

... Overview & Facts Symptoms & Risk Factors Diagnosis & Treatment Sleep Terrors Overview & Facts Symptoms & Risk Factors Diagnosis & Treatment Sleep ... the night. Parasomnias include: Sleepwalking Confusional Arousals Sleep Terrors Sleep Eating Disorder REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Nightmare ...

Ventromedial medulla inhibitory neuron inactivation induces REM sleep without atonia and REM sleep behavior disorder.

PubMed

Valencia Garcia, Sara; Brischoux, Frédéric; Clément, Olivier; Libourel, Paul-Antoine; Arthaud, Sébastien; Lazarus, Michael; Luppi, Pierre-Hervé; Fort, Patrice

2018-02-05

Despite decades of research, there is a persistent debate regarding the localization of GABA/glycine neurons responsible for hyperpolarizing somatic motoneurons during paradoxical (or REM) sleep (PS), resulting in the loss of muscle tone during this sleep state. Combining complementary neuroanatomical approaches in rats, we first show that these inhibitory neurons are localized within the ventromedial medulla (vmM) rather than within the spinal cord. We then demonstrate their functional role in PS expression through local injections of adeno-associated virus carrying specific short-hairpin RNA in order to chronically impair inhibitory neurotransmission from vmM. After such selective genetic inactivation, rats display PS without atonia associated with abnormal and violent motor activity, concomitant with a small reduction of daily PS quantity. These symptoms closely mimic human REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), a prodromal parasomnia of synucleinopathies. Our findings demonstrate the crucial role of GABA/glycine inhibitory vmM neurons in muscle atonia during PS and highlight a candidate brain region that can be susceptible to α-synuclein-dependent degeneration in RBD patients.

Linking melanism to brain development: expression of a melanism-related gene in barn owl feather follicles covaries with sleep ontogeny

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Intra-specific variation in melanocyte pigmentation, common in the animal kingdom, has caught the eye of naturalists and biologists for centuries. In vertebrates, dark, eumelanin pigmentation is often genetically determined and associated with various behavioral and physiological traits, suggesting that the genes involved in melanism have far reaching pleiotropic effects. The mechanisms linking these traits remain poorly understood, and the potential involvement of developmental processes occurring in the brain early in life has not been investigated. We examined the ontogeny of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, a state involved in brain development, in a wild population of barn owls (Tyto alba) exhibiting inter-individual variation in melanism and covarying traits. In addition to sleep, we measured melanistic feather spots and the expression of a gene in the feather follicles implicated in melanism (PCSK2). Results As in mammals, REM sleep declined with age across a period of brain development in owlets. In addition, inter-individual variation in REM sleep around this developmental trajectory was predicted by variation in PCSK2 expression in the feather follicles, with individuals expressing higher levels exhibiting a more precocial pattern characterized by less REM sleep. Finally, PCSK2 expression was positively correlated with feather spotting. Conclusions We demonstrate that the pace of brain development, as reflected in age-related changes in REM sleep, covaries with the peripheral activation of the melanocortin system. Given its role in brain development, variation in nestling REM sleep may lead to variation in adult brain organization, and thereby contribute to the behavioral and physiological differences observed between adults expressing different degrees of melanism. PMID:23886007

Melatonin Effects in REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Associated with Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Case Series.

PubMed

Schaefer, Carolin; Kunz, Dieter; Bes, Frederik

2017-01-01

REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), with its main clinical symptoms of nightmares with dream-enacting behavior, is considered as a possible precursor of neurodegenerative disease. Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome (OSAS) is known to be capable of provoking RBD-like symptoms by apneic event related arousals. The two sleep related pathologies must coincide in a relevant number of individuals because of overlapping prevalence in similar age groups. Until now RBD symptoms coexisting with OSAS are rarely described in scientific literature and in fact considered as OSAS mimicking RBD. We report four cases with a severe clinical RBD syndrome which were polysomnographically also diagnosed with concomitant OSAS (AHI range: 10.1 -53.2/h). Treatment with 2 mg prolonged release melatonin led to a relevant clinical improvement of RBD symptoms in all patients, so far untreated for the sleep related breathing disorder. Measure of REM sleep without atonia (RSWA) in polysomnography showed values ranging from 5.1 to 20.4% determined with the Montplaisir method. Surprisingly, RSWA values in PSG with melatonin were high, probably because of the still untreated OSAS. We presume that in patients with RBD and OSAS both pathologies contribute in varying degrees to the emergence of RBD symptoms by a destabilization of REM sleep. We suggest by consequence to consider a therapeutic strategy including the treatment of both disorders for an optimal therapeutic response. Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.org.

Minimal olfactory perception during sleep: why odor alarms will not work for humans.

PubMed

Carskadon, Mary A; Herz, Rachel S

2004-05-01

To examine olfactory arousal threshold during sleep in comparison to an auditory tone. On night 1, participants rated odor intensity when awake and experienced olfactory stimuli during stage 1 sleep. Night 2 involved stage 2, stage 4, and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep trials using the "staircase" threshold-detection method. Electroencephalogram, electrooculogram, electromyogram, electrocardiogram, and respiration were recorded along with behavioral response. An 800-Hz tone was given on trials when odors failed to arouse. Participants slept in individual rooms. Stimulus-delivery systems were operated from a separate room, where an experimenter observed physiologic recordings and behavioral responses. Three healthy men and 3 women aged 20 to 25 years (mean, 22 years). Two odorants, peppermint and pyridine, at 4 concentrations were presented through nasal cannulas using an air-dilution olfactometer. Tones were played over a speaker. Behavioral (button press and oral) responses, electroencephalographic activation, and changes in breathing and heart rate were assessed. Participants responded to odors on 92% of stage 1 sleep trials. Peppermint was ineffective in stages 2, 4, and REM sleep. Pyridine produced behavioral threshold on 45% of stage 2 trials, none in stage 4, and one third of REM sleep trials. Tones were effective on at least 75% of trials. Heart rate increased significantly only following behavioral responses to odors or tones across sleep stages. The data indicate that human olfaction is not reliably capable of alerting a sleeper.

[Regulation of the phases of the sleep-wakefulness cycle with histamine].

PubMed

Diez-Garcia, A; Garzon, M

2017-03-16

Distributed neural networks in the brain sustain generation of wakefulness and two sleep states: non-REM sleep and REM sleep. These three behavioral states are jointly ingrained in a rhythmic sequence that constitutes the sleep-wakefulness cycle. This paper reviews and updates knowledge about the involvement of the histaminergic system in sleep-wakefulness cycle organization. Histaminergic neurons are exclusively located in the hypothalamic tuberomammillary nucleus, but are the source of a widespread projection system to many brain regions. Histamine neurons are active during waking, especially with high attention need, and remain silent in both non-REM and REM sleep. There have been described four metabotropic histamine receptors, of which H1R, H2R and H3R are present in the nervous system. H1R and H2R are mainly postsynaptic heteroreceptors, whereas H3R is thought to be mostly a presynaptic auto- and hetero-receptor. Histaminergic neurons are excited by hypocretinergic neurons and most of the arousing hypocretin effects are thought to depend on histaminergic actions. Interactions among histaminergic axons and cholinergic nuclei within forebrain and brainstem are particularly important for cortical activation. In contrast, histaminergic tuberomammillary neurons, similarly to other aminergic neurons in locus coeruleus or dorsal raphe nucleus, are inhibited by non-REM sleep-promoting neurons of the preoptic region. Further inhibitory actions on histamine neurons come from adenosine release on tuberomammillary region. Finally, histaminergic neurons inhibit REM-on hypothalamic neurons containing melanine-concentrating hormone, thus supporting a permissive role of tuberomammillary nucleus in REM sleep. Actually, knockout mice for histidine decarboxylase, the enzyme synthetizing histamine, show a significant REM sleep increase.

Sleep-related declarative memory consolidation and verbal replay during sleep talking in patients with REM sleep behavior disorder.

PubMed

Uguccioni, Ginevra; Pallanca, Olivier; Golmard, Jean-Louis; Dodet, Pauline; Herlin, Bastien; Leu-Semenescu, Smaranda; Arnulf, Isabelle

2013-01-01

To determine if sleep talkers with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) would utter during REM sleep sentences learned before sleep, and to evaluate their verbal memory consolidation during sleep. Eighteen patients with RBD and 10 controls performed two verbal memory tasks (16 words from the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test and a 220-263 word long modified Story Recall Test) in the evening, followed by nocturnal video-polysomnography and morning recall (night-time consolidation). In 9 patients with RBD, daytime consolidation (morning learning/recall, evening recall) was also evaluated with the modified Story Recall Test in a cross-over order. Two RBD patients with dementia were studied separately. Sleep talking was recorded using video-polysomnography, and the utterances were compared to the studied texts by two external judges. Sleep-related verbal memory consolidation was maintained in patients with RBD (+24±36% words) as in controls (+9±18%, p=0.3). The two demented patients with RBD also exhibited excellent nighttime consolidation. The post-sleep performance was unrelated to the sleep measures (including continuity, stages, fragmentation and apnea-hypopnea index). Daytime consolidation (-9±19%) was worse than night-time consolidation (+29±45%, p=0.03) in the subgroup of 9 patients with RBD. Eleven patients with RBD spoke during REM sleep and pronounced a median of 20 words, which represented 0.0003% of sleep with spoken language. A single patient uttered a sentence that was judged to be semantically (but not literally) related to the text learned before sleep. Verbal declarative memory normally consolidates during sleep in patients with RBD. The incorporation of learned material within REM sleep-associated sleep talking in one patient (unbeknownst to himself) at the semantic level suggests a replay at a highly cognitive creative level.

Sleep-Related Declarative Memory Consolidation and Verbal Replay during Sleep Talking in Patients with REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

PubMed Central

Uguccioni, Ginevra; Pallanca, Olivier; Golmard, Jean-Louis; Dodet, Pauline; Herlin, Bastien; Leu-Semenescu, Smaranda; Arnulf, Isabelle

2013-01-01

Objective To determine if sleep talkers with REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) would utter during REM sleep sentences learned before sleep, and to evaluate their verbal memory consolidation during sleep. Methods Eighteen patients with RBD and 10 controls performed two verbal memory tasks (16 words from the Free and Cued Selective Reminding Test and a 220-263 word long modified Story Recall Test) in the evening, followed by nocturnal video-polysomnography and morning recall (night-time consolidation). In 9 patients with RBD, daytime consolidation (morning learning/recall, evening recall) was also evaluated with the modified Story Recall Test in a cross-over order. Two RBD patients with dementia were studied separately. Sleep talking was recorded using video-polysomnography, and the utterances were compared to the studied texts by two external judges. Results Sleep-related verbal memory consolidation was maintained in patients with RBD (+24±36% words) as in controls (+9±18%, p=0.3). The two demented patients with RBD also exhibited excellent nighttime consolidation. The post-sleep performance was unrelated to the sleep measures (including continuity, stages, fragmentation and apnea-hypopnea index). Daytime consolidation (-9±19%) was worse than night-time consolidation (+29±45%, p=0.03) in the subgroup of 9 patients with RBD. Eleven patients with RBD spoke during REM sleep and pronounced a median of 20 words, which represented 0.0003% of sleep with spoken language. A single patient uttered a sentence that was judged to be semantically (but not literally) related to the text learned before sleep. Conclusion Verbal declarative memory normally consolidates during sleep in patients with RBD. The incorporation of learned material within REM sleep-associated sleep talking in one patient (unbeknownst to himself) at the semantic level suggests a replay at a highly cognitive creative level. PMID:24349492

Autism and sleep disorders.

PubMed

Devnani, Preeti A; Hegde, Anaita U

2015-01-01

"Autism Spectrum Disorders" (ASDs) are neurodevelopment disorders and are characterized by persistent impairments in reciprocal social interaction and communication. Sleep problems in ASD, are a prominent feature that have an impact on social interaction, day to day life, academic achievement, and have been correlated with increased maternal stress and parental sleep disruption. Polysomnography studies of ASD children showed most of their abnormalities related to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep which included decreased quantity, increased undifferentiated sleep, immature organization of eye movements into discrete bursts, decreased time in bed, total sleep time, REM sleep latency, and increased proportion of stage 1 sleep. Implementation of nonpharmacotherapeutic measures such as bedtime routines and sleep-wise approach is the mainstay of behavioral management. Treatment strategies along with limited regulated pharmacotherapy can help improve the quality of life in ASD children and have a beneficial impact on the family. PubMed search was performed for English language articles from January 1995 to January 2015. Following key words: Autism spectrum disorder, sleep disorders and autism, REM sleep and autism, cognitive behavioral therapy, sleep-wise approach, melatonin and ASD were used. Only articles reporting primary data relevant to the above questions were included.

What Does the Sleeping Brain Say? Syntax and Semantics of Sleep Talking in Healthy Subjects and in Parasomnia Patients.

PubMed

Arnulf, Isabelle; Uguccioni, Ginevra; Gay, Frederick; Baldayrou, Etienne; Golmard, Jean-Louis; Gayraud, Frederique; Devevey, Alain

2017-11-01

Speech is a complex function in humans, but the linguistic characteristics of sleep talking are unknown. We analyzed sleep-associated speech in adults, mostly (92%) during parasomnias. The utterances recorded during night-time video-polysomnography were analyzed for number of words, propositions and speech episodes, frequency, gaps and pauses (denoting turn-taking in the conversation), lemmatization, verbosity, negative/imperative/interrogative tone, first/second person, politeness, and abuse. Two hundred thirty-two subjects (aged 49.5 ± 20 years old; 41% women; 129 with rapid eye movement [REM] sleep behavior disorder and 87 with sleepwalking/sleep terrors, 15 healthy subjects, and 1 patient with sleep apnea speaking in non-REM sleep) uttered 883 speech episodes, containing 59% nonverbal utterance (mumbles, shouts, whispers, and laughs) and 3349 understandable words. The most frequent word was "No": negations represented 21.4% of clauses (more in non-REM sleep). Interrogations were found in 26% of speech episodes (more in non-REM sleep), and subordinate clauses were found in 12.9% of speech episodes. As many as 9.7% of clauses contained profanities (more in non-REM sleep). Verbal abuse lasted longer in REM sleep and was mostly directed toward insulting or condemning someone, whereas swearing predominated in non-REM sleep. Men sleep-talked more than women and used a higher proportion of profanities. Apparent turn-taking in the conversation respected the usual language gaps. Sleep talking parallels awake talking for syntax, semantics, and turn-taking in conversation, suggesting that the sleeping brain can function at a high level. Language during sleep is mostly a familiar, tensed conversation with inaudible others, suggestive of conflicts. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press [on behalf of the Sleep Research Society]. All rights reserved. For permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com

Cellular and Molecular Mechanisms of REM Sleep Homeostatic Drive: A Plausible Component for Behavioral Plasticity

PubMed Central

Datta, Subimal; Oliver, Michael D.

2017-01-01

Homeostatic regulation of REM sleep drive, as measured by an increase in the number of REM sleep transitions, plays a key role in neuronal and behavioral plasticity (i.e., learning and memory). Deficits in REM sleep homeostatic drive (RSHD) are implicated in the development of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Yet, the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this RSHD remain to be incomplete. To further our understanding of this mechanism, the current study was performed on freely moving rats to test a hypothesis that a positive interaction between extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1 and 2 (ERK1/2) activity and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signaling in the pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPT) is a causal factor for the development of RSHD. Behavioral results of this study demonstrated that a short period (<90 min) of selective REM sleep restriction (RSR) exhibited a strong RSHD. Molecular analyses revealed that this increased RSHD increased phosphorylation and activation of ERK1/2 and BDNF expression in the PPT. Additionally, pharmacological results demonstrated that the application of the ERK1/2 activation inhibitor U0126 into the PPT prevented RSHD and suppressed BDNF expression in the PPT. These results, for the first time, suggest that the positive interaction between ERK1/2 and BDNF in the PPT is a casual factor for the development of RSHD. These findings provide a novel direction in understanding how RSHD-associated specific molecular changes can facilitate neuronal plasticity and memory processing. PMID:28959190

Neurobiological Mechanisms for the Regulation of Mammalian Sleep-Wake Behavior: Reinterpretation of Historical Evidence and Inclusion of Contemporary Cellular and Molecular Evidence

PubMed Central

Datta, Subimal; MacLean, Robert Ross

2007-01-01

At its most basic level, the function of mammalian sleep can be described as a restorative process of the brain and body; recently, however, progressive research has revealed a host of vital functions to which sleep is essential. Although many excellent reviews on sleep behavior have been published, none have incorporated contemporary studies examining the molecular mechanisms that govern the various stages of sleep. Utilizing a holistic approach, this review is focused on the basic mechanisms involved in the transition from wakefulness, initiation of sleep and the subsequent generation of slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Additionally, using recent molecular studies and experimental evidence that provides a direct link to sleep as a behavior, we have developed a new model, the Cellular-Molecular-Network model, explaining the mechanisms responsible for regulating REM sleep. By analyzing the fundamental neurobiological mechanisms responsible for the generation and maintenance of sleep-wake behavior in mammals, we intend to provide a broader understanding of our present knowledge in the field of sleep research. PMID:17445891

REM Sleep Phase Preference in the Crepuscular Octodon degus Assessed by Selective REM Sleep Deprivation

PubMed Central

Ocampo-Garcés, Adrián; Hernández, Felipe; Palacios, Adrian G.

2013-01-01

Study Objectives: To determine rapid eye movement (REM) sleep phase preference in a crepuscular mammal (Octodon degus) by challenging the specific REM sleep homeostatic response during the diurnal and nocturnal anticrepuscular rest phases. Design: We have investigated REM sleep rebound, recovery, and documented REM sleep propensity measures during and after diurnal and nocturnal selective REM sleep deprivations. Subjects: Nine male wild-captured O. degus prepared for polysomnographic recordings Interventions: Animals were recorded during four consecutive baseline and two separate diurnal or nocturnal deprivation days, under a 12:12 light-dark schedule. Three-h selective REM sleep deprivations were performed, starting at midday (zeitgeber time 6) or midnight (zeitgeber time 18). Measurements and Results: Diurnal and nocturnal REM sleep deprivations provoked equivalent amounts of REM sleep debt, but a consistent REM sleep rebound was found only after nocturnal deprivation. The nocturnal rebound was characterized by a complete recovery of REM sleep associated with an augment in REM/total sleep time ratio and enhancement in REM sleep episode consolidation. Conclusions: Our results support the notion that the circadian system actively promotes REM sleep. We propose that the sleep-wake cycle of O. degus is modulated by a chorus of circadian oscillators with a bimodal crepuscular modulation of arousal and a unimodal promotion of nocturnal REM sleep. Citation: Ocampo-Garcés A; Hernández F; Palacios AG. REM sleep phase preference in the crepuscular Octodon degus assessed by selective REM sleep deprivation. SLEEP 2013;36(8):1247-1256. PMID:23904685

Mechanisms and models of REM sleep control.

PubMed

McCarley, R W

2004-07-01

The first sections of this paper survey the history and recent developments relevant to the major neurotransmitters and neuromodulators involved in REM sleep control. The last portion of this paper proposes a structural model of cellular interaction that produces the REM sleep cycle, and constitutes a further revision of the reciprocal interaction model This paper proposes seven criteria to define a causal role in REM sleep control for putative neuro-transmitters/modulators. The principal criteria are measurements during behavioral state changes of the extracellular concentrations of the putative substances, and electrophysiological recording of their neuronal source. A cautionary note is that, while pharmacological manipulations are suggestive, they alone do not provide definitive causal evidence. The extensive body of in vivo and in vitro evidence supporting cholinergic promotion of REM sleep via LDT/PPT neuronal activity is surveyed. An interesting question raised by some studies is whether cholinergic influences in rat are less puissant than in cat. At least some of the apparent lesser REM-inducing effect of carbachol in the rat may be due to incomplete control of circadian influences; almost all experiments have been run only in the daytime, inactive period, when REM sleep is more prominent, rather than in the REM-sparse nighttime inactive period. Monoaminergic inhibition of cholinergic neurons, once thought to be the most shaky proposal of the reciprocal interaction model, now enjoys considerable support from both in vivo and in vitro data. However, the observed time course of monoaminergic neurons, their "turning off" discharge activity as REM sleep is approached and entered would seem to be difficult to produce from feedback inhibition, as originally postulated by the reciprocal interaction model. New data suggest the possibility that GABAergic inhibition of Locus Coeruleus and Dorsal Raphe monoaminergic neurons may account for the "REM-off" neurons turning off. However, the source(s) of GABAergic influences suggested by anatomical studies has yet to be definitively identified by electrophysiological recordings of GABAergic neurons that show the requisite inverse time course of activity relative to monoaminergic neurons. New and still preliminary microdialysis data suggest that reticular formation neurons, the effector neurons for REM sleep phenomena, might be disinhibited during REM sleep by decreased GABAergic influence, perhaps stemming from REM-on cholinergic neuronal inhibition of reticular formation GABAergic neurons. Whether the postulated cholinergic inhibition of GABAergic neurons is present is testable with in vitro recordings and double labeling. Taking into account the observed data on neuro-modulators/transmitters, a structural model incorporating interaction of REM-on and REM-off neurons and GABAergic influences is proposed. Finally, with respect to orexin and REM sleep, it is hypothesized that orexinergic activity may be a principal factor controlling REM sleep's absence from the active period in strongly circadian animals such as rat and man.

Experimental Evidence for Phase Synchronization Transitions in the Human Cardiorespiratory System

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bartsch, Ronny; Kantelhardt, Jan W.; Penzel, Thomas; Havlin, Shlomo

2007-02-01

Transitions in the dynamics of complex systems can be characterized by changes in the synchronization behavior of their components. Taking the human cardiorespiratory system as an example and using an automated procedure for screening the synchrograms of 112 healthy subjects we study the frequency and the distribution of synchronization episodes under different physiological conditions that occur during sleep. We find that phase synchronization between heartbeat and breathing is significantly enhanced during non-rapid-eye-movement (non-REM) sleep (deep sleep and light sleep) and reduced during REM sleep. Our results suggest that the synchronization is mainly due to a weak influence of the breathing oscillator upon the heartbeat oscillator, which is disturbed in the presence of long-term correlated noise, superimposed by the activity of higher brain regions during REM sleep.

Phospholipase C-β4 Is Essential for the Progression of the Normal Sleep Sequence and Ultradian Body Temperature Rhythms in Mice

PubMed Central

Ikeda, Masayuki; Hirono, Moritoshi; Sugiyama, Takashi; Moriya, Takahiro; Ikeda-Sagara, Masami; Eguchi, Naomi; Urade, Yoshihiro; Yoshioka, Tohru

2009-01-01

Background The sleep sequence: i) non-REM sleep, ii) REM sleep, and iii) wakefulness, is stable and widely preserved in mammals, but the underlying mechanisms are unknown. It has been shown that this sequence is disrupted by sudden REM sleep onset during active wakefulness (i.e., narcolepsy) in orexin-deficient mutant animals. Phospholipase C (PLC) mediates the signaling of numerous metabotropic receptors, including orexin receptors. Among the several PLC subtypes, the β4 subtype is uniquely localized in the geniculate nucleus of thalamus which is hypothesized to have a critical role in the transition and maintenance of sleep stages. In fact, we have reported irregular theta wave frequency during REM sleep in PLC-β4-deficient mutant (PLC-β4−/−) mice. Daily behavioral phenotypes and metabotropic receptors involved have not been analyzed in detail in PLC-β4−/− mice, however. Methodology/Principal Findings Therefore, we analyzed 24-h sleep electroencephalogram in PLC-β4−/− mice. PLC-β4−/− mice exhibited normal non-REM sleep both during the day and nighttime. PLC-β4−/− mice, however, exhibited increased REM sleep during the night, their active period. Also, their sleep was fragmented with unusual wake-to-REM sleep transitions, both during the day and nighttime. In addition, PLC-β4−/− mice reduced ultradian body temperature rhythms and elevated body temperatures during the daytime, but had normal homeothermal response to acute shifts in ambient temperatures (22°C–4°C). Within the most likely brain areas to produce these behavioral phenotypes, we found that, not orexin, but group-1 metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR)-mediated Ca2+ mobilization was significantly reduced in the dorsal lateral geniculate nucleus (LGNd) of PLC-β4−/− mice. Voltage clamp recordings revealed that group-1 mGluR-mediated currents in LGNd relay neurons (inward in wild-type mice) were outward in PLC-β4−/− mice. Conclusions/Significance These lines of evidence indicate that impaired LGNd relay, possibly mediated via group-1 mGluR, may underlie irregular sleep sequences and ultradian body temperature rhythms in PLC-β4−/− mice. PMID:19898623

Slow oscillating transcranial direct current stimulation during non-rapid eye movement sleep improves behavioral inhibition in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

PubMed Central

Munz, Manuel T.; Prehn-Kristensen, Alexander; Thielking, Frederieke; Mölle, Matthias; Göder, Robert; Baving, Lioba

2015-01-01

Background: Behavioral inhibition, which is a later-developing executive function (EF) and anatomically located in prefrontal areas, is impaired in attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While optimal EFs have been shown to depend on efficient sleep in healthy subjects, the impact of sleep problems, frequently reported in ADHD, remains elusive. Findings of macroscopic sleep changes in ADHD are inconsistent, but there is emerging evidence for distinct microscopic changes with a focus on prefrontal cortical regions and non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) slow-wave sleep. Recently, slow oscillations (SO) during non-REM sleep were found to be less functional and, as such, may be involved in sleep-dependent memory impairments in ADHD. Objective:By augmenting slow-wave power through bilateral, slow oscillating transcranial direct current stimulation (so-tDCS, frequency = 0.75 Hz) during non-REM sleep, we aimed to improve daytime behavioral inhibition in children with ADHD. Methods: Fourteen boys (10–14 years) diagnosed with ADHD were included. In a randomized, double-blind, cross-over design, patients received so-tDCS either in the first or in the second experimental sleep night. Inhibition control was assessed with a visuomotor go/no-go task. Intrinsic alertness was assessed with a simple stimulus response task. To control for visuomotor performance, motor memory was assessed with a finger sequence tapping task. Results: SO-power was enhanced during early non-REM sleep, accompanied by slowed reaction times and decreased standard deviations of reaction times, in the go/no-go task after so-tDCS. In contrast, intrinsic alertness, and motor memory performance were not improved by so-tDCS. Conclusion: Since behavioral inhibition but not intrinsic alertness or motor memory was improved by so-tDCS, our results suggest that lateral prefrontal slow oscillations during sleep might play a specific role for executive functioning in ADHD. PMID:26321911

Slow oscillating transcranial direct current stimulation during non-rapid eye movement sleep improves behavioral inhibition in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Munz, Manuel T; Prehn-Kristensen, Alexander; Thielking, Frederieke; Mölle, Matthias; Göder, Robert; Baving, Lioba

2015-01-01

Behavioral inhibition, which is a later-developing executive function (EF) and anatomically located in prefrontal areas, is impaired in attention-deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). While optimal EFs have been shown to depend on efficient sleep in healthy subjects, the impact of sleep problems, frequently reported in ADHD, remains elusive. Findings of macroscopic sleep changes in ADHD are inconsistent, but there is emerging evidence for distinct microscopic changes with a focus on prefrontal cortical regions and non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) slow-wave sleep. Recently, slow oscillations (SO) during non-REM sleep were found to be less functional and, as such, may be involved in sleep-dependent memory impairments in ADHD. By augmenting slow-wave power through bilateral, slow oscillating transcranial direct current stimulation (so-tDCS, frequency = 0.75 Hz) during non-REM sleep, we aimed to improve daytime behavioral inhibition in children with ADHD. Fourteen boys (10-14 years) diagnosed with ADHD were included. In a randomized, double-blind, cross-over design, patients received so-tDCS either in the first or in the second experimental sleep night. Inhibition control was assessed with a visuomotor go/no-go task. Intrinsic alertness was assessed with a simple stimulus response task. To control for visuomotor performance, motor memory was assessed with a finger sequence tapping task. SO-power was enhanced during early non-REM sleep, accompanied by slowed reaction times and decreased standard deviations of reaction times, in the go/no-go task after so-tDCS. In contrast, intrinsic alertness, and motor memory performance were not improved by so-tDCS. Since behavioral inhibition but not intrinsic alertness or motor memory was improved by so-tDCS, our results suggest that lateral prefrontal slow oscillations during sleep might play a specific role for executive functioning in ADHD.

The Biology of REM Sleep

PubMed Central

Peever, John; Fuller, Patrick M.

2018-01-01

Considerable advances in our understanding of the mechanisms and functions of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep have occurred over the past decade. Much of this progress can be attributed to the development of new neuroscience tools that have enabled high-precision interrogation of brain circuitry linked with REM sleep control, in turn revealing how REM sleep mechanisms themselves impact processes such as sensorimotor function. This review is intended to update the general scientific community about the recent mechanistic, functional and conceptual developments in our current understanding of REM sleep biology and pathobiology. Specifically, this review outlines the historical origins of the discovery of REM sleep, the diversity of REM sleep expression across and within species, the potential functions of REM sleep (e.g., memory consolidation), the neural circuits that control REM sleep, and how dysfunction of REM sleep mechanisms underlie debilitating sleep disorders such as REM sleep behaviour disorder and narcolepsy. PMID:26766231

REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder in Older Individuals: Epidemiology, Pathophysiology, and Management

PubMed Central

Trotti, Lynn Marie

2010-01-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a sleep disorder that predominantly affects older adults, in which patients appear to be enacting their dreams while in REM sleep. The behaviors are typically violent, in association with violent dream content, so serious harm can be done to the patient or the bed-partner. The estimated prevalence in adults is 0.4–0.5%, but the frequency is much higher in certain neurodegenerative diseases, especially Parkinson's disease, Dementia with Lewy bodies, and multiple systems atrophy. RBD can occur in the absence of diagnosed neurologic diseases (the “idiopathic” form), although patients with this form of RBD may have subtle neurologic abnormalities and often ultimately develop a neurodegenerative disorder. Animal models and cases of RBD developing after brainstem lesions (pontine tegmentum, medulla) have led to the understanding that RBD is caused by a lack of normal REM muscle atonia and a lack of normal suppression of locomotor generators during REM. Clonazepam is used as first-line therapy for RBD and melatonin for second-line therapy, although evidence for both of these interventions comes from uncontrolled case series. Because the risk of injury to the patient or the bed-partner is high, interventions to improve the safety of the sleep environment are also often necessary. This review describes the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of RBD. PMID:20524706

Complex dream-enacting behavior in sleepwalking.

PubMed

Pillmann, Frank

2009-02-01

Currently, dream-enacting behaviors are viewed as occurring typically in association with a REM-sleep behavior disorder. In some cases, dream-like mentation is found also in non-REM parasomnia. We report a case of complex and dramatic sleepwalking behavior in a 26-year-old adult male who tied his 4-month-old daughter to the clothesline in the attic of his house. The explanation of this seemingly senseless behavior, which was related to psychosocial stressors, was found in a detailed dream-like mentation that was reported by the patient. At the same time, an organic factor, namely, a worsening of the patient's asthma, was identified as the cause of an increased fragmentation of sleep. In some cases of non-REM parasomnia, detailed dream-like mentation may act as a bridge between psychosocial stressors and the specific parasomnic behavior.

Relationship between polysomnographic sleep architecture and behavior in medication-free children with TS, ADHD, TS and ADHD, and controls.

PubMed

Stephens, Robyn J; Chung, Sharon A; Jovanovic, Dragana; Guerra, Randy; Stephens, Brandon; Sandor, Paul; Shapiro, Colin M

2013-01-01

To describe the relationship between sleep architecture and behavioral measures in unmedicated children and adolescents with Tourette syndrome (TS), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), TS and comorbid ADHD (TS + ADHD), and healthy controls. The study also set out to examine differences in sleep architecture with each diagnosis. A cross-sectional, 2-night consecutive polysomnographic sleep study was conducted in 90 children. All participants were matched for age, gender, and level of intelligence. Scores on the Child Behavior Checklist delinquency measure were modestly but significantly correlated with the number of movements during REM sleep (r = .36, p = .003). Significant correlations were also noted among the number of total arousals and arousals from slow wave sleep (SWS), and scores on the measures of conduct disorder, hyperactivity/immaturity, and restless/disorganized behaviors. There were a few significant differences in sleep architecture among the diagnostic groups. The ADHD-only group exhibited a significantly higher number of total arousals (p < .01) and arousals from SWS (p < .01) compared with the other three study groups. Our findings indicate that children with TS and/or ADHD and who have more arousals from sleep are significantly more likely to have issues with conduct disorder, hyperactivity/immaturity, and restless/disorganized behavior. It was also noted that having ADHD, alone or comorbid with TS, is associated with a significantly greater number of movements during both non-REM and REM sleep. This study underscores the compelling need for the diagnosis and treatment of any sleep disorders in children with TS and/or ADHD so as to facilitate better management of problem behaviors.

Different types of avoidance behavior in rats produce dissociable post-training changes in sleep.

PubMed

Fogel, Stuart M; Smith, Carlyle T; Higginson, Caitlin D; Beninger, Richard J

2011-02-01

Avoidance learning affects post-training sleep, and post-training sleep deprivation impairs performance. However, not all rats learn to make avoidance responses, and some rats fail to escape; a definitive behavior of learned helplessness, a model of depression. This study investigated the changes in sleep associated with different behaviors adopted following avoidance training. Rats (n=53) were trained for 100 trials over 2 days (50 trials/day), followed by 23-24 h of post-training polysomnography, then re-tested (25 trials). At re-test, rats were categorized into: 1) Active Avoiders (AA; n=22), 2), Non-learning (NL; n=21), or 3) Escape Failures (EF; n=10). AA rats increased avoidances over days, whereas the NL and EF groups did not. EF rats increased escape failures over days, whereas the NL and AA rats did not. EF rats had increased rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in the first 4h on training day 1. They also had increased non-REM sleep in the first 4h and last 4h on both training days. AA rats had increased REM sleep 13-20 h post-training. The type of behavioral strategy adopted throughout training is associated with a unique pattern of changes in post-training sleep. Training-dependent changes in post-acquisition sleep may reflect distinct processes involved in the consolidation of these different memory traces. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Behavioral sleep-wake homeostasis and EEG delta power are decoupled by chronic sleep restriction in the rat.

PubMed

Stephenson, Richard; Caron, Aimee M; Famina, Svetlana

2015-05-01

Chronic sleep restriction (CSR) is prevalent in society and is linked to adverse consequences that might be ameliorated by acclimation of homeostatic drive. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the sleep-wake homeostat will acclimatize to CSR. A four-parameter model of proportional control was used to quantify sleep homeostasis with and without recourse to a sleep intensity function. Animal laboratory, rodent walking-wheel apparatus. Male Sprague-Dawley rats. Acute total sleep deprivation (TSD, 1 day × 18 or 24 h, N = 12), CSR (10 days × 18 h TSD, N = 5, or 5 days × 20 h TSD, N = 6). Behavioral rebounds were consistent with model predictions for proportional control of cumulative times in wake, nonrapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). Delta (D) energy homeostasis was secondary to behavioral homeostasis; a biphasic NREM D power rebound contributed to the dynamics (rapid response) but not to the magnitude of the rebound in D energy. REM behavioral homeostasis was little affected by CSR. NREM behavioral homeostasis was attenuated in proportion to cumulative NREM deficit, whereas the biphasic NREM D power rebound was only slightly suppressed, indicating decoupled regulatory mechanisms following CSR. We conclude that sleep homeostasis is achieved through behavioral regulation, that the NREM behavioral homeostat is susceptible to attenuation during CSR and that the concept of sleep intensity is not essential in a model of sleep-wake regulation. Chronic sleep restriction (CSR) is prevalent in society and is linked to adverse consequences that might be ameliorated by acclimation of homeostatic drive. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the sleep-wake homeostat will acclimatize to CSR. A four-parameter model of proportional control was used to quantify sleep homeostasis with and without recourse to a sleep intensity function. Animal laboratory, rodent walking-wheel apparatus. Male Sprague-Dawley rats. Acute total sleep deprivation (TSD, 1 day × 18 or 24 h, N = 12), CSR (10 days × 18 h TSD, N = 5, or 5 days × 20 h TSD, N = 6). Behavioral rebounds were consistent with model predictions for proportional control of cumulative times in wake, nonrapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM). Delta (D) energy homeostasis was secondary to behavioral homeostasis; a biphasic NREM D power rebound contributed to the dynamics (rapid response) but not to the magnitude of the rebound in D energy. REM behavioral homeostasis was little affected by CSR. NREM behavioral homeostasis was attenuated in proportion to cumulative NREM deficit, whereas the biphasic NREM D power rebound was only slightly suppressed, indicating decoupled regulatory mechanisms following CSR. We conclude that sleep homeostasis is achieved through behavioral regulation, that the NREM behavioral homeostat is susceptible to attenuation during CSR and that the concept of sleep intensity is not essential in a model of sleep-wake regulation. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Endogenous GABA levels in the pontine reticular formation are greater during wakefulness than during rapid eye movement sleep.

PubMed

Vanini, Giancarlo; Wathen, Bradley L; Lydic, Ralph; Baghdoyan, Helen A

2011-02-16

Studies using drugs that increase or decrease GABAergic transmission suggest that GABA in the pontine reticular formation (PRF) promotes wakefulness and inhibits rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Cholinergic transmission in the PRF promotes REM sleep, and levels of endogenous acetylcholine (ACh) in the PRF are significantly greater during REM sleep than during wakefulness or non-REM (NREM) sleep. No previous studies have determined whether levels of endogenous GABA in the PRF vary as a function of sleep and wakefulness. This study tested the hypothesis that GABA levels in cat PRF are greatest during wakefulness and lowest during REM sleep. Extracellular GABA levels were measured during wakefulness, NREM sleep, REM sleep, and the REM sleep-like state (REM(Neo)) caused by microinjecting neostigmine into the PRF. GABA levels varied significantly as a function of sleep and wakefulness, and decreased significantly below waking levels during REM sleep (-42%) and REM(Neo) (-63%). The decrease in GABA levels during NREM sleep (22% below waking levels) was not statistically significant. Compared with NREM sleep, GABA levels decreased significantly during REM sleep (-27%) and REM(Neo) (-52%). Comparisons of REM sleep and REM(Neo) revealed no differences in GABA levels or cortical EEG power. GABA levels did not vary significantly as a function of dialysis site within the PRF. The inverse relationship between changes in PRF levels of GABA and ACh during REM sleep indicates that low GABAergic tone combined with high cholinergic tone in the PRF contributes to the generation of REM sleep.

Effects of Rotigotine on REM Sleep Behavior Disorder in Parkinson Disease.

PubMed

Wang, Yan; Yang, Yuechang; Wu, Huijuan; Lan, Danmei; Chen, Ying; Zhao, Zhongxin

2016-10-15

REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a common manifestation of Parkinson disease (PD). In this study, we assessed the effects of rotigotine transdermal patch on RBD features in patients with PD. In this prospective open-label study, eleven PD patients with untreated RBD were administered rotigotine patches for up to seven months to ameliorate their parkinsonism. The severities of their RBD symptoms before and after rotigotine therapy were evaluated through patient and bed partner interviews, a validated evaluation scale (REM sleep behavior disorder questionnaire-Hong Kong, RBDQ-HK), and blinded assessments based on video-polysomnographic (VPSG) measure. Rotigotine improved parkinsonism and subjective sleep quality in PD patients with RBD. The RBDQ-HK total score, especially the Factor 2 score, was decreased, which demonstrated that the subjective severity of RBD symptoms was improved after rotigotine treatment, especially the frequency and severity of abnormal RBD-related motor behaviors. The VPSG analyses showed that the total sleep time (TST) and stage 1% were increased and that the PLMS index was decreased. However, no differences in the RBD-related sleep measures were observed. The improved RBD symptoms and VPSG measures of PD patients in this study (TST, stage 1%, and PLMS index) suggest that, in PD, rotigotine may partially improve RBD-related symptoms. Rotigotine should be considered to be an optional drug for the treatment of RBD symptoms in PD. © 2016 American Academy of Sleep Medicine

The role of omega-3 on modulation of cognitive deficiency induced by REM sleep deprivation in rats.

PubMed

Nasehi, Mohammad; Nezhad, Seyed Moslem Mousavi; Khakpai, Fatemeh; Zarrindast, Mohammad-Reza

2018-06-02

Prolonged sleep deprivation causes cognitive deficits. In rats, for instance, sleep deprivation weakens spatial learning and long-term potentiation (LTP). We examined the effects of omega-3 on cognitive deficiency induced by REM sleep deprivation (RSD). For this purpose, we used a fear conditioning paradigm, forced swim test (FST) apparatus, and hot plate test. Intravenously omega-3 injection was performed during 3 consecutive days. Rats trained in the fear conditioning apparatus after 24 hours. During conditioning, animals were received foot shocks, either alone or paired with a sound. Sleep deprivation paradigm was carried out in which REM sleep was completely prevented and non-REM sleep was intensely declined for 24 hours. Then, context-dependent retention, anxiety behaviors, and hot plate tests were done. Auditory-dependent retention, anxiety behaviors, and FST were carried out 24 hours later. 24 hours of RSD impaired cognitive function, however intravenously administration of omega-3 improved (0.25, 0.5 and 1 mg/kg) context- or auditory-dependent memory, induced anxiolytic (1 mg/kg), antidepressant (1.25 mg/kg), and anti-nociceptive (0.25 mg/kg) effects. The results revealed that RSD interferes with the neural systems underlying cognitive functions and supports the involvement of omega-3 in the modulation of cognitive functions. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

REM Theta Activity Enhances Inhibitory Control in Typically Developing Children but not Children with ADHD Symptoms

PubMed Central

Cremone, Amanda; Lugo-Candelas, Claudia I.; Harvey, Elizabeth A.; McDermott, Jennifer M.; Spencer, Rebecca M. C.

2017-01-01

Sleep disturbances impair cognitive functioning in typically developing populations. Children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a disorder characterized by impaired inhibitory control and attention, commonly experience sleep disturbances. Whether inhibitory impairments are related to sleep deficits in children with ADHD is unknown. Children with ADHD (n = 18; Mage = 6.70 years) and typically developing controls (n = 15; Mage = 6.73 years) completed a Go/No-Go task to measure inhibitory control and sustained attention before and after polysomnography-monitored overnight sleep. Inhibitory control and sustained attention were improved following overnight sleep in typically developing children. Moreover, morning inhibitory control was positively correlated with rapid eye movement (REM) theta activity in this group. Although REM theta activity was greater in children with ADHD compared to typically developing children, it was functionally insignificant. Neither inhibitory control nor sustained attention were improved following overnight sleep in children with ADHD symptoms, and neither of these behaviors was associated with REM theta activity in this group. Taken together, these results indicate that elevated REM theta activity may be functionally related to ADHD symptomology, possibly reflecting delayed cortical maturation. PMID:28246970

Effects of Optogenetic inhibition of BLA on Sleep Brief Optogenetic Inhibition of the Basolateral Amygdala in Mice Alters Effects of Stressful Experiences on Rapid Eye Movement Sleep.

PubMed

Machida, Mayumi; Wellman, Laurie L; Fitzpatrick Bs, Mairen E; Hallum Bs, Olga; Sutton Bs, Amy M; Lonart, György; Sanford, Larry D

2017-04-01

Stressful events can directly produce significant alterations in subsequent sleep, in particular rapid eye movement sleep (REM); however, the neural mechanisms underlying the process are not fully known. Here, we investigated the role of the basolateral nuclei of the amygdala (BLA) in regulating the effects of stressful experience on sleep. We used optogenetics to briefly inhibit glutamatergic cells in BLA during the presentation of inescapable footshock (IS) and assessed effects on sleep, the acute stress response, and fear memory. c-Fos expression was also assessed in the amygdala and the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), both regions involved in coping with stress, and in brain stem regions implicated in the regulation of REM. Compared to control mice, peri-shock inhibition of BLA attenuated an immediate reduction in REM after IS and produced a significant overall increase in REM. Moreover, upon exposure to the shock context alone, mice receiving peri-shock inhibition of BLA during training showed increased REM without altered freezing (an index of fear memory) or stress-induced hyperthermia (an index of acute stress response). Inhibition of BLA during REM under freely sleeping conditions enhanced REM only when body temperature was high, suggesting the effect was influenced by stress. Peri-shock inhibition of BLA also led to elevated c-Fos expression in the central nucleus of the amygdala and mPFC and differentially altered c-Fos activity in the selected brain stem regions. Glutamatergic cells in BLA can modulate the effects of stress on REM and can mediate effects of fear memory on sleep that can be independent of behavioral fear. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Alexithymia Associated with Nightmare Distress in Idiopathic REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

PubMed Central

Godin, Isabelle; Montplaisir, Jaques; Gagnon, Jean-François; Nielsen, Tore

2013-01-01

Study Objectives: Idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is characterized by atypical REM sleep motor activity, vivid dreams and nightmares, and dream-enacting behaviors that can result in injuries to the patient and bed partner. It is also a known predictor of Parkinson disease (PD). Alexithymia has been associated with disturbances in sleep and dreaming (e.g., nightmares) and is a non-motor symptom of PD. We assessed alexithymia and disturbed dreaming in iRBD patients with the aim of determining if these two factors are elevated and interrelated among this population. Design: Questionnaire study of clinically diagnosed patients. Setting: Clinical sleep disorders center. Patients or participants: Thirty-two iRBD patients and 30 healthy age- and sex-matched control participants. Measurements and Results: Participants completed the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Dream Questionnaire, and the Beck Depression Inventory. iRBD patients obtained higher TAS-20 total scores (62.16 ± 13.90) than did controls (52.84 ± 7.62; F1,59 = 10.44, P < 0.01), even when controlling for depressive symptoms, and more frequently attained the suggested cutoff for alexithymia than did controls (P < 0.01). iRBD patients obtained higher scores on the Difficulty Identifying Feelings alexithymia subscale. For both iRBD and control groups, the Difficulty Indentifying Feelings subscale correlated positively with the Nightmare Distress scale of the Dream Questionnaire. Conclusions: Elevated alexithymia scores among idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder patients, and especially a difficulty in identifying feelings, parallels evidence of dysautonomia in this population. The higher incidence of distressing nightmares and the association of nightmares with alexithymia further extend similar findings for both clinical and non-clinical samples and suggest that an affect regulation disturbance may be common to the two sets of symptoms. Citation: Godin I; Montplaisir J; Gagnon JF; Nielsen T. Alexithymia associated with nightmare distress in idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder. SLEEP 2013;36(12):1957-1962. PMID:24293771

Up-regulated neuronal COX-2 expression after cortical spreading depression is involved in non-REM sleep induction in rats.

PubMed

Cui, Yilong; Kataoka, Yosky; Inui, Takashi; Mochizuki, Takatoshi; Onoe, Hirotaka; Matsumura, Kiyoshi; Urade, Yoshihiro; Yamada, Hisao; Watanabe, Yasuyoshi

2008-03-01

Cortical spreading depression is an excitatory wave of depolarization spreading throughout cerebral cortex at a rate of 2-5 mm/min and has been implicated in various neurological disorders, such as epilepsy, migraine aura, and trauma. Although sleepiness or sleep is often induced by these neurological disorders, the cellular and molecular mechanism has remained unclear. To investigate whether and how the sleep-wake behavior is altered by such aberrant brain activity, we induced cortical spreading depression in freely moving rats, monitoring REM and non-REM (NREM) sleep and sleep-associated changes in cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and prostaglandins (PGs). In such a model for aberrant neuronal excitation in the cerebral cortex, the amount of NREM sleep, but not of REM sleep, increased subsequently for several hours, with an up-regulated expression of COX-2 in cortical neurons and considerable production of PGs. A specific inhibitor of COX-2 completely arrested the increase in NREM sleep. These results indicate that up-regulated neuronal COX-2 would be involved in aberrant brain excitation-induced NREM sleep via production of PGs. (c) 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Assessing REM Sleep in Mice Using Video Data

PubMed Central

McShane, Blakeley B.; Galante, Raymond J.; Biber, Michael; Jensen, Shane T.; Wyner, Abraham J.; Pack, Allan I.

2012-01-01

Study Objectives: Assessment of sleep and its substages in mice currently requires implantation of chronic electrodes for measurement of electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram (EMG). This is not ideal for high-throughput screening. To address this deficiency, we present a novel method based on digital video analysis. This methodology extends previous approaches that estimate sleep and wakefulness without EEG/EMG in order to now discriminate rapid eye movement (REM) from non-REM (NREM) sleep. Design: Studies were conducted in 8 male C57BL/6J mice. EEG/EMG were recorded for 24 hours and manually scored in 10-second epochs. Mouse behavior was continuously recorded by digital video at 10 frames/second. Six variables were extracted from the video for each 10-second epoch (i.e., intraepoch mean of velocity, aspect ratio, and area of the mouse and intraepoch standard deviation of the same variables) and used as inputs for our model. Measurements and Results: We focus on estimating features of REM (i.e., time spent in REM, number of bouts, and median bout length) as well as time spent in NREM and WAKE. We also consider the model's epoch-by-epoch scoring performance relative to several alternative approaches. Our model provides good estimates of these features across the day both when averaged across mice and in individual mice, but the epoch-by-epoch agreement is not as good. Conclusions: There are subtle changes in the area and shape (i.e., aspect ratio) of the mouse as it transitions from NREM to REM, likely due to the atonia of REM, thus allowing our methodology to discriminate these two states. Although REM is relatively rare, our methodology can detect it and assess the amount of REM sleep. Citation: McShane BB; Galante RJ; Biber M; Jensen ST; Wyner AJ; Pack AI. Assessing REM sleep in mice using video data. SLEEP 2012;35(3):433-442. PMID:22379250

Pontine regulation of REM sleep components in cats: integrity of the pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPT) is important for phasic events but unnecessary for atonia during REM sleep.

PubMed

Shouse, M N; Siegel, J M

1992-01-31

Transection, lesion and unit recording studies have localized rapid eye movement (REM) sleep mechanisms to the pons. Recent work has emphasized the role of pontine cholinergic cells, especially those of the pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPT). The present study differentiated REM sleep deficits associated with lesions of the PPT from other pontine regions implicated in REM sleep generation, including those with predominantly cholinergic vs non-cholinergic cells. Twelve hour polygraphic recordings were obtained in 18 cats before and 1-2 weeks after bilateral electrolytic or radio frequency lesions of either: (1) PPT, which contains the dorsolateral pontine cholinergic cell column; (2) laterodorsal tegmental nucleus (LDT), which contains the dorsomedial pontine cholinergic cell column; (3) locus ceruleus (LC), which contains mostly noradrenergic cells; or (4) subceruleus (LC alpha, peri-LC alpha and the lateral tegmental field), which also contains predominantly noncholinergic cells. There were three main findings: (i) Only lesions of PPT and subceruleus significantly affected REM sleep time. These lesions produced comparable reductions in REM sleep time but influenced REM sleep components quite differently: (ii) PPT lesions, estimated to damage 90 +/- 4% of cholinergic cells, reduced the number of REM sleep entrances and phasic events, including ponto-geniculooccipital (PGO) spikes and rapid eye movements (REMs), but did not prevent complete atonia during REM sleep: (iii) Subceruleus lesions eliminated atonia during REM sleep. Mobility appeared to arouse the cat prematurely from REM sleep and may explain the brief duration of REM sleep epochs seen exclusively in this group. Despite the reduced amount of REM sleep, the total number of PGO spikes and REM sleep entrances increased over baseline values. Collectively, the results distinguish pontine loci regulating phasic events vs atonia. PPT lesions reduced phasic events, whereas subceruleus lesions created REM sleep without atonia. Severe REM sleep deficits after large pontine lesions, including PPT and subceruleus, might be explained by simultaneous production of both REM sleep syndromes. However, extensive loss of ACh neurons in the PPT does not disrupt REM sleep atonia.

Violent somnambulism: a parasomnia of young men with stereotyped dream-like experiences.

PubMed

Szűcs, Anna; Kamondi, Anita; Zoller, Rezső; Barcs, Gábor; Szabó, Pál; Purebl, György

2014-07-01

To characterize a subgroup of arousal parasomnias associated with violent behavior in adults. A pilot study on clinical and polysomnographic data of 13 adult patients seen in a tertiary sleep center for the suspicion of arousal parasomnia associated with violence. Nine young patients (8 males 1 female) had a common pattern of abnormalities: similar 'claustrophobic' dream-like experiences and complex, vehement dream enactments; no REM sleep without atonia on polysomnography. We call this syndrome 'violent somnambulism'. The rest of the patients had alcoholic delirium, partial epilepsy, possible REM sleep behavior disorder and a single sleep walking episode provoked by a sleeping pill. Sleep related violence needs thorough diagnostic evaluation for preventing life-threatening consequences. Violent somnambulism appears to be a distinct NREM sleep-related overlap parasomnia. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Atypical sexual behavior during sleep.

PubMed

Guilleminault, Christian; Moscovitch, Adam; Yuen, Kin; Poyares, Dalva

2002-01-01

This article reports a case series of atypical sexual behavior during sleep, which is often harmful to patients or bed partners. Eleven subjects underwent clinical evaluation of complaints of sleep-related atypical sexual behavior. Complaints included violent masturbation, sexual assaults, and continuous (and loud) sexual vocalizations during sleep. One case was a medical-legal case. Sleep logs, clinical evaluations, sleep questionnaires, structured psychiatric interviews, polysomnography, actigraphy, home electroencephalographic monitoring during sleep, and clinical electroencephalographic monitoring while awake and asleep were used to determine clinical diagnoses. Atypical sexual behaviors during sleep were associated with feelings of guilt, shame, and depression. Because of these feelings, patients and bed partners often tolerated the abnormal behavior for long periods of time without seeking medical attention. The following pathologic sleep disorders were demonstrated on polysomnography: partial complex seizures, sleep-disordered breathing, stage 3 to 4 non-rapid eye movement (REM) sleep parasomnias, and REM sleep behavior disorder. These findings were concurrent with morning amnesia. The atypical behaviors were related to different syndromes despite the similarity of complaints from bed partners. In most cases the disturbing and often harmful symptoms were controlled when counseling was instituted and sleep disorders were treated. In some cases treatment of seizures or psychiatric disorders was also needed. Clonazepam with simultaneous psychotherapy was the most common successful treatment combination. The addition of antidepressant or antiepileptic medications was required in specific cases.

Evaluating the Evidence Surrounding Pontine Cholinergic Involvement in REM Sleep Generation

PubMed Central

Grace, Kevin P.; Horner, Richard L.

2015-01-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep – characterized by vivid dreaming, motor paralysis, and heightened neural activity – is one of the fundamental states of the mammalian central nervous system. Initial theories of REM sleep generation posited that induction of the state required activation of the “pontine REM sleep generator” by cholinergic inputs. Here, we review and evaluate the evidence surrounding cholinergic involvement in REM sleep generation. We submit that: (i) the capacity of pontine cholinergic neurotransmission to generate REM sleep has been firmly established by gain-of-function experiments, (ii) the function of endogenous cholinergic input to REM sleep generating sites cannot be determined by gain-of-function experiments; rather, loss-of-function studies are required, (iii) loss-of-function studies show that endogenous cholinergic input to the PTF is not required for REM sleep generation, and (iv) cholinergic input to the pontine REM sleep generating sites serve an accessory role in REM sleep generation: reinforcing non-REM-to-REM sleep transitions making them quicker and less likely to fail. PMID:26388832

Daytime REM sleep affects emotional experience but not decision choices in moral dilemmas.

PubMed

Cellini, Nicola; Lotto, Lorella; Pletti, Carolina; Sarlo, Michela

2017-09-11

Moral decision-making depends on the interaction between automatic emotional responses and rational cognitive control. A natural emotional regulator state seems to be sleep, in particular rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We tested the impact of daytime sleep, either with or without REM, on moral decision. Sixty participants were presented with 12 sacrificial (6 Footbridge- and 6 Trolley-type) and 8 everyday-type moral dilemmas at 9 AM and at 5 PM. In sacrificial dilemmas, participants had to decide whether or not to kill one person to save more people (utilitarian choice), and to judge how morally acceptable the proposed choice was. In everyday-type dilemmas, participants had to decide whether to endorse moral violations involving dishonest behavior. At 12 PM, 40 participants took a 120-min nap (17 with REM and 23 with NREM only) while 20 participants remained awake. Mixed-model analysis revealed that participants judged the utilitarian choice as less morally acceptable in the afternoon, irrespective of sleep. We also observed a negative association between theta activity during REM and increased self-rated unpleasantness during moral decisions. Nevertheless, moral decision did not change across the day and between groups. These results suggest that although both time and REM sleep may affect the evaluation of a moral situation, these factors did not ultimately impact the individual moral choices.

Rapid eye movements during sleep in mice: High trait-like stability qualifies rapid eye movement density for characterization of phenotypic variation in sleep patterns of rodents

PubMed Central

2011-01-01

Background In humans, rapid eye movements (REM) density during REM sleep plays a prominent role in psychiatric diseases. Especially in depression, an increased REM density is a vulnerability marker for depression. In clinical practice and research measurement of REM density is highly standardized. In basic animal research, almost no tools are available to obtain and systematically evaluate eye movement data, although, this would create increased comparability between human and animal sleep studies. Methods We obtained standardized electroencephalographic (EEG), electromyographic (EMG) and electrooculographic (EOG) signals from freely behaving mice. EOG electrodes were bilaterally and chronically implanted with placement of the electrodes directly between the musculus rectus superior and musculus rectus lateralis. After recovery, EEG, EMG and EOG signals were obtained for four days. Subsequent to the implantation process, we developed and validated an Eye Movement scoring in Mice Algorithm (EMMA) to detect REM as singularities of the EOG signal, based on wavelet methodology. Results The distribution of wakefulness, non-REM (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep was typical of nocturnal rodents with small amounts of wakefulness and large amounts of NREM sleep during the light period and reversed proportions during the dark period. REM sleep was distributed correspondingly. REM density was significantly higher during REM sleep than NREM sleep. REM bursts were detected more often at the end of the dark period than the beginning of the light period. During REM sleep REM density showed an ultradian course, and during NREM sleep REM density peaked at the beginning of the dark period. Concerning individual eye movements, REM duration was longer and amplitude was lower during REM sleep than NREM sleep. The majority of single REM and REM bursts were associated with micro-arousals during NREM sleep, but not during REM sleep. Conclusions Sleep-stage specific distributions of REM in mice correspond to human REM density during sleep. REM density, now also assessable in animal models through our approach, is increased in humans after acute stress, during PTSD and in depression. This relationship can now be exploited to match animal models more closely to clinical situations, especially in animal models of depression. PMID:22047102

Differential effect of an anticholinergic antidepressant on sleep-dependent memory consolidation.

PubMed

Goerke, Monique; Cohrs, Stefan; Rodenbeck, Andrea; Kunz, Dieter

2014-05-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is considered critical to the consolidation of procedural memory - the memory of skills and habits. Many antidepressants strongly suppress REM sleep, however, and procedural memory consolidation has been shown to be impaired in depressed patients on antidepressant therapy. As a result, it is important to determine whether antidepressive therapy can lead to amnestic impairment. We thus investigated the effects of the anticholinergic antidepressant amitriptyline on sleep-dependent memory consolidation. Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, parallel-group study. Sleep laboratory. Twenty-five healthy men (mean age: 26.8 ± 5.6 y). 75 mg amitriptyline versus placebo. To test memory consolidation, a visual discrimination task, a finger-tapping task, the Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure Test, and the Rey Auditory-Verbal Learning Test were performed. Sleep was measured using polysomnography. Our findings show that amitriptyline profoundly suppressed REM sleep and impaired perceptual skill learning, but not motor skill or declarative learning. Our study is the first to demonstrate that an antidepressant can affect procedural memory consolidation in healthy subjects. Moreover, considering the results of a recent study, in which selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors and serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors were shown not to impair procedural memory consolidation, our findings suggest that procedural memory consolidation is not facilitated by the characteristics of REM sleep captured by visual sleep scoring, but rather by the high cholinergic tone associated with REM sleep. Our study contributes to the understanding of potentially undesirable behavioral effects of amitriptyline.

[Electromyography Analysis of Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder].

PubMed

Nakano, Natsuko; Kinoshita, Fumiya; Takada, Hiroki; Nakayama, Meiho

2018-01-01

Polysomnography (PSG), which records physiological phenomena including brain waves, breathing status, and muscle tonus, is useful for the diagnosis of sleep disorders as a gold standard. However, measurement and analysis are complex for several specific sleep disorders, such as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD). Usually, brain waves during REM sleep indicate an awakening pattern under relaxed conditions of skeletal and antigravity muscles. However, these muscles are activated during REM sleep when patients suffer from RBD. These activated muscle movements during REM, so-called REM without atonia (RWA) recorded by PSG, may be related to a neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson's disease. Thus, careful analysis of RWA is significant not only physically, but also clinically. Commonly, manual viewing measurement analysis of RWA is time-consuming. Therefore, quantitative studies on RWA are rarely reported. A software program, developed from Microsoft Office Excel ® , was used to semiautomatically analyze the RWA ratio extracted from PSG to compare with manual viewing measurement analysis. In addition, a quantitative muscle tonus study was carried out to evaluate the effect of medication on RBD patients. Using this new software program, we were able to analyze RWA on the same cases in approximately 15 min as compared with 60 min in the manual viewing measurement analysis. This software program can not only quantify RWA easily but also identify RWA waves for either phasic or tonic bursts. We consider that this software program will support physicians and scientists in their future research on RBD. We are planning to offer this software program for free to physicians and scientists.

Sleep characteristics in the quail Coturnix coturnix.

PubMed

Mexicano, Graciela; Montoya-Loaiza, Bibiana; Ayala-Guerrero, Fructuoso

2014-04-22

As mammals, birds exhibit two sleep phases, slow wave sleep (SWS) and REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep characterized by presenting different electrophysiological patterns of brain activity. During SWS a high amplitude slow wave pattern in brain activity is observed. This activity is substituted by a low amplitude fast frequency pattern during REM sleep. Common quail (Coturnix coturnix) is an animal model that has provided information related to different physiological mechanisms present in man. There are reports related to its electrophysiological brain activity, however the sleep characteristics that have been described are not. The objectives of this study is describing the sleep characteristics throughout the nychthemeral cycle of the common quail and consider this bird species as an avian model to analyze the regulatory mechanisms of sleep. Experiments were carried out in implanted exemplars of C. coturnix. Under general anesthesia induced by ether inhalation, stainless steel electrodes were placed to register brain activity from the anterior and posterior areas during 24 continuous hours throughout the sleep-wake cycle. Ocular and motor activities were visually monitored. Quail showed four electrophysiologically and behaviorally different states of vigilance: wakefulness (53.28%), drowsiness (14.27%), slow wave sleep (30.47%) and REM sleep (1.98%). The animals presented 202 REM sleep episodes throughout the nychthemeral cycle. Sleep distribution was polyphasic; however sleep amount was significantly greater during the period corresponding to the night. The number of nocturnal REM sleep episodes was significantly greater than that of diurnal one. The quail C. coturnix shows a polyphasic distribution of sleep; however the amount of this state of vigilance is significantly greater during the nocturnal period. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Morning REM Sleep Naps Facilitate Broad Access to Emotional Semantic Networks

PubMed Central

Carr, Michelle; Nielsen, Tore

2015-01-01

Study Objectives: The goals of the study were to assess semantic priming to emotion and nonemotion cue words using a novel measure of associational breadth for participants who either took rapid eye movement (REM) or nonrapid eye movement (NREM) naps or who remained awake, and to assess the relation of priming to REM sleep consolidation and REM sleep inertia effects. Design: The associational breadth task was applied in both a priming condition, where cue words were signaled to be memorized prior to sleep (primed), and a nonpriming condition, where cue words were not memorized (nonprimed). Cue words were either emotional (positive, negative) or nonemotional. Participants were randomly assigned to either an awake (WAKE) or a sleep condition, which was subsequently split into NREM or REM groups depending on stage at awakening. Setting: Hospital-based sleep laboratory. Participants: Fifty-eight healthy participants (22 male) ages 18 to 35 y (mean age = 23.3 ± 4.08 y). Measurements and Results: The REM group scored higher than the NREM or WAKE groups on primed, but not nonprimed emotional cue words; the effect was stronger for positive than for negative cue words. However, REM time and percent correlated negatively with degree of emotional priming. Priming occurred for REM awakenings but not for NREM awakenings, even when the latter sleep episodes contained some REM sleep. Conclusions: Associational breadth may be selectively consolidated during REM sleep for stimuli that have been tagged as important for future memory retrieval. That priming decreased with REM time and was higher only for REM sleep awakenings is consistent with two explanatory REM sleep processes: REM sleep consolidation serving emotional downregulation and REM sleep inertia. Citation: Carr M, Nielsen T. Morning REM sleep naps facilitate broad access to emotional semantic networks. SLEEP 2015;38(3):433–443. PMID:25409100

The inappropriate occurrence of rapid eye movement sleep in narcolepsy is not due to a defect in homeostatic regulation of rapid eye movement sleep.

PubMed

Roman, Alexis; Meftah, Soraya; Arthaud, Sébastien; Luppi, Pierre-Hervé; Peyron, Christelle

2018-06-01

Narcolepsy type 1 is a disabling disorder with four primary symptoms: excessive-daytime-sleepiness, cataplexy, hypnagogic hallucinations, and sleep paralysis. The later three symptoms together with a short rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency have suggested impairment in REM sleep homeostatic regulation with an enhanced propensity for (i.e. tendency to enter) REM sleep. To test this hypothesis, we challenged REM sleep homeostatic regulation in a recognized model of narcolepsy, the orexin knock-out (Orex-KO) mice and their wild-type (WT) littermates. We first performed 48 hr of REM sleep deprivation using the classic small-platforms-over-water method. We found that narcoleptic mice are similarly REM sleep deprived to WT mice. Although they had shorter sleep latency, Orex-KO mice recovered similarly to WT during the following 10 hr of recovery. Interestingly, Orex-KO mice also had cataplexy episodes immediately after REM sleep deprivation, anticipating REM sleep rebound, at a time of day when cataplexy does not occur in baseline condition. We then evaluated REM sleep propensity using our new automated method of deprivation that performs a specific and efficient REM sleep deprivation. We showed that REM sleep propensity is similar during light phase in Orex-KO and WT mice. However, during the dark phase, REM sleep propensity was not suppressed in Orex-KO mice when hypocretin/orexin neuropeptides are normally released. Altogether our data suggest that in addition to the well-known wake-promoting role of hypocretin/orexin, these neuropeptides would also suppress REM sleep. Therefore, hypocretin/orexin deficiency would facilitate the occurrence of REM sleep at any time of day in an opportunistic manner as seen in human narcolepsy.

Endogenous GABA levels in the pontine reticular formation are greater during wakefulness than during REM sleep

PubMed Central

Vanini, Giancarlo; Wathen, Bradley L.; Lydic, Ralph; Baghdoyan, Helen A.

2011-01-01

Studies using drugs that increase or decrease GABAergic transmission suggest that GABA in the pontine reticular formation (PRF) promotes wakefulness and inhibits rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Cholinergic transmission in the PRF promotes REM sleep, and levels of endogenous acetylcholine (ACh) in the PRF are significantly greater during REM sleep than during wakefulness or non-REM (NREM) sleep. No previous studies have determined whether levels of endogenous GABA in the PRF vary as a function of sleep and wakefulness. This study tested the hypothesis that GABA levels in cat PRF are greatest during wakefulness and lowest during REM sleep. Extracellular GABA levels were measured during wakefulness, NREM sleep, REM sleep, and the REM sleep-like state (REMNeo) caused by microinjecting neostigmine into the PRF. GABA levels varied significantly as a function of sleep and wakefulness, and decreased significantly below waking levels during REM sleep (−42%) and REMNeo (−63%). The decrease in GABA levels during NREM sleep (22% below waking levels) was not statistically significant. Compared to NREM sleep, GABA levels decreased significantly during REM sleep (−27%) and REMNeo (−52%). Comparisons of REM sleep and REMNeo revealed no differences in GABA levels or cortical EEG power. GABA levels did not vary significantly as a function of dialysis site within the PRF. The inverse relationship between changes in PRF levels of GABA and ACh during REM sleep indicates that low GABAergic tone combined with high cholinergic tone in the PRF contributes to the generation of REM sleep. PMID:21325533

The effects of sleep dysfunction on cognition, affect, and quality of life in individuals with cerebellar ataxia.

PubMed

Sonni, Akshata; Kurdziel, Lauri B F; Baran, Bengi; Spencer, Rebecca M C

2014-05-15

Cerebellar ataxia comprises a group of debilitating diseases that are the result of progressive cerebellar degeneration. Recent studies suggest that, like other neurodegenerative diseases, sleep impairments are common in cerebellar ataxia. In light of the role of sleep in mood regulation and cognition, we sought to assess interactions between sleep, cognition, and affect in individuals with cerebellar ataxia. A survey of 176 individuals with cerebellar ataxia was conducted. The battery of instruments included a modified International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Restless Leg Syndrome Questionnaire, REM Behavior Disorder Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, Epworth Sleepiness Scale, and a Composite Cognitive Questionnaire. Fifty-one percent of individuals indicated significant sleep disturbances on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, 73% of participants had two or more symptoms of restless leg syndrome, and 88% had two or more symptoms of REM behavior disorder. Ataxia severity, based on the modified International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale, predicted scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, the Epworth Sleepiness Scale and REM Behavior Disorder Questionnaire. Median split analyses revealed that cognitive function appeared to be reduced and depressive symptoms were greater for those individuals with poor subjective sleep quality and severe RLS. Importantly, sleep appears to play a mediatory role between disease severity and depressive symptoms. These results suggest that disturbed sleep may have detrimental effects on cognition and affect in individuals with cerebellar ataxia. While objective measures are needed, such results suggest that treating sleep deficits in these individuals may improve cognitive and mental health as well as overall quality of life.

Percentage of REM Sleep is Associated with Overnight Change in Leptin

PubMed Central

Olson, Christy A.; Hamilton, Nancy A.; Somers, Virend K.

2016-01-01

Sleep contributes importantly to energy homeostasis, and may impact hormones regulating appetite, such as leptin, an adipocyte derived hormone. There is increasing evidence that sleep duration, and reduced REM sleep, are linked to obesity. Leptin has central neural effects beyond modulation of appetite alone. As sleep is not a unifrom process, interactions between leptin and sleep stages including REM sleep may play a role in the relationship between sleep and obesity. This study examined the relationship between serum leptin and REM sleep in a sample of healthy adults. Participants were 58 healthy adults who underwent polysomnography. Leptin was measured before and after sleep. We hypothesized that lower percentage of REM sleep would be related to lower leptin levels during sleep. The relationship between percentage of REM sleep and leptin was analyzed using hierarchical linear regression. Increased percentage of REM sleep was related to a greater reduction in leptin during sleep even when controlling for age, gender, percent body fat and total sleep time. A greater percentage of REM sleep was accompanied by more marked reductions in leptin. Studies examining the effects of selective REM sleep deprivation on leptin levels, and hence on energy homeostasis in humans, are needed. PMID:26919408

A Hypothalamic Switch for REM and Non-REM Sleep.

PubMed

Chen, Kai-Siang; Xu, Min; Zhang, Zhe; Chang, Wei-Cheng; Gaj, Thomas; Schaffer, David V; Dan, Yang

2018-03-07

Rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep are controlled by specific neuronal circuits. Here we show that galanin-expressing GABAergic neurons in the dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) comprise separate subpopulations with opposing effects on REM versus NREM sleep. Microendoscopic calcium imaging revealed diverse sleep-wake activity of DMH GABAergic neurons, but the galanin-expressing subset falls into two distinct groups, either selectively activated (REM-on) or suppressed (REM-off) during REM sleep. Retrogradely labeled, preoptic area (POA)-projecting galaninergic neurons are REM-off, whereas the raphe pallidus (RPA)-projecting neurons are primarily REM-on. Bidirectional optogenetic manipulations showed that the POA-projecting neurons promote NREM sleep and suppress REM sleep, while the RPA-projecting neurons have the opposite effects. Thus, REM/NREM switch is regulated antagonistically by DMH galaninergic neurons with intermingled cell bodies but distinct axon projections. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Diagnosis, disease notification, and management of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder.

PubMed

Shimohata, Takayoshi; Inoue, Yuichi; Hirata, Koichi

2017-02-25

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia characterized by dream enactment behavior during REM sleep. It has been demonstrated that patients with idiopathic RBD are at a significantly increased risk of developing one of the α-synucleinopathies later in life, and this is called "phenoconversion". Although some physicians argue against disclosing information that could cause patients psychological stress, the patients also have a "right to know" about their own disease. Therefore, determining when and how to disclose this information, in addition to appropriate follow-up, is important. Clonazepam is the first choice of treatment for RBD associated with α-synucleinopathies. Since RBD is one of the premotor symptoms of α-synucleinopathies, and enables its early diagnosis, a combination of RBD and other examinations may contribute to the realization of a disease-modifying therapy. It is hoped that the early establishment of biomarkers could help predict the phenoconversion from RBD to α-synucleinopathies.

Multiscale entropy analysis of electroencephalography during sleep in patients with Parkinson disease.

PubMed

Chung, Chen-Chih; Kang, Jiunn-Horng; Yuan, Rey-Yue; Wu, Dean; Chen, Chih-Chung; Chi, Nai-Fang; Chen, Po-Chih; Hu, Chaur-Jong

2013-07-01

Sleep disorders are frequently seen in patients with Parkinson disease (PD), including rapid eye movement (REM) behavior disorder and periodic limb movement disorder. However, knowledge about changes in non-REM sleep in patients with PD is limited. This study explored the characteristics of electroencephalography (EEG) during sleep in patients with PD and non-PD controls. We further conducted multiscale entropy (MSE) analysis to evaluate and compare the complexity of sleep EEG for the 2 groups. There were 9 patients with PD (Hoehn-Yahr stage 1 or 2) and 11 non-PD controls. All participants underwent standard whole-night polysomnography (PSG), which included 23 channels, 6 of which were for EEG. The raw data of the EEG were extracted and subjected to MSE analysis. Patients with PD had a longer sleep onset time and a higher spontaneous EEG arousal index. Sleep stage-specific increased MSE was observed in patients with PD during non-REM sleep. The difference was more marked and significant at higher time scale factors (TSFs). In conclusion, increased biosignal complexity, as revealed by MSE analysis, was found in patients with PD during non-REM sleep at high TSFs. This finding might reflect a compensatory mechanism for early defects in neuronal network control machinery in PD.

Sleep-Dependent Consolidation of Rewarded Behavior Is Diminished in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and a Comorbid Disorder of Social Behavior

PubMed Central

Wiesner, Christian D.; Molzow, Ina; Prehn-Kristensen, Alexander; Baving, Lioba

2017-01-01

Children suffering from attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often also display impaired learning and memory. Previous research has documented aberrant reward processing in ADHD as well as impaired sleep-dependent consolidation of declarative memory. We investigated whether sleep also fosters the consolidation of behavior learned by probabilistic reward and whether ADHD patients with a comorbid disorder of social behavior show deficits in this memory domain, too. A group of 17 ADHD patients with comorbid disorders of social behavior aged 8–12 years and healthy controls matched for age, IQ, and handedness took part in the experiment. During the encoding task, children worked on a probabilistic learning task acquiring behavioral preferences for stimuli rewarded most often. After a 12-hr retention interval of either sleep at night or wakefulness during the day, a reversal task was presented where the contingencies were reversed. Consolidation of rewarded behavior is indicated by greater resistance to reversal learning. We found that healthy children consolidate rewarded behavior better during a night of sleep than during a day awake and that the sleep-dependent consolidation of rewarded behavior by trend correlates with non-REM sleep but not with REM sleep. In contrast, children with ADHD and comorbid disorders of social behavior do not show sleep-dependent consolidation of rewarded behavior. Moreover, their consolidation of rewarded behavior does not correlate with sleep. The results indicate that dysfunctional sleep in children suffering from ADHD and disorders of social behavior might be a crucial factor in the consolidation of behavior learned by reward. PMID:28228742

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder and Prodromal Neurodegeneration - Where Are We Headed?

PubMed

Postuma, Ronald B; Gagnon, Jean-Francois; Montplaisir, Jacques Y

2013-01-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is characterized by loss of normal atonia during REM sleep, such that patients appear to act out their dreams. The most important implication of research into this area is that patients with idiopathic RBD are at very high risk of developing synuclein-mediated neurodegenerative disease (Parkinson's disease [PD], dementia with Lewy bodies [DLB], and multiple system atrophy), with risk estimates that approximate 40-65% at 10 years. Thus, RBD disorder is a very strong feature of prodromal synucleinopathy. This provides several opportunities for future research. First, patients with REM sleep behavior disorder can be studied to test other predictors of disease, which could potentially be applied to the general population. These studies have demonstrated that olfactory loss, decreased color vision, slowing on quantitative motor testing, and abnormal substantia nigra neuroimaging findings can predict clinical synucleinopathy. Second, prospectively studying patients with RBD allows a completely unprecedented opportunity to directly evaluate patients as they transition into clinical neurodegenerative disease. Studies assessing progression of markers of neurodegeneration in prodromal PD are beginning to appear. Third, RBD are very promising subjects for neuroprotective therapy trials because they have a high risk of disease conversion with a sufficiently long latency, which provides an opportunity for early intervention. As RBD research expands, collaboration between centers will become increasingly essential.

Sleep, Memory & Brain Rhythms.

PubMed

Watson, Brendon O; Buzsáki, György

2015-01-01

Sleep occupies roughly one-third of our lives, yet the scientific community is still not entirely clear on its purpose or function. Existing data point most strongly to its role in memory and homeostasis: that sleep helps maintain basic brain functioning via a homeostatic mechanism that loosens connections between overworked synapses, and that sleep helps consolidate and re-form important memories. In this review, we will summarize these theories, but also focus on substantial new information regarding the relation of electrical brain rhythms to sleep. In particular, while REM sleep may contribute to the homeostatic weakening of overactive synapses, a prominent and transient oscillatory rhythm called "sharp-wave ripple" seems to allow for consolidation of behaviorally relevant memories across many structures of the brain. We propose that a theory of sleep involving the division of labor between two states of sleep-REM and non-REM, the latter of which has an abundance of ripple electrical activity-might allow for a fusion of the two main sleep theories. This theory then postulates that sleep performs a combination of consolidation and homeostasis that promotes optimal knowledge retention as well as optimal waking brain function.

Ibogaine Acute Administration in Rats Promotes Wakefulness, Long-Lasting REM Sleep Suppression, and a Distinctive Motor Profile

PubMed Central

González, Joaquín; Prieto, José P.; Rodríguez, Paola; Cavelli, Matías; Benedetto, Luciana; Mondino, Alejandra; Pazos, Mariana; Seoane, Gustavo; Carrera, Ignacio; Scorza, Cecilia; Torterolo, Pablo

2018-01-01

Ibogaine is a potent psychedelic alkaloid that has been the focus of intense research because of its intriguing anti-addictive properties. According to anecdotic reports, ibogaine has been originally classified as an oneirogenic psychedelic; i.e., induces a dream-like cognitive activity while awake. However, the effects of ibogaine administration on wakefulness (W) and sleep have not been thoroughly assessed. The main aim of our study was to characterize the acute effects of ibogaine administration on W and sleep. For this purpose, polysomnographic recordings on chronically prepared rats were performed in the light phase during 6 h. Animals were treated with ibogaine (20 and 40 mg/kg) or vehicle, immediately before the beginning of the recordings. Furthermore, in order to evaluate associated motor behaviors during the W period, a different group of animals was tested for 2 h after ibogaine treatment on an open field with video-tracking software. Compared to control, animals treated with ibogaine showed an increase in time spent in W. This effect was accompanied by a decrease in slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid-eye movements (REM) sleep time. REM sleep latency was significantly increased in animals treated with the higher ibogaine dose. While the effects on W and SWS were observed during the first 2 h of recordings, the decrement in REM sleep time was observed throughout the recording time. Accordingly, ibogaine treatment with the lower dose promoted an increase on locomotion, while tremor and flat body posture were observed only with the higher dose in a time-dependent manner. In contrast, head shake response, a behavior which has been associated in rats with the 5HT2A receptor activation by hallucinogens, was not modified. We conclude that ibogaine promotes a waking state that is accompanied by a robust and long-lasting REM sleep suppression. In addition, it produces a dose-dependent unusual motor profile along with other serotonin-related behaviors. Since ibogaine is metabolized to produce noribogaine, further experiments are needed to elucidate if the metabolite and/or the parent drug produced these effects. PMID:29755349

Neural Correlates of Wakefulness, Sleep, and General Anesthesia: An Experimental Study in Rat.

PubMed

Pal, Dinesh; Silverstein, Brian H; Lee, Heonsoo; Mashour, George A

2016-11-01

Significant advances have been made in our understanding of subcortical processes related to anesthetic- and sleep-induced unconsciousness, but the associated changes in cortical connectivity and cortical neurochemistry have yet to be fully clarified. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were instrumented for simultaneous measurement of cortical acetylcholine and electroencephalographic indices of corticocortical connectivity-coherence and symbolic transfer entropy-before, during, and after general anesthesia (propofol, n = 11; sevoflurane, n = 13). In another group of rats (n = 7), these electroencephalographic indices were analyzed during wakefulness, slow wave sleep (SWS), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Compared to wakefulness, anesthetic-induced unconsciousness was characterized by a significant decrease in cortical acetylcholine that recovered to preanesthesia levels during recovery wakefulness. Corticocortical coherence and frontal-parietal symbolic transfer entropy in high γ band (85 to 155 Hz) were decreased during anesthetic-induced unconsciousness and returned to preanesthesia levels during recovery wakefulness. Sleep-wake states showed a state-dependent change in coherence and transfer entropy in high γ bandwidth, which correlated with behavioral arousal: high during wakefulness, low during SWS, and lowest during REM sleep. By contrast, frontal-parietal θ connectivity during sleep-wake states was not correlated with behavioral arousal but showed an association with well-established changes in cortical acetylcholine: high during wakefulness and REM sleep and low during SWS. Corticocortical coherence and frontal-parietal connectivity in high γ bandwidth correlates with behavioral arousal and is not mediated by cholinergic mechanisms, while θ connectivity correlates with cortical acetylcholine levels.

Morning rapid eye movement sleep naps facilitate broad access to emotional semantic networks.

PubMed

Carr, Michelle; Nielsen, Tore

2015-03-01

The goal of the study was to assess semantic priming to emotion and nonemotion cue words using a novel measure of associational breadth for participants who either took rapid eye movement (REM) or nonrapid eye movement (NREM) naps or who remained awake; assess relation of priming to REM sleep consolidation and REM sleep inertia effects. The associational breadth task was applied in both a priming condition, where cue-words were signaled to be memorized prior to sleep (primed), and a nonpriming condition, where cue words were not memorized (nonprimed). Cue words were either emotional (positive, negative) or nonemotional. Participants were randomly assigned to either an awake (WAKE) or a sleep condition, which was subsequently split into NREM or REM groups depending on stage at awakening. Hospital-based sleep laboratory. Fifty-eight healthy participants (22 male) ages 18 to 35 y (Mage = 23.3 ± 4.08 y). The REM group scored higher than the NREM or WAKE groups on primed, but not nonprimed emotional cue words; the effect was stronger for positive than for negative cue words. However, REM time and percent correlated negatively with degree of emotional priming. Priming occurred for REM awakenings but not for NREM awakenings, even when the latter sleep episodes contained some REM sleep. Associational breadth may be selectively consolidated during REM sleep for stimuli that have been tagged as important for future memory retrieval. That priming decreased with REM time and was higher only for REM sleep awakenings is consistent with two explanatory REM sleep processes: REM sleep consolidation serving emotional downregulation and REM sleep inertia. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Electroencephalographic findings related with mild cognitive impairment in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder.

PubMed

Sasai, Taeko; Matsuura, Masato; Inoue, Yuichi

2013-12-01

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and electroencephalographic (EEG) slowing have been reported as common findings of idiopathic rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) and α-synucleinopathies. The objective of this study is to clarify the relation between MCI and physiological markers in iRBD. Cross-sectional study. Yoyogi Sleep Disorder Center. Thirty-one patients with iRBD including 17 younger patients with iRBD (younger than 70 y) and 17 control patients for the younger patients with iRBD. N/A. Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and n-polysomnogram (PSG) were conducted of all participants. In patients with iRBD, the factors associated with MCI were explored among parameters of REM sleep without atonia (RWA), score of Sniffin' Sticks Test (threshold-discrimination-identification [TDI] score), RBD morbidity, and RBD severity evaluated with the Japanese version of the RBD questionnaire (RBDQ-JP). The younger iRBD group showed significantly lower alpha power during wake and lower MoCA score than the age-matched control group. MCI was detected in 13 of 17 patients (76.5%) on MoCA in this group. Among patients wtih iRBD, the MoCA score negatively correlated with age, proportion of slow wave sleep, TDI score, and EEG spectral power. Multiple regression analysis provided the following equation: MoCA score = 50.871-0.116*age -5.307*log (δ power during REM sleep) + 0.086*TDI score (R² = 0.598, P < 0.01). The standardized partial regression coefficients were -0.558 for age, -0.491 for log (δ power during REM sleep), and 0.357 for TDI score (F = 9.900, P < 0.001). Electroencephalographic slowing, especially during rapid eye movement sleep and olfactory dysfunction, was revealed to be associated with cognitive decline in idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder.

Retention over a Period of REM or non-REM Sleep.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Tilley, Andrew J.

1981-01-01

Subjects, awaked, presented with a word list, and tested with arousal measures, were reawaked during REM or non-REM sleep and retested. Recall was facilitated by REM sleep. It was hypothesized that the high arousal level associated with REM sleep incidentally maintained the memory trace in a more retrievable form. (Author/SJL)

Sleep, Memory & Brain Rhythms

PubMed Central

Watson, Brendon O.; Buzsáki, György

2015-01-01

Sleep occupies roughly one-third of our lives, yet the scientific community is still not entirely clear on its purpose or function. Existing data point most strongly to its role in memory and homeostasis: that sleep helps maintain basic brain functioning via a homeostatic mechanism that loosens connections between overworked synapses, and that sleep helps consolidate and re-form important memories. In this review, we will summarize these theories, but also focus on substantial new information regarding the relation of electrical brain rhythms to sleep. In particular, while REM sleep may contribute to the homeostatic weakening of overactive synapses, a prominent and transient oscillatory rhythm called “sharp-wave ripple” seems to allow for consolidation of behaviorally relevant memories across many structures of the brain. We propose that a theory of sleep involving the division of labor between two states of sleep–REM and non-REM, the latter of which has an abundance of ripple electrical activity–might allow for a fusion of the two main sleep theories. This theory then postulates that sleep performs a combination of consolidation and homeostasis that promotes optimal knowledge retention as well as optimal waking brain function. PMID:26097242

Rhythmic movement disorder (head banging) in an adult during rapid eye movement sleep.

PubMed

Anderson, Kirstie N; Smith, Ian E; Shneerson, John M

2006-06-01

Sleep-related rhythmic movements (head banging or body rocking) are extremely common in normal infants and young children, but less than 5% of children over the age of 5 years old exhibit these stereotyped motor behaviors. They characteristically occur during drowsiness or sleep onset rather than in deep sleep or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We present a 27-year-old man with typical rhythmic movement disorder that had persisted into adult life and was restricted to REM sleep. This man is the oldest subject with this presentation reported to date and highlights the importance of recognizing this nocturnal movement disorder when it does occur in adults.

Sleep architecture and sleep-related mentation in securely and insecurely attached people

PubMed Central

McNamara, Patrick; Pace-Schott, Edward F.; Johnson, Patricia; Harris, Erica; Auerbach, Sanford

2011-01-01

Based on REM sleep’s brain activation patterns and its participation in consolidation of emotional memories, we tested the hypothesis that measures of REM sleep architecture and REM sleep-related mentation would be associated with attachment orientation. After a habituation night in a sleep lab, a convenience sample of 64 healthy volunteers were awakened 10 minutes into a REM sleep episode and 10 minutes into a control NREM sleep episode in counterbalanced order, then asked to report a dream and to rate themselves and a significant other on a list of trait adjectives. Relative to participants classified as having secure attachment orientations, participants classified as anxious took less time to enter REM sleep and had a higher frequency of REM dreams with aggression and self-denigrating themes. There were no significant differences across attachment groups in other measures of sleep architecture or in post REM-sleep awakening ratings on PANAS subscales reflecting mood and alertness. Selected aspects of REM sleep architecture and mentation appeared to be associated with attachment orientation. We suggest that REM sleep plays a role in processing experiences and emotions related to attachment, and that certain features of sleep and dreaming reflect attachment orientations. PMID:21390907

Sleep patterning and behaviour in cats with pontine lesions creating REM without atonia.

PubMed

Sanford; Morrison; Mann; Harris; Yoo; Ross

1994-12-01

Lesions of the dorsal pontine tegmentum release muscle tone and motor behaviour, much of it similar to orienting during wakefulness, into rapid eye movement sleep (REM), a state normally characterized by paralysis. Sleep after pontine lesions may be altered, with more REM-A episodes of shorter duration compared to normal REM. We examined behaviour, ponto-geniculo-occipital (PGO) waves (which may be central markers of orienting) and sleep in lesioned cats: (i) to characterize the relationship of PGO waves to behaviour in REM-A; (ii) to determine whether post-lesion changes in the timing and duration of REM-A episodes were due to activity-related awakenings: and (iii) to determine whether alterations in sleep changed the circadian sleep/wake cycle in cats. Behavioural release in REM-A was generally related to episode length, but episode length was not necessarily shorter than normal REM in cats capable of full locomotion in REM-A. PGO wave frequency was reduced overall during REM-A, but was higher during REM-A with behaviour than during quiet REM-A without overt behaviour. Pontine lesions did not significantly alter the circadian sleep/wake cycle: REM-A had approximately the same Light/Dark distribution as normal REM. Differences in the patterning of normal REM and REM-A within sleep involve more than mere movement-induced awakenings. Brainstem lesions that eliminate the atonia of REM may damage neural circuitry involved in REM initiation and maintenance; this circuitry is separate from circadian control mechanisms.

Behavioral Sleep-Wake Homeostasis and EEG Delta Power Are Decoupled By Chronic Sleep Restriction in the Rat

PubMed Central

Stephenson, Richard; Caron, Aimee M.; Famina, Svetlana

2015-01-01

Study Objectives: Chronic sleep restriction (CSR) is prevalent in society and is linked to adverse consequences that might be ameliorated by acclimation of homeostatic drive. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that the sleep-wake homeostat will acclimatize to CSR. DESIGN: A four-parameter model of proportional control was used to quantify sleep homeostasis with and without recourse to a sleep intensity function. Setting: Animal laboratory, rodent walking-wheel apparatus. Subjects: Male Sprague-Dawley rats. Interventions: Acute total sleep deprivation (TSD, 1 day × 18 or 24 h, N = 12), CSR (10 days × 18 h TSD, N = 6, or 5 days × 20 h TSD, N = 5). Measurements and Results: Behavioral rebounds were consistent with model predictions for proportional control of cumulative times in wake, nonrapid eye movement sleep (NREM) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM). Delta (Δ) energy homeostasis was secondary to behavioral homeostasis; a biphasic NREM Δ power rebound contributed to the dynamics (rapid response) but not to the magnitude of the rebound in Δ energy. REM behavioral homeostasis was little affected by CSR. NREM behavioral homeostasis was attenuated in proportion to cumulative NREM deficit, whereas the biphasic NREM Δ power rebound was only slightly suppressed, indicating decoupled regulatory mechanisms following CSR. Conclusions: We conclude that sleep homeostasis is achieved through behavioral regulation, that the nonrapid eye movement sleep behavioral homeostat is susceptible to attenuation during chronic sleep restriction and that the concept of sleep intensity is not essential in a model of sleep-wake regulation. Citation: Stephenson R, Caron AM, Famina S. Behavioral sleep-wake homeostasis and EEG delta power are decoupled by chronic sleep restriction in the rat. SLEEP 2015;38(5):685–697. PMID:25669184

Daytime REM Sleep in Parkinson’s Disease

PubMed Central

Bliwise, Donald L.; Trotti, Lynn Marie; Juncos, Jorge J.; Factor, Stewart A.; Freeman, Alan; Rye, David B.

2012-01-01

Background Previous studies have demonstrated both clinical and neurochemical similarities between Parkinson’s disease (PD) and narcolepsy. The intrusion of REM sleep into the daytime remains a cardinal feature of narcolepsy, but the importance of these intrusions in PD remains unclear. In this study we examined REM sleep during daytime Maintenance of Wakefulness Testing (MWT) in PD patients. Methods Patients spent 2 consecutive nights and days in the sleep laboratory. During the daytime, we employed a modified MWT procedure in which each daytime nap opportunity (4 per day) was extended to 40 minutes, regardless of whether the patient was able to sleep or how much the patient slept. We examined each nap opportunity for the presence of REM sleep and time to fall asleep. Results Eleven of 63 PD patients studied showed 2 or more REM episodes and 10 showed 1 REM episode on their daytime MWTs. Nocturnal sleep characteristics and sleep disorders were unrelated to the presence of daytime REM sleep, however, patients with daytime REM were significantly sleepier during the daytime than those patients without REM. Demographic and clinical variables, including Unified Parkinson’s Disease Rating Scale motor scores and levodopa dose equivalents, were unrelated to the presence of REM sleep. Conclusions A sizeable proportion of PD patients demonstrated REM sleep and daytime sleep tendency during daytime nap testing. These data confirm similarities in REM intrusions between narcolepsy and PD, perhaps suggesting parallel neurodegenerative conditions of hypocretin deficiency. PMID:22939103

Sleep and Behavior in Cross-Fostering Rats: Developmental and Sex Aspects.

PubMed

Santangeli, Olena; Lehtikuja, Henna; Palomäki, Eeva; Wigren, Henna-Kaisa; Paunio, Tiina; Porkka-Heiskanen, Tarja

2016-12-01

Adverse early-life events induce behavioral psychopathologies and sleep changes in adulthood. In order to understand the molecular level mechanisms by which the maltreatment modifies sleep, valid animal models are needed. Changing pups between mothers at early age (cross-fostering) may satisfyingly model adverse events in human childhood. Cross-fostering (CF) was used to model mild early-life stress in male and female Wistar rats. Behavior and BDNF gene expression in the basal forebrain (BF), cortex, and hypothalamus were assessed during adolescence and adulthood. Spontaneous sleep, sleep homeostasis, and BF extracellular adenosine levels were assessed in adulthood. CF rats demonstrated increased number of REM sleep onsets in light and dark periods of the day. Total REM and NREM sleep duration was also increased during the light period. While sleep homeostasis was not severely affected, basal level of adenosine in the BF of both male and female CF rats was lower than in controls. CF did not lead to considerable changes in behavior. Even when the consequences of adverse early-life events are not observed in tests for anxiety and depression, they leave a molecular mark in the brain, which can act as a vulnerability factor for psychopathologies in later life. Sleep is a sensitive indicator for even mild early-life stress. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Quantitative differences among EMG activities of muscles innervated by subpopulations of hypoglossal and upper spinal motoneurons during non-REM sleep - REM sleep transitions: a window on neural processes in the sleeping brain.

PubMed

Rukhadze, I; Kamani, H; Kubin, L

2011-12-01

In the rat, a species widely used to study the neural mechanisms of sleep and motor control, lingual electromyographic activity (EMG) is minimal during non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep and then phasic twitches gradually increase after the onset of REM sleep. To better characterize the central neural processes underlying this pattern, we quantified EMG of muscles innervated by distinct subpopulations of hypoglossal motoneurons and nuchal (N) EMG during transitions from non-REM sleep to REM sleep. In 8 chronically instrumented rats, we recorded cortical EEG, EMG at sites near the base of the tongue where genioglossal and intrinsic muscle fibers predominate (GG-I), EMG of the geniohyoid (GH) muscle, and N EMG. Sleep-wake states were identified and EMGs quantified relative to their mean levels in wakefulness in successive 10 s epochs. During non-REM sleep, the average EMG levels differed among the three muscles, with the order being N>GH>GG-I. During REM sleep, due to different magnitudes of phasic twitches, the order was reversed to GG-I>GH>N. GG-I and GH exhibited a gradual increase of twitching that peaked at 70-120 s after the onset of REM sleep and then declined if the REM sleep episode lasted longer. We propose that a common phasic excitatory generator impinges on motoneuron pools that innervate different muscles, but twitching magnitudes are different due to different levels of tonic motoneuronal hyperpolarization. We also propose that REM sleep episodes of average durations are terminated by intense activity of the central generator of phasic events, whereas long REM sleep episodes end as a result of a gradual waning of the tonic disfacilitatory and inhibitory processes.

The homeostatic regulation of REM sleep: A role for localized expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor in the brainstem.

PubMed

Datta, Subimal; Knapp, Clifford M; Koul-Tiwari, Richa; Barnes, Abigail

2015-10-01

Homeostatic regulation of REM sleep plays a key role in neural plasticity and deficits in this process are implicated in the development of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Little is known, however, about the molecular mechanisms that underlie this homeostatic regulation process. This study examined the hypothesis that, during selective REM sleep deprivation (RSD), increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in REM sleep regulating areas is critical for the development of homeostatic drive for REM sleep, as measured by an increase in the number of REM sleep transitions. Rats were assigned to RSD, non-sleep deprived (BSL), or total sleep deprivation (TSD) groups. Physiological recordings were obtained from cortical, hippocampal, and pontine EEG electrodes over a 6h period, in which sleep deprivation occurred during the first 3h. In the RSD, but not the other conditions, homeostatic drive for REM sleep increased progressively. BDNF protein expression was significantly greater in the pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPT) and subcoeruleus nucleus (SubCD) in the RSD as compared to the TSD and BSL groups, areas that regulate REM sleep, but not in the medial preoptic area, which regulates non-REM sleep. There was a significant positive correlation between RSD-induced increases in number of REM sleep episodes and increased BDNF expression in the PPT and SubCD. These increases positively correlated with levels of homeostatic drive for REM sleep. These results, for the first time, suggest that selective RSD-induced increased expression of BDNF in the PPT and SubCD are determinant factors in the development of the homeostatic drive for REM sleep. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The Homeostatic Regulation of REM Sleep: A role for Localized Expression of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in the Brainstem

PubMed Central

Datta, Subimal; Knapp, Clifford M.; Koul-Tiwari, Richa; Barnes, Abigail

2015-01-01

Homeostatic regulation of REM sleep plays a key role in neural plasticity and deficits in this process are implicated in the development of many neuropsychiatric disorders. Little is known, however, about the molecular mechanisms that underlie this homeostatic regulation process. This study examined the hypothesis that, during selective REM sleep deprivation (RSD), increased brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in REM sleep regulating areas is critical for the development of homeostatic drive for REM sleep, as measured by an increase in the number of REM sleep transitions. Rats were assigned to RSD, non-sleep deprived (BSL), or total sleep deprivation (TSD) groups. Physiological recordings were obtained from cortical, hippocampal, and pontine EEG electrodes over a 6-hour period, in which sleep deprivation occurred during the first 3 hours. In the RSD, but not the other conditions, homeostatic drive for REM sleep increased progressively. BDNF protein expression was significantly greater in the pedunculopontine tegmentum (PPT) and subcoeruleus nucleus (SubCD) in the RSD as compared to the TSD and BSL groups, areas that regulate REM sleep, but not in the medial preoptic area, which regulates non-REM sleep. There was a significant positive correlation between RSD-induced increases in number of REM sleep episodes and increased BDNF expression in the PPT and SubCD. These increases positively correlated with levels of homeostatic drive for REM sleep. These results, for the first time, suggest that selective RSD-induced increased expression of BDNF in the PPT and SubCD are determinant factors in the development of the homeostatic drive for REM sleep. PMID:26146031

Posttraining Increases in REM Sleep Intensity Implicate REM Sleep in Memory Processing and Provide a Biological Marker of Learning Potential

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nader, Rebecca S.; Smith, Carlyle T.; Nixon, Margaret R.

2004-01-01

Posttraining rapid eye movement (REM) sleep has been reported to be important for efficient memory consolidation. The present results demonstrate increases in the intensity of REM sleep during the night of sleep following cognitive procedural/implicit task acquisition. These REM increases manifest as increases in total number of rapid eye…

Orexin-1 receptor blockade dysregulates REM sleep in the presence of orexin-2 receptor antagonism

PubMed Central

Dugovic, Christine; Shelton, Jonathan E.; Yun, Sujin; Bonaventure, Pascal; Shireman, Brock T.; Lovenberg, Timothy W.

2014-01-01

In accordance with the prominent role of orexins in the maintenance of wakefulness via activation of orexin-1 (OX1R) and orexin-2 (OX2R) receptors, various dual OX1/2R antagonists have been shown to promote sleep in animals and humans. While selective blockade of OX2R seems to be sufficient to initiate and prolong sleep, the beneficial effect of additional inhibition of OX1R remains controversial. The relative contribution of OX1R and OX2R to the sleep effects induced by a dual OX1/2R antagonist was further investigated in the rat, and specifically on rapid eye movement (REM) sleep since a deficiency of the orexin system is associated with narcolepsy/cataplexy based on clinical and pre-clinical data. As expected, the dual OX1/2R antagonist SB-649868 was effective in promoting non-REM (NREM) and REM sleep following oral dosing (10 and 30 mg/kg) at the onset of the dark phase. However, a disruption of REM sleep was evidenced by a more pronounced reduction in the onset of REM as compared to NREM sleep, a marked enhancement of the REM/total sleep ratio, and the occurrence of a few episodes of direct wake to REM sleep transitions (REM intrusion). When administered subcutaneously, the OX2R antagonist JNJ-10397049 (10 mg/kg) increased NREM duration whereas the OX1R antagonist GSK-1059865 (10 mg/kg) did not alter sleep. REM sleep was not affected either by OX2R or OX1R blockade alone, but administration of the OX1R antagonist in combination with the OX2R antagonist induced a significant reduction in REM sleep latency and an increase in REM sleep duration at the expense of the time spent in NREM sleep. These results indicate that additional blockade of OX1R to OX2R antagonism elicits a dysregulation of REM sleep by shifting the balance in favor of REM sleep at the expense of NREM sleep that may increase the risk of adverse events. Translation of this hypothesis remains to be tested in the clinic. PMID:24592208

Comparing Neural Correlates of REM Sleep in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Depression: A Neuroimaging Study

PubMed Central

Ebdlahad, Sommer; Nofzinger, Eric A.; James, Jeffrey A.; Buysse, Daniel J.; Price, Julie C.; Germain, Anne

2013-01-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep disturbances predict poor clinical outcomes in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). In MDD, REM sleep is characterized by activation of limbic and paralimbic brain regions compared to wakefulness. The neural correlates of PTSD during REM sleep remain scarcely explored, and comparisons of PTSD and MDD have not been conducted. The present study sought to compare brain activity patterns during wakefulness and REM sleep in 13 adults with PTSD and 12 adults with MDD using [18F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography (PET). PTSD was associated with greater increases in relative regional cerebral metabolic rate of glucose (rCMRglc) in limbic and paralimbic structures in REM sleep compared to wakefulness. Post-hoc comparisons indicated that MDD was associated with greater limbic and paralimbic rCMRglc during wakefulness but not REM sleep compared to PTSD. Our findings suggest that PTSD is associated with increased REM sleep limbic and paralimbic metabolism, whereas MDD is associated with wake and REM hypermetabolism in these areas. These observations suggest that PTSD and MDD disrupt REM sleep through different neurobiological processes. Optimal sleep treatments between the two disorders may differ: REM-specific therapy may be more effective in PTSD. PMID:24367137

Ponto-geniculo-occipital-wave suppression amplifies lateral geniculate nucleus cell-size changes in monocularly deprived kittens.

PubMed

Shaffery, J P; Roffwarg, H P; Speciale, S G; Marks, G A

1999-04-12

We have previously shown that during the post-natal critical period of development of the cat visual system, 1 week of instrumental rapid eye movement (REM) sleep deprivation (IRSD) during 2 weeks of monocular deprivation (MD) results in significant amplification of the effects of solely the 2-week MD on cell-size in the binocular segment of the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) [36,40]. In this study, we examined whether elimination of ponto-geniculo-occipital (PGO)-wave phasic activity in the LGN during REM sleep (REMS), rather than suppression of all REMS state-related activity, would similarly yield enhanced plasticity effects on cell-size in LGN. PGO-activity was eliminated in LGN by bilateral pontomesencephalic lesions [8,32]. This method of removing phasic activation at the level of the LGN preserved sleep and wake proportions as well as the tonic activities (low voltage, fast frequency ECoG and low amplitude EMG) that characterize REM sleep. The lesions were performed in kittens on post-natal day 42, at the end of the first week of the 2-week period of MD, the same age when IRSD was started in the earlier study. LGN interlaminar cell-size disparity increased in the PGO-wave-suppressed animals as it had in behaviorally REM sleep-deprived animals. Smaller A1/A-interlaminar ratios reflect the increased disparity effect in both the REM sleep- and PGO-suppressed groups compared to animals subjected to MD-alone. With IRSD, the effect was achieved because the occluded eye-related, LGN A1-lamina cells tended to be smaller relative to their size after MD-alone, whereas after PGO-suppressing lesions, the A1-lamina cells retained their size and the non-occluded eye-related, A-lamina cells tended to be larger than after MD-alone. Despite this difference, for which several possible explanations are offered, these A1/A-interlaminar ratio data indicate that in conjunction either with suppression of the whole of the REMS state or selective removal of REM sleep phasic activity at the LGN, altered visual input evokes more LGN cell plasticity during the developmental period than it would otherwise. These data further support involvement of the REM sleep state in reducing susceptibility to plasticity changes and undesirable variability in the course of normative CNS growth and maturation. Copyright 1999 Elsevier Science B.V.

Differential effects of non-REM and REM sleep on memory consolidation?

PubMed

Ackermann, Sandra; Rasch, Björn

2014-02-01

Sleep benefits memory consolidation. Previous theoretical accounts have proposed a differential role of slow-wave sleep (SWS), rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, and stage N2 sleep for different types of memories. For example the dual process hypothesis proposes that SWS is beneficial for declarative memories, whereas REM sleep is important for consolidation of non-declarative, procedural and emotional memories. In fact, numerous recent studies do provide further support for the crucial role of SWS (or non-REM sleep) in declarative memory consolidation. However, recent evidence for the benefit of REM sleep for non-declarative memories is rather scarce. In contrast, several recent studies have related consolidation of procedural memories (and some also emotional memories) to SWS (or non-REM sleep)-dependent consolidation processes. We will review this recent evidence, and propose future research questions to advance our understanding of the role of different sleep stages for memory consolidation.

Sleep Behavior and Examination Results of Medical Students.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shapiro, Colin Michael; And Others

1980-01-01

Although it has been suggested that sleep, and particularly REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, plays an important role in information processing, this study found no relationship between any aspect of sleep, in particular time of arousal during the week and on weekends, and academic performance. (MLW)

Melanin-Concentrating Hormone: A New Sleep Factor?

PubMed Central

Torterolo, Pablo; Lagos, Patricia; Monti, Jaime M.

2011-01-01

Neurons containing the neuropeptide melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) are mainly located in the lateral hypothalamus and the incerto-hypothalamic area, and have widespread projections throughout the brain. While the biological functions of this neuropeptide are exerted in humans through two metabotropic receptors, the MCHR1 and MCHR2, only the MCHR1 is present in rodents. Recently, it has been shown that the MCHergic system is involved in the control of sleep. We can summarize the experimental findings as follows: (1) The areas related to the control of sleep and wakefulness have a high density of MCHergic fibers and receptors. (2) MCHergic neurons are active during sleep, especially during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. (3) MCH knockout mice have less REM sleep, notably under conditions of negative energy balance. Animals with genetically inactivated MCHR1 also exhibit altered vigilance state architecture and sleep homeostasis. (4) Systemically administered MCHR1 antagonists reduce sleep. (5) Intraventricular microinjection of MCH increases both slow wave sleep (SWS) and REM sleep; however, the increment in REM sleep is more pronounced. (6) Microinjection of MCH into the dorsal raphe nucleus increases REM sleep time. REM seep is inhibited by immunoneutralization of MCH within this nucleus. (7) Microinjection of MCH in the nucleus pontis oralis of the cat enhances REM sleep time and reduces REM sleep latency. All these data strongly suggest that MCH has a potent role in the promotion of sleep. Although both SWS and REM sleep are facilitated by MCH, REM sleep seems to be more sensitive to MCH modulation. PMID:21516258

Sleep disturbances in the critically ill patients: role of delirium and sedative agents.

PubMed

Trompeo, A C; Vidi, Y; Locane, M D; Braghiroli, A; Mascia, L; Bosma, K; Ranieri, V M

2011-06-01

Impairment of sleep quality and quantity has been described in critically ill patients. Delirium, an organ dysfunction that affects outcome of the critically ill patients, is characterized by an acute onset of impaired cognitive function, visual hallucinations, delusions, and illusions. These symptoms resemble the hypnagogic hallucinations and wakeful dreams seen in patients with neurological degenerative disorders and suffering of disorders of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We assessed the characteristics of sleep disruption in a cohort of surgical critically ill patients examining the hypothesis that severe impairments of rapid eyes movement (REM) sleep are associated to delirium. Surgical patients admitted to the intensive care units of the San G. Battista Hospital (University of Turin) were enrolled. Once weaning was initiated, sleep was recorded for one night utilizing standard polysomnography. Clinical status, laboratory data on admission, co-morbidities and duration of mechanical ventilation were recorded. Patients were a priori classified as having a "severe REM reduction" or "REM reduction" if REM was higher or lower than 6% of the total sleep time (TST), respectively. Occurrence of delirium during intensive care unit (ICU) stay was identified by CAM-ICU twice a day. Multivariate forward stepwise logistic regression analysis was performed with sleep ("severe REM reduction" vs. "REM reduction") as the a priori dependent factor. REM sleep amounted to 44 (16-72) minutes [11 (8-55) % of the TST] in 14 patients ("REM reduction") and to 2.5 (0-36) minutes [1 (0-6) % of the TST] in the remaining 15 patients ("severe REM reduction") (P = 0.0004). SAPS II on admission was higher in " severely REM deprived" then in "REM deprived" patients. Delirium was present in 11 patients (73.3%) of the patients with "severe REM reduction" and lasted for a median of 3 (0-11) days before sleep assessment, while only one patient having "REM reduction" developed delirium that lasted for 1 day. The factors independently associated with a higher risk of developing "severe REM reduction" were delirium and daily dosage of lorazepam. The present study shows that while all critically ill patients present a profound fragmentation of sleep with a high frequency of arousals and awakenings and a reduction of REM sleep, a percentage of patients present an extremely severe reduction of REM sleep. Delirium and daily dosage of lorazepam are the factors independently associated to extremely severe REM sleep reduction.

Selective REM Sleep Deprivation Improves Expectation-Related Placebo Analgesia

PubMed Central

Chouchou, Florian; Chauny, Jean-Marc; Rainville, Pierre; Lavigne, Gilles J.

2015-01-01

The placebo effect is a neurobiological and psychophysiological process known to influence perceived pain relief. Optimization of placebo analgesia may contribute to the clinical efficacy and effectiveness of medication for acute and chronic pain management. We know that the placebo effect operates through two main mechanisms, expectations and learning, which is also influenced by sleep. Moreover, a recent study suggested that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is associated with modulation of expectation-mediated placebo analgesia. We examined placebo analgesia following pharmacological REM sleep deprivation and we tested the hypothesis that relief expectations and placebo analgesia would be improved by experimental REM sleep deprivation in healthy volunteers. Following an adaptive night in a sleep laboratory, 26 healthy volunteers underwent classical experimental placebo analgesic conditioning in the evening combined with pharmacological REM sleep deprivation (clonidine: 13 volunteers or inert control pill: 13 volunteers). Medication was administered in a double-blind manner at bedtime, and placebo analgesia was tested in the morning. Results revealed that 1) placebo analgesia improved with REM sleep deprivation; 2) pain relief expectations did not differ between REM sleep deprivation and control groups; and 3) REM sleep moderated the relationship between pain relief expectations and placebo analgesia. These results support the putative role of REM sleep in modulating placebo analgesia. The mechanisms involved in these improvements in placebo analgesia and pain relief following selective REM sleep deprivation should be further investigated. PMID:26678391

Selective REM Sleep Deprivation Improves Expectation-Related Placebo Analgesia.

PubMed

Chouchou, Florian; Chauny, Jean-Marc; Rainville, Pierre; Lavigne, Gilles J

2015-01-01

The placebo effect is a neurobiological and psychophysiological process known to influence perceived pain relief. Optimization of placebo analgesia may contribute to the clinical efficacy and effectiveness of medication for acute and chronic pain management. We know that the placebo effect operates through two main mechanisms, expectations and learning, which is also influenced by sleep. Moreover, a recent study suggested that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is associated with modulation of expectation-mediated placebo analgesia. We examined placebo analgesia following pharmacological REM sleep deprivation and we tested the hypothesis that relief expectations and placebo analgesia would be improved by experimental REM sleep deprivation in healthy volunteers. Following an adaptive night in a sleep laboratory, 26 healthy volunteers underwent classical experimental placebo analgesic conditioning in the evening combined with pharmacological REM sleep deprivation (clonidine: 13 volunteers or inert control pill: 13 volunteers). Medication was administered in a double-blind manner at bedtime, and placebo analgesia was tested in the morning. Results revealed that 1) placebo analgesia improved with REM sleep deprivation; 2) pain relief expectations did not differ between REM sleep deprivation and control groups; and 3) REM sleep moderated the relationship between pain relief expectations and placebo analgesia. These results support the putative role of REM sleep in modulating placebo analgesia. The mechanisms involved in these improvements in placebo analgesia and pain relief following selective REM sleep deprivation should be further investigated.

Polysomnographic Findings and Clinical Correlates in Huntington Disease: A Cross-Sectional Cohort Study

PubMed Central

Piano, Carla; Losurdo, Anna; Della Marca, Giacomo; Solito, Marcella; Calandra-Buonaura, Giovanna; Provini, Federica; Bentivoglio, Anna Rita; Cortelli, Pietro

2015-01-01

Study Objectives: To evaluate the sleep pattern and the motor activity during sleep in a cohort of patients affected by Huntington disease (HD). Design: Cross-sectional cohort study. Setting: Sleep laboratory. Patients: Thirty HD patients, 16 women and 14 men (mean age 57.3 ± 12.2 y); 30 matched healthy controls (mean age 56.5 ± 11.8 y). Interventions: Subjective sleep evaluation: Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS); Berlin's Questionnaire, interview for restless legs syndrome (RLS), questionnaire for REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). Clinical evaluation: disease duration, clinical severity (unified Huntington disease motor rating scale [UHDMRS]), genetic tests. Laboratory-based full-night attended video-polysomnography (V-PSG). Measurements and Results: The duration of the disease was 9.4 ± 4.4 y, UHMDRS score was 55.5 ± 23.4, CAG repeats were 44.3 ± 4.1. Body mass index was 21.9 ± 4.0 kg/m2. No patients or caregivers reported poor sleep quality. Two patients reported symptoms of RLS. Eight patients had an ESS score ≥ 9. Eight patients had high risk of obstructive sleep apnea. At the RBD questionnaire, two patients had a pathological score. HD patients, compared to controls, showed shorter sleep, reduced sleep efficiency index, and increased arousals and awakenings. Four patients presented with sleep disordered breathing (SDB). Periodic limb movements (PLMs) during wake and sleep were observed in all patients. No episode of RBD was observed in the V-PSG recordings, and no patients showed rapid eye movement (REM) sleep without atonia. The disease duration correlated with ESS score (P < 0.02). UHMDRS correlated positively with the ESS score (P < 0.005), and negatively with the percentage of REM sleep. Conclusions: Patients with Huntington disease showed a severe sleep disruption and a high prevalence of periodic limb movements, but no evidence of sleep disordered breathing or REM sleep behavior disorder. Citation: Piano C, Losurdo A, Della Marca G, Solito M, Calandra-Buonaura G, Provini F, Bentivoglio AR, Cortelli P. Polysomnographic findings and clinical correlates in Huntington disease: a cross-sectional cohort study. SLEEP 2015;38(9):1489–1495. PMID:25845698

Fragmentation of Rapid Eye Movement and Nonrapid Eye Movement Sleep without Total Sleep Loss Impairs Hippocampus-Dependent Fear Memory Consolidation.

PubMed

Lee, Michael L; Katsuyama, Ângela M; Duge, Leanne S; Sriram, Chaitra; Krushelnytskyy, Mykhaylo; Kim, Jeansok J; de la Iglesia, Horacio O

2016-11-01

Sleep is important for consolidation of hippocampus-dependent memories. It is hypothesized that the temporal sequence of nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is critical for the weakening of nonadaptive memories and the subsequent transfer of memories temporarily stored in the hippocampus to more permanent memories in the neocortex. A great body of evidence supporting this hypothesis relies on behavioral, pharmacological, neural, and/or genetic manipulations that induce sleep deprivation or stage-specific sleep deprivation. We exploit an experimental model of circadian desynchrony in which intact animals are not deprived of any sleep stage but show fragmentation of REM and NREM sleep within nonfragmented sleep bouts. We test the hypothesis that the shortening of NREM and REM sleep durations post-training will impair memory consolidation irrespective of total sleep duration. When circadian-desynchronized animals are trained in a hippocampus-dependent contextual fear-conditioning task they show normal short-term memory but impaired long-term memory consolidation. This impairment in memory consolidation is positively associated with the post-training fragmentation of REM and NREM sleep but is not significantly associated with the fragmentation of total sleep or the total amount of delta activity. We also show that the sleep stage fragmentation resulting from circadian desynchrony has no effect on hippocampus-dependent spatial memory and no effect on hippocampus-independent cued fear-conditioning memory. Our findings in an intact animal model, in which sleep deprivation is not a confounding factor, support the hypothesis that the stereotypic sequence and duration of sleep stages play a specific role in long-term hippocampus-dependent fear memory consolidation. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Wheel running improves REM sleep and attenuates stress-induced flattening of diurnal rhythms in F344 rats.

PubMed

Thompson, Robert S; Roller, Rachel; Greenwood, Benjamin N; Fleshner, Monika

2016-05-01

Regular physical activity produces resistance to the negative health consequences of stressor exposure. One way that exercise may confer stress resistance is by reducing the impact of stress on diurnal rhythms and sleep; disruptions of which contribute to stress-related disease including mood disorders. Given the link between diurnal rhythm disruptions and stress-related disorders and that exercise both promotes stress resistance and is a powerful non-photic biological entrainment cue, we tested if wheel running could reduce stress-induced disruptions of sleep/wake behavior and diurnal rhythms. Adult, male F344 rats with or without access to running wheels were instrumented for biotelemetric recording of diurnal rhythms of locomotor activity, heart rate, core body temperature (CBT), and sleep (i.e. REM, NREM, and WAKE) in the presence of a 12 h light/dark cycle. Following 6 weeks of sedentary or exercise conditions, rats were exposed to an acute stressor known to disrupt diurnal rhythms and produce behaviors associated with mood disorders. Prior to stressor exposure, exercise rats had higher CBT, more locomotor activity during the dark cycle, and greater %REM during the light cycle relative to sedentary rats. NREM and REM sleep were consolidated immediately following peak running to a greater extent in exercise, compared to sedentary rats. In response to stressor exposure, exercise rats expressed higher stress-induced hyperthermia than sedentary rats. Stressor exposure disrupted diurnal rhythms in sedentary rats; and wheel running reduced these effects. Improvements in sleep and reduced diurnal rhythm disruptions following stress could contribute to the health promoting and stress protective effects of exercise.

Wheel Running Improves REM Sleep and Attenuates Stress-induced Flattening of Diurnal Rhythms in F344 Rats

PubMed Central

Thompson, Robert S.; Roller, Rachel; Greenwood, Benjamin N.; Fleshner, Monika

2016-01-01

Regular physical activity produces resistance to the negative health consequences of stressor exposure. One way that exercise may confer stress resistance is by reducing the impact of stress on diurnal rhythms and sleep; disruptions of which contribute to stress-related disease including mood disorders. Given the link between diurnal rhythm disruptions and stress-related disorders and that exercise both promotes stress resistance and is a powerful non-photic biological entrainment cue, we tested if wheel running could reduce stress-induced disruptions of sleep/wake behavior and diurnal rhythms. Adult, male F344 rats with or without access to running wheels were instrumented for biotelemetric recording of diurnal rhythms of locomotor activity, heart rate, core body temperature (CBT), and sleep (i.e. REM, NREM, and WAKE) in the presence of a 12hr light/dark cycle. Following 6 weeks of sedentary or exercise conditions, rats were exposed to an acute stressor known to disrupt diurnal rhythms and produce behaviors associated with mood disorders. Prior to stressor exposure, exercise rats had higher CBT, more locomotor activity during the dark cycle, and greater %REM during the light cycle relative to sedentary rats. NREM and REM sleep were consolidated immediately following peak running to a greater extent in exercise, compared to sedentary rats. In response to stressor exposure, exercise rats expressed higher stress-induced hyperthermia than sedentary rats. Stressor exposure disrupted diurnal rhythms in sedentary rats; and wheel running reduced these effects. Improvements in sleep and reduced diurnal rhythm disruptions following stress could contribute to the health promoting and stress protective effects of exercise. PMID:27124542

Spatial and reversal learning in the Morris water maze are largely resistant to six hours of REM sleep deprivation following training

PubMed Central

Walsh, Christine M.; Booth, Victoria; Poe, Gina R.

2011-01-01

This first test of the role of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep in reversal spatial learning is also the first attempt to replicate a much cited pair of papers reporting that REM sleep deprivation impairs the consolidation of initial spatial learning in the Morris water maze. We hypothesized that REM sleep deprivation following training would impair both hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and learning a new target location within a familiar environment: reversal learning. A 6-d protocol was divided into the initial spatial learning phase (3.5 d) immediately followed by the reversal phase (2.5 d). During the 6 h following four or 12 training trials/day of initial or reversal learning phases, REM sleep was eliminated and non-REM sleep left intact using the multiple inverted flowerpot method. Contrary to our hypotheses, REM sleep deprivation during four or 12 trials/day of initial spatial or reversal learning did not affect training performance. However, some probe trial measures indicated REM sleep-deprivation–associated impairment in initial spatial learning with four trials/day and enhancement of subsequent reversal learning. In naive animals, REM sleep deprivation during normal initial spatial learning was followed by a lack of preference for the subsequent reversal platform location during the probe. Our findings contradict reports that REM sleep is essential for spatial learning in the Morris water maze and newly reveal that short periods of REM sleep deprivation do not impair concurrent reversal learning. Effects on subsequent reversal learning are consistent with the idea that REM sleep serves the consolidation of incompletely learned items. PMID:21677190

Quantitative differences among EMG activities of muscles innervated by subpopulations of hypoglossal and upper spinal motoneurons during non-REM sleep - REM sleep transitions: a window on neural processes in the sleeping brain

PubMed Central

RUKHADZE, I.; KAMANI, H.; KUBIN, L.

2017-01-01

In the rat, a species widely used to study the neural mechanisms of sleep and motor control, lingual electromyographic activity (EMG) is minimal during non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep and then phasic twitches gradually increase after the onset of REM sleep. To better characterize the central neural processes underlying this pattern, we quantified EMG of muscles innervated by distinct subpopulations of hypoglossal motoneurons and nuchal (N) EMG during transitions from non-REM sleep to REM sleep. In 8 chronically instrumented rats, we recorded cortical EEG, EMG at sites near the base of the tongue where genioglossal and intrinsic muscle fibers predominate (GG-I), EMG of the geniohyoid (GH) muscle, and N EMG. Sleep-wake states were identified and EMGs quantified relative to their mean levels in wakefulness in successive 10 s epochs. During non-REM sleep, the average EMG levels differed among the three muscles, with the order being N > GH > GG-I. During REM sleep, due to different magnitudes of phasic twitches, the order was reversed to GG-I > GH > N. GG-I and GH exhibited a gradual increase of twitching that peaked at 70–120 s after the onset of REM sleep and then declined if the REM sleep episode lasted longer. We propose that a common phasic excitatory generator impinges on motoneuron pools that innervate different muscles, but twitching magnitudes are different due to different levels of tonic motoneuronal hyperpolarization. We also propose that REM sleep episodes of average durations are terminated by intense activity of the central generator of phasic events, whereas long REM sleep episodes end as a result of a gradual waning of the tonic disfacilitatory and inhibitory processes. PMID:22205596

Endothelial function and sleep: associations of flow-mediated dilation with perceived sleep quality and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.

PubMed

Cooper, Denise C; Ziegler, Michael G; Milic, Milos S; Ancoli-Israel, Sonia; Mills, Paul J; Loredo, José S; Von Känel, Roland; Dimsdale, Joel E

2014-02-01

Endothelial function typically precedes clinical manifestations of cardiovascular disease and provides a potential mechanism for the associations observed between cardiovascular disease and sleep quality. This study examined how subjective and objective indicators of sleep quality relate to endothelial function, as measured by brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD). In a clinical research centre, 100 non-shift working adults (mean age: 36 years) completed FMD testing and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, along with a polysomnography assessment to obtain the following measures: slow wave sleep, percentage rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, REM sleep latency, total arousal index, total sleep time, wake after sleep onset, sleep efficiency and apnea-hypopnea index. Bivariate correlations and follow-up multiple regressions examined how FMD related to subjective (i.e., Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores) and objective (i.e., polysomnography-derived) indicators of sleep quality. After FMD showed bivariate correlations with Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index scores, percentage REM sleep and REM latency, further examination with separate regression models indicated that these associations remained significant after adjustments for sex, age, race, hypertension, body mass index, apnea-hypopnea index, smoking and income (Ps < 0.05). Specifically, as FMD decreased, scores on the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index increased (indicating decreased subjective sleep quality) and percentage REM sleep decreased, while REM sleep latency increased (Ps < 0.05). Poorer subjective sleep quality and adverse changes in REM sleep were associated with diminished vasodilation, which could link sleep disturbances to cardiovascular disease. © 2013 European Sleep Research Society.

Chronic escitalopram treatment attenuated the accelerated rapid eye movement sleep transitions after selective rapid eye movement sleep deprivation: a model-based analysis using Markov chains.

PubMed

Kostyalik, Diána; Vas, Szilvia; Kátai, Zita; Kitka, Tamás; Gyertyán, István; Bagdy, Gyorgy; Tóthfalusi, László

2014-11-19

Shortened rapid eye movement (REM) sleep latency and increased REM sleep amount are presumed biological markers of depression. These sleep alterations are also observable in several animal models of depression as well as during the rebound sleep after selective REM sleep deprivation (RD). Furthermore, REM sleep fragmentation is typically associated with stress procedures and anxiety. The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) antidepressants reduce REM sleep time and increase REM latency after acute dosing in normal condition and even during REM rebound following RD. However, their therapeutic outcome evolves only after weeks of treatment, and the effects of chronic treatment in REM-deprived animals have not been studied yet. Chronic escitalopram- (10 mg/kg/day, osmotic minipump for 24 days) or vehicle-treated rats were subjected to a 3-day-long RD on day 21 using the flower pot procedure or kept in home cage. On day 24, fronto-parietal electroencephalogram, electromyogram and motility were recorded in the first 2 h of the passive phase. The observed sleep patterns were characterized applying standard sleep metrics, by modelling the transitions between sleep phases using Markov chains and by spectral analysis. Based on Markov chain analysis, chronic escitalopram treatment attenuated the REM sleep fragmentation [accelerated transition rates between REM and non-REM (NREM) stages, decreased REM sleep residence time between two transitions] during the rebound sleep. Additionally, the antidepressant avoided the frequent awakenings during the first 30 min of recovery period. The spectral analysis showed that the SSRI prevented the RD-caused elevation in theta (5-9 Hz) power during slow-wave sleep. Conversely, based on the aggregate sleep metrics, escitalopram had only moderate effects and it did not significantly attenuate the REM rebound after RD. In conclusion, chronic SSRI treatment is capable of reducing several effects on sleep which might be the consequence of the sub-chronic stress caused by the flower pot method. These data might support the antidepressant activity of SSRIs, and may allude that investigating the rebound period following the flower pot protocol could be useful to detect antidepressant drug response. Markov analysis is a suitable method to study the sleep pattern.

Effect of sleep stage on breathing in children with central hypoventilation.

PubMed

Huang, Jingtao; Colrain, Ian M; Panitch, Howard B; Tapia, Ignacio E; Schwartz, Michael S; Samuel, John; Pepe, Michelle; Bandla, Preetam; Bradford, Ruth; Mosse, Yael P; Maris, John M; Marcus, Carole L

2008-07-01

The early literature suggests that hypoventilation in infants with congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (CHS) is less severe during rapid eye movement (REM) than during non-REM (NREM) sleep. However, this supposition has not been rigorously tested, and subjects older than infancy have not been studied. Given the differences in anatomy, physiology, and REM sleep distribution between infants and older children, and the reduced number of limb movements during REM sleep, we hypothesized that older subjects with CHS would have more severe hypoventilation during REM than NREM sleep. Nine subjects with CHS, aged (mean +/- SD) 13 +/- 7 yr, were studied. Spontaneous ventilation was evaluated by briefly disconnecting the ventilator under controlled circumstances. Arousal was common, occurring in 46% of REM vs. 38% of NREM trials [not significant (NS)]. Central apnea occurred during 31% of REM and 54% of NREM trials (NS). Although minute ventilation declined precipitously during both REM and NREM trials, hypoventilation was less severe during REM (drop in minute ventilation of 65 +/- 23%) than NREM (drop of 87 +/- 16%, P = 0.036). Despite large changes in gas exchange during trials, there was no significant change in heart rate during either REM or NREM sleep. We conclude that older patients with CHS frequently have arousal and central apnea, in addition to hypoventilation, when breathing spontaneously during sleep. The hypoventilation in CHS is more severe during NREM than REM sleep. We speculate that this may be due to increased excitatory inputs to the respiratory system during REM sleep.

Altered functional connectivity in lesional peduncular hallucinosis with REM sleep behavior disorder.

PubMed

Geddes, Maiya R; Tie, Yanmei; Gabrieli, John D E; McGinnis, Scott M; Golby, Alexandra J; Whitfield-Gabrieli, Susan

2016-01-01

Brainstem lesions causing peduncular hallucinosis (PH) produce vivid visual hallucinations occasionally accompanied by sleep disorders. Overlapping brainstem regions modulate visual pathways and REM sleep functions via gating of thalamocortical networks. A 66-year-old man with paroxysmal atrial fibrillation developed abrupt-onset complex visual hallucinations with preserved insight and violent dream enactment behavior. Brain MRI showed restricted diffusion in the left rostrodorsal pons suggestive of an acute ischemic stroke. REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) was diagnosed on polysomnography. We investigated the integrity of ponto-geniculate-occipital circuits with seed-based resting-state functional connectivity MRI (rs-fcMRI) in this patient compared to 46 controls. Rs-fcMRI revealed significantly reduced functional connectivity between the lesion and lateral geniculate nuclei (LGN), and between LGN and visual association cortex compared to controls. Conversely, functional connectivity between brainstem and visual association cortex, and between visual association cortex and prefrontal cortex (PFC) was significantly increased in the patient. Focal damage to the rostrodorsal pons is sufficient to cause RBD and PH in humans, suggesting an overlapping mechanism in both syndromes. This lesion produced a pattern of altered functional connectivity consistent with disrupted visual cortex connectivity via de-afferentation of thalamocortical pathways. Crown Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of aniracetam on impaired sleep patterns in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

PubMed

Kimura, M; Okano, S; Inoué, S

2000-06-01

The aim of the present study was to determine the pattern of sleep disturbances and the effects on sleep of aniracetam, a cognitive enhancer, in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). Compared with normotensive control rats, SHRSP exhibited an impaired sleep pattern characterized by suppressed diurnal rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and excessive nocturnal non-REM sleep. At a dose of 30 mg/kg per day p.o., aniracetam increased REM sleep in the light period after administration for 5 consecutive days. Consequently, suppressed REM sleep in SHRSP was restored by repeated treatment with aniracetam. Aniracetam could be useful in improving REM sleep impairment associated with vascular dementia.

Antidepressant suppression of non-REM sleep spindles and REM sleep impairs hippocampus-dependent learning while augmenting striatum-dependent learning.

PubMed

Watts, Alain; Gritton, Howard J; Sweigart, Jamie; Poe, Gina R

2012-09-26

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep enhances hippocampus-dependent associative memory, but REM deprivation has little impact on striatum-dependent procedural learning. Antidepressant medications are known to inhibit REM sleep, but it is not well understood if antidepressant treatments impact learning and memory. We explored antidepressant REM suppression effects on learning by training animals daily on a spatial task under familiar and novel conditions, followed by training on a procedural memory task. Daily treatment with the antidepressant and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor desipramine (DMI) strongly suppressed REM sleep in rats for several hours, as has been described in humans. We also found that DMI treatment reduced the spindle-rich transition-to-REM sleep state (TR), which has not been previously reported. DMI REM suppression gradually weakened performance on a once familiar hippocampus-dependent maze (reconsolidation error). DMI also impaired learning of the novel maze (consolidation error). Unexpectedly, learning of novel reward positions and memory of familiar positions were equally and oppositely correlated with amounts of TR sleep. Conversely, DMI treatment enhanced performance on a separate striatum-dependent, procedural T-maze task that was positively correlated with the amounts of slow-wave sleep (SWS). Our results suggest that learning strategy switches in patients taking REM sleep-suppressing antidepressants might serve to offset sleep-dependent hippocampal impairments to partially preserve performance. State-performance correlations support a model wherein reconsolidation of hippocampus-dependent familiar memories occurs during REM sleep, novel information is incorporated and consolidated during TR, and dorsal striatum-dependent procedural learning is augmented during SWS.

Antidepressant Suppression of Non-REM Sleep Spindles and REM Sleep Impairs Hippocampus-Dependent Learning While Augmenting Striatum-Dependent Learning

PubMed Central

Watts, Alain; Gritton, Howard J.; Sweigart, Jamie

2012-01-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep enhances hippocampus-dependent associative memory, but REM deprivation has little impact on striatum-dependent procedural learning. Antidepressant medications are known to inhibit REM sleep, but it is not well understood if antidepressant treatments impact learning and memory. We explored antidepressant REM suppression effects on learning by training animals daily on a spatial task under familiar and novel conditions, followed by training on a procedural memory task. Daily treatment with the antidepressant and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor desipramine (DMI) strongly suppressed REM sleep in rats for several hours, as has been described in humans. We also found that DMI treatment reduced the spindle-rich transition-to-REM sleep state (TR), which has not been previously reported. DMI REM suppression gradually weakened performance on a once familiar hippocampus-dependent maze (reconsolidation error). DMI also impaired learning of the novel maze (consolidation error). Unexpectedly, learning of novel reward positions and memory of familiar positions were equally and oppositely correlated with amounts of TR sleep. Conversely, DMI treatment enhanced performance on a separate striatum-dependent, procedural T-maze task that was positively correlated with the amounts of slow-wave sleep (SWS). Our results suggest that learning strategy switches in patients taking REM sleep-suppressing antidepressants might serve to offset sleep-dependent hippocampal impairments to partially preserve performance. State–performance correlations support a model wherein reconsolidation of hippocampus-dependent familiar memories occurs during REM sleep, novel information is incorporated and consolidated during TR, and dorsal striatum-dependent procedural learning is augmented during SWS. PMID:23015432

Neuropeptide glutamic acid-isoleucine (NEI)-induced paradoxical sleep in rats.

PubMed

Fujimoto, Moe; Fukuda, Satoru; Sakamoto, Hidetoshi; Takata, Junko; Sawamura, Shigehito

2017-01-01

Neuropeptideglutamic acid-isoleucine (NEI) as well as melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) is cleaved from the 165 amino acid protein, prepro-melanin concentrating hormone (prepro-MCH). Among many physiological roles of MCH, we demonstrated that intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of MCH induced increases in REM sleep episodes as well as in non REM sleep episodes. However, there are no studies on the effect of NEI on the sleep-wake cycle. As for the sites of action of MCH for induction of REM sleep, the ventrolateral periaqueductal gray (vlPAG) has been reported to be one of its site of action. Although MCH neurons contain NEI, GABA, MCH, and other neuropeptides, we do not know which transmitter(s) might induce REM sleep by acting on the vlPAG. Thus, we first examined the effect of icv injection of NEI on the sleep-wake cycle, and investigated how microinjection of either NEI, MCH, or GABA into the vlPAG affected REM sleep in rats. Icv injection of NEI (0.61μg/5μl: n=7) significantly increased the time spent in REM episodes compared to control (saline: 5μl; n=6). Microinjection of either NEI (61ng/0.2μl: n=7), MCH (100ng/0.2μl: n=6) or GABA (250mM/0.2μl: n=7) into the vlPAG significantly increased the time spent in REM episodes and the AUC. Precise hourly analysis of REM sleep also revealed that after those microinjections, NEI and MCH increased REM episodes at the latter phase, compared to GABA which increased REM episodes at the earlier phase. This result suggests that NEI and MCH may induce sustained REM sleep, while GABA may initiate REM sleep. In conclusion, our findings demonstrate that NEI, a cleaved peptide from the same precursor, prepro-MCH, as MCH, induce REM sleep at least in part through acting on the vlPAG. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Effect of voluntary attention on auditory processing during REM sleep.

PubMed

Takahara, Madoka; Nittono, Hiroshi; Hori, Tadao

2006-07-01

The study investigates whether there is an effect of voluntary attention to external auditory stimuli during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in humans by measuring event-related potentials (ERPs). Using a 2-tone auditory-discrimination task, a standard 1000-Hz tone and a deviant 2000-Hz tone were presented to participants when awake and during sleep. In the ATTENTIVE condition, participants were requested to detect the deviant stimuli during their sleep whenever possible. In the PASSIVE sleep condition, participants were only exposed to the tones. ERPs were measured during REM sleep and compared between the 2 conditions. All experiments were conducted at the sleep laboratory of Hiroshima University. Twenty healthy university student volunteers. N/A. In the tonic period of REM sleep (the period without REM), P200 and P400 were elicited by deviant stimuli, with scalp distributions maximal at central and occipital sites, respectively. The P400 in REM sleep showed larger amplitudes in the ATTENTIVE condition, whereas the P200 amplitude did not differ between the 2 conditions. No effects on ERPs due to attention were observed during stage 2 sleep. The instruction to pay attention to external stimuli during REM sleep influenced the late positive potentials. Thus electrophysiologic evidence of voluntary attention during REM sleep has been demonstrated.

Sleep alterations in mammals: did aquatic conditions inhibit rapid eye movement sleep?

PubMed

Madan, Vibha; Jha, Sushil K

2012-12-01

Sleep has been studied widely in mammals and to some extent in other vertebrates. Higher vertebrates such as birds and mammals have evolved an inimitable rapid eye movement (REM) sleep state. During REM sleep, postural muscles become atonic and the temperature regulating machinery remains suspended. Although REM sleep is present in almost all the terrestrial mammals, the aquatic mammals have either radically reduced or completely eliminated REM sleep. Further, we found a significant negative correlation between REM sleep and the adaptation of the organism to live on land or in water. The amount of REM sleep is highest in terrestrial mammals, significantly reduced in semi-aquatic mammals and completely absent or negligible in aquatic mammals. The aquatic mammals are obligate swimmers and have to surface at regular intervals for air. Also, these animals live in thermally challenging environments, where the conductive heat loss is approximately ~90 times greater than air. Therefore, they have to be moving most of the time. As an adaptation, they have evolved unihemispheric sleep, during which they can rove as well as rest. A condition that immobilizes muscle activity and suspends the thermoregulatory machinery, as happens during REM sleep, is not suitable for these animals. It is possible that, in accord with Darwin's theory, aquatic mammals might have abolished REM sleep with time. In this review, we discuss the possibility of the intrinsic role of aquatic conditions in the elimination of REM sleep in the aquatic mammals.

GABAergic regulation of REM sleep in reticularis pontis oralis and caudalis in rats.

PubMed

Sanford, Larry D; Tang, Xiangdong; Xiao, Jihua; Ross, Richard J; Morrison, Adrian R

2003-08-01

The nucleus reticularis pontis oralis (RPO) and nucleus reticularis pontis caudalis (RPC) are implicated in the generation of rapid eye movement sleep (REM). Work in cats has indicated that GABA in RPO plays a role in the regulation of REM. We assessed REM after local microinjections into RPO and RPC of the gamma-aminobutyric acid-A (GABA(A)) agonist, muscimol (MUS), and the GABA(A) antagonist, bicuculline (BIC). Rats (90-day-old male Sprague-Dawley) were implanted with electrodes for recording electroencephalographs (EEG) and electromyographs (EMG). Guide cannulae were aimed into RPO (n = 9) and RPC (n = 8) for microinjecting MUS (200, 1,000.0 microM) and BIC (0.056, 0.333, 1.0, 1,000.0, and 10,000.0 microM). Animals received bilateral microinjections of saline, MUS, and BIC (0.2 microl microinjected at 0.1 microl/min) into each region followed by 6-h sleep recordings. In RPO, MUS (1,000.0 microM) suppressed REM and BIC (1,000.0 microM) enhanced REM. In RPC, MUS (200, 1,000.0 microM) suppressed REM, but BIC (1,000.0 microM and less) did not significantly affect REM. Higher concentrations of BIC (10,000.0 microM) injected into RPO (n = 9) and RPC (n = 4) produced wakefulness and escape behavior. The results indicate that GABA in RPO/RPC is involved in the regulation of REM and suggest site-specific differences in this regulation.

Validation of an integrated software for the detection of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder.

PubMed

Frauscher, Birgit; Gabelia, David; Biermayr, Marlene; Stefani, Ambra; Hackner, Heinz; Mitterling, Thomas; Poewe, Werner; Högl, Birgit

2014-10-01

Rapid eye movement sleep without atonia (RWA) is the polysomnographic hallmark of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). To partially overcome the disadvantages of manual RWA scoring, which is time consuming but essential for the accurate diagnosis of RBD, we aimed to validate software specifically developed and integrated with polysomnography for RWA detection against the gold standard of manual RWA quantification. Academic referral center sleep laboratory. Polysomnographic recordings of 20 patients with RBD and 60 healthy volunteers were analyzed. N/A. Motor activity during REM sleep was quantified manually and computer assisted (with and without artifact detection) according to Sleep Innsbruck Barcelona (SINBAR) criteria for the mentalis ("any," phasic, tonic electromyographic [EMG] activity) and the flexor digitorum superficialis (FDS) muscle (phasic EMG activity). Computer-derived indices (with and without artifact correction) for "any," phasic, tonic mentalis EMG activity, phasic FDS EMG activity, and the SINBAR index ("any" mentalis + phasic FDS) correlated well with the manually derived indices (all Spearman rhos 0.66-0.98). In contrast with computerized scoring alone, computerized scoring plus manual artifact correction (median duration 5.4 min) led to a significant reduction of false positives for "any" mentalis (40%), phasic mentalis (40.6%), and the SINBAR index (41.2%). Quantification of tonic mentalis and phasic FDS EMG activity was not influenced by artifact correction. The computer algorithm used here appears to be a promising tool for REM sleep behavior disorder detection in both research and clinical routine. A short check for plausibility of automatic detection should be a basic prerequisite for this and all other available computer algorithms. © 2014 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Perifornical orexinergic neurons modulate REM sleep by influencing locus coeruleus neurons in rats.

PubMed

Choudhary, R C; Khanday, M A; Mitra, A; Mallick, B N

2014-10-24

Activation of the orexin (OX)-ergic neurons in the perifornical (PeF) area has been reported to induce waking and reduce rapid eye movement sleep (REMS). The activities of OX-ergic neurons are maximum during active waking and they progressively reduce during non-REMS (NREMS) and REMS. Apparently, the locus coeruleus (LC) neurons also behave in a comparable manner as that of the OX-ergic neurons particularly in relation to waking and REMS. Further, as PeF OX-ergic neurons send dense projections to LC, we argued that the former could drive the LC neurons to modulate waking and REMS. Studies in freely moving normally behaving animals where simultaneously neuro-chemo-anatomo-physio-behavioral information could be deciphered would significantly strengthen our understanding on the regulation of REMS. Therefore, in this study in freely behaving chronically prepared rats we stimulated the PeF neurons without or with simultaneous blocking of specific subtypes of OX-ergic receptors in the LC while electrophysiological recording characterizing sleep-waking was continued. Single dose of glutamate stimulation as well as sustained mild electrical stimulation of PeF (both bilateral) significantly increased waking and reduced REMS as compared to baseline. Simultaneous application of OX-receptor1 (OX1R) antagonist bilaterally into the LC prevented PeF stimulation-induced REMS suppression. Also, the effect of electrical stimulation of the PeF was long lasting as compared to that of the glutamate stimulation. Further, sustained electrical stimulation significantly decreased both REMS duration as well as REMS frequency, while glutamate stimulation decreased REMS duration only. Copyright © 2014 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Selective REM-sleep deprivation does not diminish emotional memory consolidation in young healthy subjects.

PubMed

Morgenthaler, Jarste; Wiesner, Christian D; Hinze, Karoline; Abels, Lena C; Prehn-Kristensen, Alexander; Göder, Robert

2014-01-01

Sleep enhances memory consolidation and it has been hypothesized that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep in particular facilitates the consolidation of emotional memory. The aim of this study was to investigate this hypothesis using selective REM-sleep deprivation. We used a recognition memory task in which participants were shown negative and neutral pictures. Participants (N=29 healthy medical students) were separated into two groups (undisturbed sleep and selective REM-sleep deprived). Both groups also worked on the memory task in a wake condition. Recognition accuracy was significantly better for negative than for neutral stimuli and better after the sleep than the wake condition. There was, however, no difference in the recognition accuracy (neutral and emotional) between the groups. In summary, our data suggest that REM-sleep deprivation was successful and that the resulting reduction of REM-sleep had no influence on memory consolidation whatsoever.

[Sleep paroxysmal events in children in video/polysomnography].

PubMed

Zajac, Anna; Skowronek-Bała, Barbara; Wesołowska, Ewa; Kaciński, Marek

2010-01-01

It is estimated that about 25% of children have sleep disorders, from short problems with falling asleep to severe including primary sleep disorders. Majority of these problems are transitory and self-limiting and usually are not recognized by first care physicians and need education. Analysis of sleep structure at the developmental age and of sleep disorders associated with different sleep phases on the basis of video/polysomnography results. Literature review and illustration of fundamental problems associated with sleep physiology and pathology, with special attention to paroxysmal disorders. Additionally 4 cases from our own experience were presented with neurophysiological and clinical aspects. Discussion on REM and NREM sleep, its phases and alternating share according to child's age was conducted. Sleep disorders were in accordance with their international classification. Parasomnias, occupying most of the space, were divided in two groups: primary and secondary. Among primary parasomnias disorders associated with falling asleep (sleep myoclonus, hypnagogic hallucinations, sleep paralysis, rhythmic movement disorder, restless legs syndrome) are important. Another disorders are parasomians associated with light NREM sleep (bruxism, periodic limb movement disorder) and with deeper NREM sleep (confusional arousals, somnabulism, night terrors), with REM sleep (nightmares, REM sleep behavior disorder) and associated with NREM and REM sleep (catathrenia, sleep enuresis, sleep talking). Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome and epileptic seizures occurring during sleep also play an important role. Frontal lobe epilepsy and Panayiotopoulos syndrome should be considered in the first place in such cases. Our 4 cases document these diagnostic difficulties, requiring video/polysomnography examination 2 of them illustrate frontal lobe epilepsy and single ones myoclonic epilepsy graphy in children is a difficult technique and requires special device, local and trained personnel. It is crucial in gathering objective data about sleep disorders. Correct diagnosis of paroxysmal disorders during sleep in children is possible thanks to video/polysomnography, and enables proper management and pharmacotherpy. It enables improvement or cure disorders during the sleep and moreover enables the obtainment of positive changes in child's every day life.

Chemogenetic inhibition of the medial prefrontal cortex reverses the effects of REM sleep loss on sucrose consumption

PubMed Central

McEown, Kristopher; Takata, Yohko; Cherasse, Yoan; Nagata, Nanae; Aritake, Kosuke; Lazarus, Michael

2016-01-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep loss is associated with increased consumption of weight-promoting foods. The prefrontal cortex (PFC) is thought to mediate reward anticipation. However, the precise role of the PFC in mediating reward responses to highly palatable foods (HPF) after REM sleep deprivation is unclear. We selectively reduced REM sleep in mice over a 25–48 hr period and chemogenetically inhibited the medial PFC (mPFC) by using an altered glutamate-gated and ivermectin-gated chloride channel that facilitated neuronal inhibition through hyperpolarizing infected neurons. HPF consumption was measured while the mPFC was inactivated and REM sleep loss was induced. We found that REM sleep loss increased HPF consumption compared to control animals. However, mPFC inactivation reversed the effect of REM sleep loss on sucrose consumption without affecting fat consumption. Our findings provide, for the first time, a causal link between REM sleep, mPFC function and HPF consumption. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.20269.001 PMID:27919319

Lithium Prevents REM Sleep Deprivation-Induced Impairments on Memory Consolidation

PubMed Central

Ota, Simone M.; Moreira, Karin Di Monteiro; Suchecki, Deborah; Oliveira, Maria Gabriela M.; Tiba, Paula A.

2013-01-01

Background: Pre-training rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) deprivation affects memory acquisition and/or consolidation. It also produces major REMS rebound at the cost of waking and slow wave sleep (SWS). Given that both SWS and REMS appear to be important for memory processes, REMS rebound after training may disrupt the organization of sleep cycles, i.e., excessive amount of REMS and/or little SWS after training could be harmful for memory formation. Objective: To examine whether lithium, a drug known to increase SWS and reduce REMS, could prevent the memory impairment induced by pre-training sleep deprivation. Design: Animals were divided in 2 groups: cage control (CC) and REMS-deprived (REMSDep), and then subdivided into 4 subgroups, treated either with vehicle or 1 of 3 doses of lithium (50, 100, and 150 mg/kg) 2 h before training on the multiple trial inhibitory avoidance task. Animals were tested 48 h later to make sure that the drug had been already metabolized and eliminated. Another set of animals was implanted with electrodes and submitted to the same experimental protocol for assessment of drug-induced sleep-wake changes. Subjects: Wistar male rats weighing 300-400 g. Results: Sleep deprived rats required more trials to learn the task and still showed a performance deficit during test, except from those treated with 150 mg/kg of lithium, which also reduced the time spent in REM sleep during sleep recovery. Conclusion: Lithium reduced rapid eye movement sleep and prevented memory impairment induced by sleep deprivation. These results indicate that these phenomena may be related, but cause-effect relationship cannot be ascertained. Citation: Ota SM; Moreira KDM; Suchecki D; Oliveira MGM; Tiba PA. Lithium prevents REM sleep deprivation-induced impairments on memory consolidation. SLEEP 2013;36(11):1677-1684. PMID:24179301

Slow Wave Sleep and Long Duration Spaceflight

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Whitmire, Alexandra; Orr, Martin; Arias, Diana; Rueger, Melanie; Johnston, Smith; Leveton, Lauren

2012-01-01

While ground research has clearly shown that preserving adequate quantities of sleep is essential for optimal health and performance, changes in the progression, order and /or duration of specific stages of sleep is also associated with deleterious outcomes. As seen in Figure 1, in healthy individuals, REM and Non-REM sleep alternate cyclically, with stages of Non-REM sleep structured chronologically. In the early parts of the night, for instance, Non-REM stages 3 and 4 (Slow Wave Sleep, or SWS) last longer while REM sleep spans shorter; as night progresses, the length of SWS is reduced as REM sleep lengthens. This process allows for SWS to establish precedence , with increases in SWS seen when recovering from sleep deprivation. SWS is indeed regarded as the most restorative portion of sleep. During SWS, physiological activities such as hormone secretion, muscle recovery, and immune responses are underway, while neurological processes required for long term learning and memory consolidation, also occur. The structure and duration of specific sleep stages may vary independent of total sleep duration, and changes in the structure and duration have been shown to be associated with deleterious outcomes. Individuals with narcolepsy enter sleep through REM as opposed to stage 1 of NREM. Disrupting slow wave sleep for several consecutive nights without reducing total sleep duration or sleep efficiency is associated with decreased pain threshold, increased discomfort, fatigue, and the inflammatory flare response in skin. Depression has been shown to be associated with a reduction of slow wave sleep and increased REM sleep. Given research that shows deleterious outcomes are associated with changes in sleep structure, it is essential to characterize and mitigate not only total sleep duration, but also changes in sleep stages.

Sleep-wake patterns, non-rapid eye movement, and rapid eye movement sleep cycles in teenage narcolepsy.

PubMed

Xu, Xing; Wu, Huijuan; Zhuang, Jianhua; Chen, Kun; Huang, Bei; Zhao, Zhengqing; Zhao, Zhongxin

2017-05-01

To further characterize sleep disorders associated with narcolepsy, we assessed the sleep-wake patterns, rapid eye movement (REM), and non-REM (NREM) sleep cycles in Chinese teenagers with narcolepsy. A total of 14 Chinese type 1 narcoleptic patients (13.4 ± 2.6 years of age) and 14 healthy age- and sex-matched control subjects (13.6 ± 1.8 years of age) were recruited. Ambulatory 24-h polysomnography was recorded for two days, with test subjects adapting to the instruments on day one and the study data collection performed on day two. Compared with the controls, the narcoleptic patients showed a 1.5-fold increase in total sleep time over 24 h, characterized by enhanced slow-wave sleep and REM sleep. Frequent sleep-wake transitions were identified in nocturnal sleep with all sleep stages switching to wakefulness, with more awakenings and time spent in wakefulness after sleep onset. Despite eight cases of narcolepsy with sleep onset REM periods at night, the mean duration of NREM-REM sleep cycle episode and the ratio of REM/NREM sleep between patients and controls were not significantly different. Our study identified hypersomnia in teenage narcolepsy despite excessive daytime sleepiness. Sleep fragmentation extended to all sleep stages, indicating impaired sleep-wake cycles and instability of sleep stages. The limited effects on NREM-REM sleep cycles suggest the relative conservation of ultradian regulation of sleep. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

The anatomical, cellular and synaptic basis of motor atonia during rapid eye movement sleep

PubMed Central

Chen, Michael C.

2016-01-01

Abstract Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is a recurring part of the sleep–wake cycle characterized by fast, desynchronized rhythms in the electroencephalogram (EEG), hippocampal theta activity, rapid eye movements, autonomic activation and loss of postural muscle tone (atonia). The brain circuitry governing REM sleep is located in the pontine and medullary brainstem and includes ascending and descending projections that regulate the EEG and motor components of REM sleep. The descending signal for postural muscle atonia during REM sleep is thought to originate from glutamatergic neurons of the sublaterodorsal nucleus (SLD), which in turn activate glycinergic pre‐motor neurons in the spinal cord and/or ventromedial medulla to inhibit motor neurons. Despite work over the past two decades on many neurotransmitter systems that regulate the SLD, gaps remain in our knowledge of the synaptic basis by which SLD REM neurons are regulated and in turn produce REM sleep atonia. Elucidating the anatomical, cellular and synaptic basis of REM sleep atonia control is a critical step for treating many sleep‐related disorders including obstructive sleep apnoea (apnea), REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) and narcolepsy with cataplexy. PMID:27060683

Changes in Processing of Masked Stimuli across Early- and Late-Night Sleep: A Study on Behavior and Brain Potentials

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Verleger, Rolf; Schuknecht, Simon-Vitus; Jaskowski, Piotr; Wagner, Ullrich

2008-01-01

Sleep has proven to support the memory consolidation in many tasks including learning of perceptual skills. Explicit, conscious types of memory have been demonstrated to benefit particularly from slow-wave sleep (SWS), implicit, non-conscious types particularly from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. By comparing the effects of early-night sleep,…

What physicians need to know about dreams and dreaming.

PubMed

Pagel, James F

2012-11-01

An overview of the current status of dream science is given, designed to provide a basic background of this field for the sleep-interested physician. No cognitive state has been more extensively studied and is yet more misunderstood than dreaming. Much older work is methodologically limited by lack of definitions, small sample size, and constraints of theoretical perspective, with evidence equivocal as to whether any special relationship exists between rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and dreaming. As the relationship between dreams and REM sleep is so poorly defined, evidence-based studies of dreaming require a dream report. The different aspects of dreaming that can be studied include dream and nightmare recall frequency, dream content, dreaming effect on waking behaviors, dream/nightmare associated medications, and pathophysiology affecting dreaming. Whether studied from behavioral, neuroanatomical, neurochemical, pathophysiological or electrophysiological perspectives, dreaming reveals itself to be a complex cognitive state affected by a wide variety of medical, psychological, sleep and social variables.

A dopamine receptor d2-type agonist attenuates the ability of stress to alter sleep in mice.

PubMed

Jefferson, F; Ehlen, J C; Williams, N S; Montemarano, J J; Paul, K N

2014-11-01

Although sleep disruptions that accompany stress reduce quality of life and deteriorate health, the mechanisms through which stress alters sleep remain obscure. Psychological stress can alter sleep in a variety of ways, but it has been shown to be particularly influential on rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Prolactin (PRL), a sexually dimorphic, stress-sensitive hormone whose basal levels are higher in females, has somnogenic effects on REM sleep. In the current study, we examined the relationship between PRL secretion and REM sleep after restraint stress to determine whether: 1) the ability of stress to increase REM sleep is PRL-dependent, and 2) fluctuating PRL levels underlie sex differences in sleep responses to stress. Because dopamine D2 receptors in the pituitary gland are the primary regulator of PRL secretion, D2 receptor agonist, 1-[(6-allylergolin-8β-yl)-carbonyl]-1-[3-(dimethylamino) propyl]-3-ethylurea (cabergoline), was used to attenuate PRL levels in mice before 1 hour of restraint stress. Mice were implanted with electroencephalographic/electromyographic recording electrodes and received an ip injection of either 0.3-mg/kg cabergoline or vehicle before a control procedure of 1 hour of sleep deprivation by gentle handling during the light phase. Six days after the control procedure, mice received cabergoline or vehicle 15 minutes before 1 hour of restraint stress. Cabergoline blocked the ability of restraint stress to increase REM sleep amount in males but did not alter REM sleep amount after stress in females even though it reduced basal REM sleep amount in female controls. These data provide evidence that the ability for restraint stress to increase REM sleep is dependent on PRL and that sex differences in REM sleep amount may be driven by PRL.

Sleep disorders in spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 patients.

PubMed

Velázquez-Pérez, Luis; Voss, Ursula; Rodríguez-Labrada, Roberto; Auburger, Georg; Canales Ochoa, Nalia; Sánchez Cruz, Gilberto; Galicia Polo, Lourdes; Haro Valencia, Reyes; Aguilera Rodríguez, Raúl; Medrano Montero, Jacqueline; Laffita Mesa, Jose M; Tuin, Inka

2011-01-01

Sleep disturbances are common features in spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs). Nevertheless, sleep data on SCA2 come from scarce studies including few patients, limiting the evaluation of the prevalence and determinants of sleep disorders. To assess the frequency and possible determinants of sleep disorders in the large and homogeneous SCA2 Cuban population. Thirty-two SCA2 patients and their age- and sex-matched controls were studied by video-polysomnography and sleep interviews. The most striking video-polysomnography features were rapid eye movement (REM) sleep pathology and periodic leg movements (PLMs). REM sleep abnormalities included a consistent reduction of the REM sleep percentage and REM density as well as an increase in REM sleep without atonia (RWA). REM sleep and REM density decreases were closely related to the increase in ataxia scores, whereas the RWA percentage was influenced by the cytosine-adenine-guanine (CAG) repeats. PLMs were observed in 37.5% of cases. The PLM index showed a significant association with the ataxia score and disease duration but not with CAG repeats. REM sleep pathology and PLMs are closely related to SCA2 severity, suggesting their usefulness as disease progression markers. The RWA percentage is influenced by the CAG repeats and might thus be a sensitive parameter for reflecting polyglutamine toxicity. Finally, as PLMs are sensible to drug treatment, they represents a new therapeutic target for the symptomatic treatment of SCA2. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

GABA(A) receptors in the pontine reticular formation of C57BL/6J mouse modulate neurochemical, electrographic, and behavioral phenotypes of wakefulness.

PubMed

Flint, RaShonda R; Chang, Theresa; Lydic, Ralph; Baghdoyan, Helen A

2010-09-15

Drugs that potentiate transmission at GABA(A) receptors are widely used to enhance sleep and to cause general anesthesia. The mechanisms underlying these effects are unknown. This study tested the hypothesis that GABA(A) receptors in the pontine reticular nucleus, oral part (PnO) of mouse modulate five phenotypes of arousal: sleep and wakefulness, cortical electroencephalogram (EEG) activity, acetylcholine (ACh) release in the PnO, breathing, and recovery time from general anesthesia. Microinjections into the PnO of saline (vehicle control), the GABA(A) receptor agonist muscimol, muscimol with the GABA(A) receptor antagonist bicuculline, and bicuculline alone were performed in male C57BL/6J mice (n = 33) implanted with EEG recording electrodes. Muscimol caused a significant increase in wakefulness and decrease in rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep. These effects were reversed by coadministration of bicuculline. Bicuculline administered alone caused a significant decrease in wakefulness and increase in NREM sleep and REM sleep. Muscimol significantly increased EEG power in the delta range (0.5-4 Hz) during wakefulness and in the theta range (4-9 Hz) during REM sleep. Dialysis delivery of bicuculline to the PnO of male mice (n = 18) anesthetized with isoflurane significantly increased ACh release in the PnO, decreased breathing rate, and increased anesthesia recovery time. All drug effects were concentration dependent. The effects on phenotypes of arousal support the conclusion that GABA(A) receptors in the PnO promote wakefulness and suggest that increasing GABAergic transmission in the PnO may be one mechanism underlying the phenomenon of paradoxical behavioral activation by some benzodiazepines.

Sleep violence--forensic science implications: polygraphic and video documentation.

PubMed

Mahowald, M W; Bundlie, S R; Hurwitz, T D; Schenck, C H

1990-03-01

During the past century, infrequent, anecdotal reports of sleep-related violence with forensic science implications have appeared. Recent rapid developments in the field of sleep-disorders medicine have resulted in greater understanding of a variety of sleep-related behaviors, and formal sleep-behavior monitoring techniques have permitted their documentation and classification. Sleep-related violence can be associated with a number of diagnosable and treatable sleep disorders, including (1) night terrors/sleepwalking, (2) nocturnal seizures, (3) rapid eye movement (REM) sleep-behavior disorder, (4) sleep drunkenness, and (5) psychogenic dissociative states occurring during the sleep period. Potentially violent automatized behavior, without consciousness, can and does occur during sleep. The violence resulting from these disorders may be misinterpreted as purposeful suicide, assault, or even homicide. Sleep-related violence must be added to the list of automatisms. A classification system of both waking and sleep-related automatic behavior is proposed, with recommendations for assessment of such behavior.

Alexithymia associated with nightmare distress in idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder.

PubMed

Godin, Isabelle; Montplaisir, Jaques; Gagnon, Jean-François; Nielsen, Tore

2013-12-01

Idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is characterized by atypical REM sleep motor activity, vivid dreams and nightmares, and dream-enacting behaviors that can result in injuries to the patient and bed partner. It is also a known predictor of Parkinson disease (PD). Alexithymia has been associated with disturbances in sleep and dreaming (e.g., nightmares) and is a non-motor symptom of PD. We assessed alexithymia and disturbed dreaming in iRBD patients with the aim of determining if these two factors are elevated and interrelated among this population. Questionnaire study of clinically diagnosed patients. Clinical sleep disorders center. Thirty-two iRBD patients and 30 healthy age- and sex-matched control participants. Participants completed the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Dream Questionnaire, and the Beck Depression Inventory. iRBD patients obtained higher TAS-20 total scores (62.16 ± 13.90) than did controls (52.84 ± 7.62; F 1,59 = 10.44, P < 0.01), even when controlling for depressive symptoms, and more frequently attained the suggested cutoff for alexithymia than did controls (P < 0.01). iRBD patients obtained higher scores on the Difficulty Identifying Feelings alexithymia subscale. For both iRBD and control groups, the Difficulty Indentifying Feelings subscale correlated positively with the Nightmare Distress scale of the Dream Questionnaire. Elevated alexithymia scores among idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder patients, and especially a difficulty in identifying feelings, parallels evidence of dysautonomia in this population. The higher incidence of distressing nightmares and the association of nightmares with alexithymia further extend similar findings for both clinical and non-clinical samples and suggest that an affect regulation disturbance may be common to the two sets of symptoms.

Why are seizures rare in rapid eye movement sleep? Review of the frequency of seizures in different sleep stages.

PubMed

Ng, Marcus; Pavlova, Milena

2013-01-01

Since the formal characterization of sleep stages, there have been reports that seizures may preferentially occur in certain phases of sleep. Through ascending cholinergic connections from the brainstem, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is physiologically characterized by low voltage fast activity on the electroencephalogram, REMs, and muscle atonia. Multiple independent studies confirm that, in REM sleep, there is a strikingly low proportion of seizures (~1% or less). We review a total of 42 distinct conventional and intracranial studies in the literature which comprised a net of 1458 patients. Indexed to duration, we found that REM sleep was the most protective stage of sleep against focal seizures, generalized seizures, focal interictal discharges, and two particular epilepsy syndromes. REM sleep had an additional protective effect compared to wakefulness with an average 7.83 times fewer focal seizures, 3.25 times fewer generalized seizures, and 1.11 times fewer focal interictal discharges. In further studies REM sleep has also demonstrated utility in localizing epileptogenic foci with potential translation into postsurgical seizure freedom. Based on emerging connectivity data in sleep, we hypothesize that the influence of REM sleep on seizures is due to a desynchronized EEG pattern which reflects important connectivity differences unique to this sleep stage.

Fragmentation of Rapid Eye Movement and Nonrapid Eye Movement Sleep without Total Sleep Loss Impairs Hippocampus-Dependent Fear Memory Consolidation

PubMed Central

Lee, Michael L.; Katsuyama, Ângela M.; Duge, Leanne S.; Sriram, Chaitra; Krushelnytskyy, Mykhaylo; Kim, Jeansok J.; de la Iglesia, Horacio O.

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: Sleep is important for consolidation of hippocampus-dependent memories. It is hypothesized that the temporal sequence of nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is critical for the weakening of nonadaptive memories and the subsequent transfer of memories temporarily stored in the hippocampus to more permanent memories in the neocortex. A great body of evidence supporting this hypothesis relies on behavioral, pharmacological, neural, and/or genetic manipulations that induce sleep deprivation or stage-specific sleep deprivation. Methods: We exploit an experimental model of circadian desynchrony in which intact animals are not deprived of any sleep stage but show fragmentation of REM and NREM sleep within nonfragmented sleep bouts. We test the hypothesis that the shortening of NREM and REM sleep durations post-training will impair memory consolidation irrespective of total sleep duration. Results: When circadian-desynchronized animals are trained in a hippocampus-dependent contextual fear-conditioning task they show normal short-term memory but impaired long-term memory consolidation. This impairment in memory consolidation is positively associated with the post-training fragmentation of REM and NREM sleep but is not significantly associated with the fragmentation of total sleep or the total amount of delta activity. We also show that the sleep stage fragmentation resulting from circadian desynchrony has no effect on hippocampus-dependent spatial memory and no effect on hippocampus-independent cued fear-conditioning memory. Conclusions: Our findings in an intact animal model, in which sleep deprivation is not a confounding factor, support the hypothesis that the stereotypic sequence and duration of sleep stages play a specific role in long-term hippocampus-dependent fear memory consolidation. Citation: Lee ML, Katsuyama AM, Duge LS, Sriram C, Krushelnytskyy M, Kim JJ, de la Iglesia HO. Fragmentation of rapid eye movement and nonrapid eye movement sleep without total sleep loss impairs hippocampus-dependent fear memory consolidation. SLEEP 2016;39(11):2021–2031. PMID:27568801

Evaluation of scale invariance in physiological signals by means of balanced estimation of diffusion entropy.

PubMed

Zhang, Wenqing; Qiu, Lu; Xiao, Qin; Yang, Huijie; Zhang, Qingjun; Wang, Jianyong

2012-11-01

By means of the concept of the balanced estimation of diffusion entropy, we evaluate the reliable scale invariance embedded in different sleep stages and stride records. Segments corresponding to waking, light sleep, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and deep sleep stages are extracted from long-term electroencephalogram signals. For each stage the scaling exponent value is distributed over a considerably wide range, which tell us that the scaling behavior is subject and sleep cycle dependent. The average of the scaling exponent values for waking segments is almost the same as that for REM segments (∼0.8). The waking and REM stages have a significantly higher value of the average scaling exponent than that for light sleep stages (∼0.7). For the stride series, the original diffusion entropy (DE) and the balanced estimation of diffusion entropy (BEDE) give almost the same results for detrended series. The evolutions of local scaling invariance show that the physiological states change abruptly, although in the experiments great efforts have been made to keep conditions unchanged. The global behavior of a single physiological signal may lose rich information on physiological states. Methodologically, the BEDE can evaluate with considerable precision the scale invariance in very short time series (∼10^{2}), while the original DE method sometimes may underestimate scale-invariance exponents or even fail in detecting scale-invariant behavior. The BEDE method is sensitive to trends in time series. The existence of trends may lead to an unreasonably high value of the scaling exponent and consequent mistaken conclusions.

Evaluation of scale invariance in physiological signals by means of balanced estimation of diffusion entropy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Zhang, Wenqing; Qiu, Lu; Xiao, Qin; Yang, Huijie; Zhang, Qingjun; Wang, Jianyong

2012-11-01

By means of the concept of the balanced estimation of diffusion entropy, we evaluate the reliable scale invariance embedded in different sleep stages and stride records. Segments corresponding to waking, light sleep, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and deep sleep stages are extracted from long-term electroencephalogram signals. For each stage the scaling exponent value is distributed over a considerably wide range, which tell us that the scaling behavior is subject and sleep cycle dependent. The average of the scaling exponent values for waking segments is almost the same as that for REM segments (˜0.8). The waking and REM stages have a significantly higher value of the average scaling exponent than that for light sleep stages (˜0.7). For the stride series, the original diffusion entropy (DE) and the balanced estimation of diffusion entropy (BEDE) give almost the same results for detrended series. The evolutions of local scaling invariance show that the physiological states change abruptly, although in the experiments great efforts have been made to keep conditions unchanged. The global behavior of a single physiological signal may lose rich information on physiological states. Methodologically, the BEDE can evaluate with considerable precision the scale invariance in very short time series (˜102), while the original DE method sometimes may underestimate scale-invariance exponents or even fail in detecting scale-invariant behavior. The BEDE method is sensitive to trends in time series. The existence of trends may lead to an unreasonably high value of the scaling exponent and consequent mistaken conclusions.

Replay of conditioned stimuli during late REM and stage N2 sleep influences affective tone rather than emotional memory strength.

PubMed

Rihm, Julia S; Rasch, Björn

2015-07-01

Emotional memories are reprocessed during sleep, and it is widely assumed that this reprocessing occurs mainly during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. In support for this notion, vivid emotional dreams occur mainly during REM sleep, and several studies have reported emotional memory enhancement to be associated with REM sleep or REM sleep-related parameters. However, it is still unknown whether reactivation of emotional memories during REM sleep strengthens emotional memories. Here, we tested whether re-presentation of emotionally learned stimuli during REM sleep enhances emotional memory. In a split-night design, participants underwent Pavlovian conditioning after the first half of the night. Neutral sounds served as conditioned stimuli (CS) and were either paired with a negative odor (CS+) or an odorless vehicle (CS-). During sound replay in subsequent late REM or N2 sleep, half of the CS+ and half of the CS- were presented again. In contrast to our hypothesis, replay during sleep did not affect emotional memory as measured by the differentiation between CS+ and CS- in expectancy, arousal and valence ratings. However, replay unspecifically decreased subjective arousal ratings of both emotional and neutral sounds and increased positive valence ratings also for both CS+ and CS- sounds, respectively. These effects were slightly more pronounced for replay during REM sleep. Our results suggest that re-exposure to previously conditioned stimuli during late sleep does not affect emotional memory strength, but rather influences the affective tone of both emotional and neutral memories. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Impact of REM sleep on distortions of self-concept, mood and memory in depressed/anxious participants

PubMed Central

McNamara, Patrick; Auerbach, Sanford; Johnson, Patricia; Harris, Erica; Doros, Gheorghe

2009-01-01

Introduction: We tested the hypothesis that REM sleep contributes to core features of cognitive dysfunction of anxious depression including negative self-appraisals, biased memory processing and unpleasant dream content. Methods: After a habituation night in a sleep lab, a convenience sample of 35 healthy college students and 20 depressed/anxious students were awakened 10 minutes into a REM sleep episode and then 10 minutes into a NREM sleep episode. Awakenings were counterbalanced to control circadian effects. After each awakening participants reported a dream and then completed memory recall, mood and self-appraisal tasks. Results: Self-appraisals of depressed/anxious participants were significantly less positive and significantly more negative after awakenings from REM sleep vs NREM sleep. Appraisal of the REM sleep dream self was negative for depressed/anxious subjects only. Recall of negative memories was significantly more frequent after REM vs NREM sleep awakenings for both depress/anxious and healthy participants. REM sleep dreams were associated with greater frequencies of negative emotion, greater aggression and victimization rates than dreams in NREM sleep for depressed/anxious participants. Limitations: Depressed/anxious participants were classified as such on the basis of mood scales rather than clinical interview. All participants were drawn from a volunteer college student population and thus our results may not be applicable to some elderly clinical populations. Conclusions: REM appears to facilitate cognitive distortions of anxious depression. PMID:19631989

Impact of REM sleep on distortions of self-concept, mood and memory in depressed/anxious participants.

PubMed

McNamara, Patrick; Auerbach, Sanford; Johnson, Patricia; Harris, Erica; Doros, Gheorghe

2010-05-01

We tested the hypothesis that REM sleep contributes to core features of cognitive dysfunction of anxious depression including negative self-appraisals, biased memory processing and unpleasant dream content. After a habituation night in a sleep lab, a convenience sample of 35 healthy college students and 20 depressed/anxious students were awakened 10 min into a REM sleep episode and then 10 min into a NREM sleep episode. Awakenings were counterbalanced to control circadian effects. After each awakening participants reported a dream and then completed memory recall, mood and self-appraisal tasks. Self-appraisals of depressed/anxious participants were significantly less positive and significantly more negative after awakenings from REM sleep vs NREM sleep. Appraisal of the REM sleep dream self was negative for depressed/anxious subjects only. Recall of negative memories was significantly more frequent after REM vs NREM sleep awakenings for both depress/anxious and healthy participants. REM sleep dreams were associated with greater frequencies of negative emotion, greater aggression and victimization rates than dreams in NREM sleep for depressed/anxious participants. Depressed/anxious participants were classified as such on the basis of mood scales rather than clinical interview. All participants were drawn from a volunteer college student population and thus our results may not be applicable to some elderly clinical populations. REM appears to facilitate cognitive distortions of anxious depression. Copyright (c) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Sleep stage dynamics in neocortex and hippocampus.

PubMed

Durán, Ernesto; Oyanedel, Carlos N; Niethard, Niels; Inostroza, Marion; Born, Jan

2018-06-01

Mammalian sleep comprises the stages of slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Additionally, a transition state is often discriminated which in rodents is termed intermediate stage (IS). Although these sleep stages are thought of as unitary phenomena affecting the whole brain in a congruent fashion, recent findings have suggested that sleep stages can also appear locally restricted to specific networks and regions. Here, we compared in rats sleep stages and their transitions between neocortex and hippocampus. We simultaneously recorded the electroencephalogram (EEG) from skull electrodes over frontal and parietal cortex and the local field potential (LFP) from the medial prefrontal cortex and dorsal hippocampus. Results indicate a high congruence in the occurrence of sleep and SWS (>96.5%) at the different recording sites. Congruence was lower for REM sleep (>87%) and lowest for IS (<36.5%). Incongruences occurring at sleep stage transitions were most pronounced for REM sleep which in 36.6 per cent of all epochs started earlier in hippocampal LFP recordings than in the other recordings, with an average interval of 17.2 ± 1.1 s between REM onset in the hippocampal LFP and the parietal EEG (p < 0.001). Earlier REM onset in the hippocampus was paralleled by a decrease in muscle tone, another hallmark of REM sleep. These findings indicate a region-specific regulation of REM sleep which has clear implications not only for our understanding of the organization of sleep, but possibly also for the functions, e.g. in memory formation, that have been associated with REM sleep.

The role of sleep in changing our minds: A psychologist's discussion of papers on memory reactivation and consolidation in sleep

PubMed Central

Cartwright, Rosalind D.

2004-01-01

The group of papers on memory reactivation and consolidation during sleep included in this volume represents cutting edge work in both animals and humans. They support that the two types of sleep serve different necessary functions. The role of slow wave sleep (SWS) is reactivation of the hippocampal-neocortical circuits activated during a waking learning period, while REM sleep is responsible for the consolidation of this new learning into long-term memory. These studies provide further insights into mechanisms involved in brain plasticity. Robeiro has demonstrated the upregulation of an immediate-early gene (IEG zif 268) to waking levels, which occurs only in REM and only in connection with new learning. McNaughton and his group have identified electrical indicators that the hippocampus and neocortex are talking to each other by testing the coactivation of hippocampal sharp wave bursts in SWS and shifts from down to up states of activation in the neocortex. In human studies Smith's group reports work on individual differences such as intelligence and presleep alcohol that affect postsleep performance, and Stickgold and collaborators report that a short nap will improve performance if it contains REM sleep. Payne and Nadel suggest that the recall benefit associated with REM sleep may be due to its association with increased cortisol levels. These papers are important not only in their individual contributions but also in revitalizing the work coordinating waking and sleep. This promises to further the understanding of how our unique capacity to learn from experience and modify our behavior takes place. PMID:15576882

Cold Exposure and Sleep in the Rat: REM Sleep Homeostasis and Body Size

PubMed Central

Amici, Roberto; Cerri, Matteo; Ocampo-Garcés, Adrian; Baracchi, Francesca; Dentico, Daniela; Jones, Christine Ann; Luppi, Marco; Perez, Emanuele; Parmeggiani, Pier Luigi; Zamboni, Giovanni

2008-01-01

Study Objectives: Exposure to low ambient temperature (Ta) depresses REM sleep (REMS) occurrence. In this study, both short and long-term homeostatic aspects of REMS regulation were analyzed during cold exposure and during subsequent recovery at Ta 24°C. Design: EEG activity, hypothalamic temperature, and motor activity were studied during a 24-h exposure to Tas ranging from 10°C to −10°C and for 4 days during recovery. Setting: Laboratory of Physiological Regulation during the Wake-Sleep Cycle, Department of Human and General Physiology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna. Subjects: 24 male albino rats. Interventions: Animals were implanted with electrodes for EEG recording and a thermistor to measure hypothalamic temperature. Measurements and Results: REMS occurrence decreased proportionally with cold exposure, but a fast compensatory REMS rebound occurred during the first day of recovery when the previous loss went beyond a “fast rebound” threshold corresponding to 22% of the daily REMS need. A slow REMS rebound apparently allowed the animals to fully restore the previous REMS loss during the following 3 days of recovery. Conclusion: Comparing the present data on rats with data from earlier studies on cats and humans, it appears that small mammals have less tolerance for REMS loss than large ones. In small mammals, this low tolerance may be responsible on a short-term basis for the shorter wake-sleep cycle, and on long-term basis, for the higher percentage of REMS that is quickly recovered following REMS deprivation. Citation: Amici R; Cerri M; Ocampo-Garcés A; Baracchi F; Dentico D; Jones CA; Luppi M; Perez E; Parmeggiani PL; Zamboni G. Cold exposure and sleep in the rat: REM sleep homeostasis and body size. SLEEP 2008;31(5):708–715. PMID:18517040

Magnolol, a major bioactive constituent of the bark of Magnolia officinalis, induces sleep via the benzodiazepine site of GABA(A) receptor in mice.

PubMed

Chen, Chang-Rui; Zhou, Xu-Zhao; Luo, Yan-Jia; Huang, Zhi-Li; Urade, Yoshihiro; Qu, Wei-Min

2012-11-01

Magnolol (6,6',7,12-tetramethoxy-2,2'-dimethyl-1-beta-berbaman, C(18)H(18)O(2)), an active ingredient of the bark of Magnolia officinalis, has been reported to exert potent anti-epileptic effects via the GABA(A) receptor. The receptor also mediates sleep in humans and animals. The aim of this study was to determine whether magnolol could modulate sleep behaviors by recording EEG and electromyogram in mice. The results showed that magnolol administered i.p. at a dose of 5 or 25 mg/kg could significantly shorten the sleep latency, increase the amount of non-rapid eye movement (non-REM, NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep for 3 h after administration with an increase in the number of NREM and REM sleep episodes. Magnolol at doses of 5 and 25 mg/kg increased the number of bouts of wakefulness but decreased their duration. On the other hand, magnolol increased the number of state transitions from wakefulness to NREM sleep and subsequently from NREM sleep to wakefulness. Immunohistochemical study showed that magnolol increased c-Fos expression in the neurons of ventrolateral preoptic area, a sleep center in the anterior hypothalamus, and decreased c-Fos expression in the arousal tuberomammillary nucleus, which was located in the caudolateral hypothalamus. The sleep-promoting effects and changes in c-Fos induced by magnolol were reversed by flumazenil, an antagonist at the benzodiazepine site of the GABA(A) receptor. These results indicate that magnolol increased NREM and REM sleep via the GABA(A) receptor. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The median preoptic nucleus reciprocally modulates activity of arousal-related and sleep-related neurons in the perifornical lateral hypothalamus.

PubMed

Suntsova, Natalia; Guzman-Marin, Ruben; Kumar, Sunil; Alam, Md Noor; Szymusiak, Ronald; McGinty, Dennis

2007-02-14

The perifornical-lateral hypothalamic area (PF/LH) contains neuronal groups playing an important role in control of waking and sleep. Among the brain regions that regulate behavioral states, one of the strongest sources of projections to the PF/LH is the median preoptic nucleus (MnPN) containing a sleep-active neuronal population. To evaluate the role of MnPN afferents in the control of PF/LH neuronal activity, we studied the responses of PF/LH cells to electrical stimulation or local chemical manipulation of the MnPN in freely moving rats. Single-pulse electrical stimulation evoked responses in 79% of recorded PF/LH neurons. No cells were activated antidromically. Direct and indirect transsynaptic effects depended on sleep-wake discharge pattern of PF/LH cells. The majority of arousal-related neurons, that is, cells discharging at maximal rates during active waking (AW) or during AW and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, exhibited exclusively or initially inhibitory responses to stimulation. Sleep-related neurons, the cells with elevated discharge during non-REM and REM sleep or selectively active in REM sleep, exhibited exclusively or initially excitatory responses. Activation of the MnPN via microdialytic application of L-glutamate or bicuculline resulted in reduced discharge of arousal-related and in excitation of sleep-related PF/LH neurons. Deactivation of the MnPN with muscimol caused opposite effects. The results indicate that the MnPN contains subset(s) of neurons, which exert inhibitory control over arousal-related and excitatory control over sleep-related PF/LH neurons. We hypothesize that MnPN sleep-active neuronal group has both inhibitory and excitatory outputs that participate in the inhibitory control of arousal-promoting PF/LH mechanisms.

Knockdown of orexin type 2 receptor in the lateral pontomesencephalic tegmentum of rats increases REM sleep

PubMed Central

Chen, Lichao; McKenna, James T.; Bolortuya, Yunren; Brown, Ritchie E.

2012-01-01

Dysfunction of the orexin/hypocretin neurotransmitter system causes the sleep disorder narcolepsy, characterized by intrusion of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep-like events into normal wakefulness. The sites where orexins act to suppress REM sleep are incompletely understood. Previous studies suggested that the lateral pontomesencephalic tegmentum (lPMT) contains an important REM sleep inhibitory area, and proposed that orexins inhibit REM sleep via orexin type 2 receptors (OxR2) in this region. However, this hypothesis has heretofore not been tested. We thus performed bilateral injection of small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) targeting Ox2R into the lPMT on two consecutive days. This led to a ~30 % increase of time spent in REM sleep in both the dark and light periods for the first two days after injection, with a return to baseline over the next two post-injection days. This increase was mainly due to more longer (>120 s) REM episodes. Cataplexy-like episodes were not observed. The percentage of time spent in wakefulness and NREM sleep, as well as the power spectral profile of NREM and REM sleep, were unaffected. Control animals injected with scrambled siRNA had no sleep changes post-injection. Quantification of the knockdown revealed that unilateral microinjection of siRNAs targeting OxR2 into the lPMT induced a ~40% reduction of OxR2 mRNA two days following the injections when compared to the contralateral side receiving control (scrambled) siRNA. Orexin type 1 receptor (OxR1) mRNA level was unaffected. Our results indicate that removal of OxR2 neurotransmission in the lPMT enhances REM sleep by increasing the duration of REM episodes. PMID:23282008

Dynamics of Sleep Stage Transitions in Health and Disease

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kishi, Akifumi; Struzik, Zbigniew R.; Natelson, Benjamin H.; Togo, Fumiharu; Yamamoto, Yoshiharu

2007-07-01

Sleep dynamics emerges from complex interactions between neuronal populations in many brain regions. Annotated sleep stages from electroencephalography (EEG) recordings could potentially provide a non-invasive way to obtain valuable insights into the mechanisms of these interactions, and ultimately into the very nature of sleep regulation. However, to date, sleep stage analysis has been restricted, only very recently expanding the scope of the traditional descriptive statistics to more dynamical concepts of the duration of and transitions between vigilance states and temporal evaluation of transition probabilities among different stages. Physiological and/or pathological implications of the dynamics of sleep stage transitions have, to date, not been investigated. Here, we study detailed duration and transition statistics among sleep stages in healthy humans and patients with chronic fatigue syndrome, known to be associated with disturbed sleep. We find that the durations of waking and non-REM sleep, in particular deep sleep (Stages III and IV), during the nighttime, follow a power-law probability distribution function, while REM sleep durations follow an exponential function, suggestive of complex underlying mechanisms governing the onset of light sleep. We also find a substantial number of REM to non-REM transitions in humans, while this transition is reported to be virtually non-existent in rats. Interestingly, the probability of this REM to non-REM transition is significantly lower in the patients than in controls, resulting in a significantly greater REM to awake, together with Stage I to awake, transition probability. This might potentially account for the reported poor sleep quality in the patients because the normal continuation of sleep after either the lightest or REM sleep is disrupted. We conclude that the dynamical transition analysis of sleep stages is useful for elucidating yet-to-be-determined human sleep regulation mechanisms with a pathophysiological implication.

A proposed mathematical model for sleep patterning.

PubMed

Lawder, R E

1984-01-01

The simple model of a ramp, intersecting a triangular waveform, yields results which conform with seven generalized observations of sleep patterning; including the progressive lengthening of 'rapid-eye-movement' (REM) sleep periods within near-constant REM/nonREM cycle periods. Predicted values of REM sleep time, and of Stage 3/4 nonREM sleep time, can be computed using the observed values of other parameters. The distributions of the actual REM and Stage 3/4 times relative to the predicted values were closer to normal than the distributions relative to simple 'best line' fits. It was found that sleep onset tends to occur at a particular moment in the individual subject's '90-min cycle' (the use of a solar time-scale masks this effect), which could account for a subject with a naturally short sleep/wake cycle synchronizing to a 24-h rhythm. A combined 'sleep control system' model offers quantitative simulation of the sleep patterning of endogenous depressives and, with a different perturbation, qualitative simulation of the symptoms of narcolepsy.

A restricted parabrachial pontine region is active during non-REM sleep

PubMed Central

Torterolo, Pablo; Sampogna, Sharon; Chase, Michael H.

2011-01-01

The principal site that generates both REM sleep and wakefulness is located in the mesopontine reticular formation, whereas non-REM sleep (NREM) is primarily dependent upon the functioning of neurons that are located in the preoptic region of the hypothalamus. In the present study, we were interested in determining whether the occurrence of NREM might also depend on the activity of mesopontine structures, as has been shown for wakefulness and REM sleep. Adult cats were maintained in one of the following states: quiet wakefulness (QW), alert wakefulness (AW), NREM, or REM sleep induced by microinjections of carbachol into the nucleus pontis oralis (REM-carbachol). Subsequently, they were euthanized and single labeling immunohistochemical studies were undertaken to determine state-dependent patterns of neuronal activity in the brainstem based upon the expression of the protein Fos. In addition, double labeling immunohistochemical studies were carried out to detect neurons that expressed Fos as well as choline acetyltransferase, tyrosine hydroxylase or GABA. During NREM, only a few Fos immunoreactive cells were present in different regions of the brainstem; however, a discrete cluster of Fos+ neurons was observed in the caudolateral peribrachial region (CLPB). The number of the Fos+ neurons in the CLPB during NREM was significantly greater (67.9 ± 10.9, P < 0.0001) compared to QW (8.0 ± 6.7), AW (5.2 ± 4.2) or REM-carbachol (8.0 ± 4.7). In addition, there was a positive correlation (R = 0.93) between the time the animals spent in NREM and the number of Fos+ neurons in the CLPB. Fos-immunoreactive neurons in the CLPB were neither cholinergic nor catecholaminergic; however about 50% of these neurons were GABAergic. We conclude that a group of GABAergic and unidentified neurons in the CLPB are active during NREM and likely involved in the control of this behavioral state. These data open new avenues for the study of NREM, as well as for the explorations of interactions between these neurons that are activated during NREM, and cells of the adjacent pontine tegmentum that are involved in the generation of REM sleep. PMID:21704676

The Clinical Phenotype of Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder at Presentation: A Study in 203 Consecutive Patients.

PubMed

Fernández-Arcos, Ana; Iranzo, Alex; Serradell, Mónica; Gaig, Carles; Santamaria, Joan

2016-01-01

To describe the clinical phenotype of idiopathic rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (IRBD) at presentation in a sleep center. Clinical history review of 203 consecutive patients with IRBD identified between 1990 and 2014. IRBD was diagnosed by clinical history plus video-polysomnographic demonstration of REM sleep with increased electromyographic activity linked to abnormal behaviors. Patients were 80% men with median age at IRBD diagnosis of 68 y (range, 50-85 y). In addition to the already known clinical picture of IRBD, other important features were apparent: 44% of the patients were not aware of their dream-enactment behaviors and 70% reported good sleep quality. In most of these cases bed partners were essential to convince patients to seek medical help. In 11% IRBD was elicited only after specific questioning when patients consulted for other reasons. Seven percent did not recall unpleasant dreams. Leaving the bed occurred occasionally in 24% of subjects in whom dementia with Lewy bodies often developed eventually. For the correct diagnosis of IRBD, video-polysomnography had to be repeated in 16% because of insufficient REM sleep or electromyographic artifacts from coexistent apneas. Some subjects with comorbid obstructive sleep apnea reported partial improvement of RBD symptoms following continuous positive airway pressure therapy. Lack of therapy with clonazepam resulted in an increased risk of sleep related injuries. Synucleinopathy was frequently diagnosed, even in patients with mild severity or uncommon IRBD presentations (e.g., patients who reported sleeping well, onset triggered by a life event, nocturnal ambulation) indicating that the development of a neurodegenerative disease is independent of the clinical presentation of IRBD. We report the largest IRBD cohort observed in a single center to date and highlight frequent features that were not reported or not sufficiently emphasized in previous publications. Physicians should be aware of the full clinical expression of IRBD, a sleep disturbance that represents a neurodegenerative disease. A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 7. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Insomnia-perchance a dream? Results from a NREM/REM sleep awakening study in good sleepers and patients with insomnia.

PubMed

Feige, Bernd; Nanovska, Svetoslava; Baglioni, Chiara; Bier, Benedict; Cabrera, Laura; Diemers, Sarah; Quellmalz, Maximilian; Siegel, Markus; Xeni, Ireni; Szentkiralyi, Andras; Doerr, John-Peter; Riemann, Dieter

2018-05-01

Insomnia disorder (ID) is a frequent sleep disorder coupled with increased risks for somatic and mental illness. Although subjective complaints are severe, polysomnography (PSG) parameters show only modest differences between groups. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep as the most aroused sleep state may be especially vulnerable to be perceived as wake. To directly assess possible differences, we determined auditory waking thresholds and sleep perception in patients with ID and healthy control participants (good sleeper controls [GSC]) in N2 and REM sleep. In case-control study, 27 patients with ID and 27 age- and gender-matched controls were included. Four consecutive nights were assessed in the sleep laboratory, with nights 3 and 4 each containing three awakenings either from stable N2 or REM sleep. Awakening thresholds in patients with ID did not differ from GSC, but decreased over the course of the night. Patients with ID indicated significantly more frequently than GSC having been awake when woken from REM sleep but not from N2 and were less sure when indicating they had been asleep. Additionally, participants with ID rated their REM sleep mentation as more emotionally negative compared with GSC. This study presents direct evidence that the subjective experience of insomnia might be specifically coupled to the REM sleep state. Assuming chronic hyperarousal as a central pathophysiologically relevant pathway for insomnia, this might become especially evident during REM sleep, thus reflecting a hybrid sleep state in insomnia being coupled with altered sleep perception.

The spectrum of REM sleep-related episodes in children with type 1 narcolepsy.

PubMed

Antelmi, Elena; Pizza, Fabio; Vandi, Stefano; Neccia, Giulia; Ferri, Raffaele; Bruni, Oliviero; Filardi, Marco; Cantalupo, Gaetano; Liguori, Rocco; Plazzi, Giuseppe

2017-06-01

Type 1 narcolepsy is a central hypersomnia due to the loss of hypocretin-producing neurons and characterized by cataplexy, excessive daytime sleepiness, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic hallucinations and disturbed nocturnal sleep. In children, close to the disease onset, type 1 narcolepsy has peculiar clinical features with severe cataplexy and a complex admixture of movement disorders occurring while awake. Motor dyscontrol during sleep has never been systematically investigated. Suspecting that abnormal motor control might affect also sleep, we systematically analysed motor events recorded by means of video polysomnography in 40 children with type 1 narcolepsy (20 females; mean age 11.8 ± 2.6 years) and compared these data with those recorded in 22 age- and sex-matched healthy controls. Motor events were classified as elementary movements, if brief and non-purposeful and complex behaviours, if simulating purposeful behaviours. Complex behaviours occurring during REM sleep were further classified as 'classically-defined' and 'pantomime-like' REM sleep behaviour disorder episodes, based on their duration and on their pattern (i.e. brief and vivid-energetic in the first case, longer and with subcontinuous gesturing mimicking daily life activity in the second case). Elementary movements emerging either from non-REM or REM sleep were present in both groups, even if those emerging from REM sleep were more numerous in the group of patients. Conversely, complex behaviours could be detected only in children with type 1 narcolepsy and were observed in 13 patients, with six having 'classically-defined' REM sleep behaviour disorder episodes and seven having 'pantomime-like' REM sleep behaviour disorder episodes. Complex behaviours during REM sleep tended to recur in a stereotyped fashion for several times during the night, up to be almost continuous. Patients displaying a more severe motor dyscontrol during REM sleep had also more severe motor disorder during daytime (i.e. status cataplecticus) and more complaints of disrupted nocturnal sleep and of excessive daytime sleepiness. The neurophysiological hallmark of this severe motor dyscontrol during REM sleep was a decreased atonia index. The present study reports for the first time the occurrence of a severe and peculiar motor disorder during REM sleep in paediatric type 1 narcolepsy and confirms the presence of a severe motor dyscontrol in these patients, emerging not only from wakefulness (i.e. status cataplecticus), but also from sleep (i.e. complex behaviours during REM sleep). This is probably related to the acute imbalance of the hypocretinergic system, which physiologically acts by promoting movements during wakefulness and suppressing them during sleep. © The Author (2017). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

The effect of selective REM-sleep deprivation on the consolidation and affective evaluation of emotional memories.

PubMed

Wiesner, Christian D; Pulst, Julika; Krause, Fanny; Elsner, Marike; Baving, Lioba; Pedersen, Anya; Prehn-Kristensen, Alexander; Göder, Robert

2015-07-01

Emotion boosts the consolidation of events in the declarative memory system. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is believed to foster the memory consolidation of emotional events. On the other hand, REM sleep is assumed to reduce the emotional tone of the memory. Here, we investigated the effect of selective REM-sleep deprivation, SWS deprivation, or wake on the affective evaluation and consolidation of emotional and neutral pictures. Prior to an 9-h retention interval, sixty-two healthy participants (23.5 ± 2.5 years, 32 female, 30 male) learned and rated their affect to 80 neutral and 80 emotionally negative pictures. Despite rigorous deprivation of REM sleep or SWS, the residual sleep fostered the consolidation of neutral and negative pictures. Furthermore, emotional arousal helped to memorize the pictures. The better consolidation of negative pictures compared to neutral ones was most pronounced in the SWS-deprived group where a normal amount of REM sleep was present. This emotional memory bias correlated with REM sleep only in the SWS-deprived group. Furthermore, emotional arousal to the pictures decreased over time, but neither sleep nor wake had any differential effect. Neither the comparison of the affective ratings (arousal, valence) during encoding and recognition, nor the affective ratings of the recognized targets and rejected distractors supported the hypothesis that REM sleep dampens the emotional reaction to remembered stimuli. The data suggest that REM sleep fosters the consolidation of emotional memories but has no effect on the affective evaluation of the remembered contents. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lithium prevents REM sleep deprivation-induced impairments on memory consolidation.

PubMed

Ota, Simone M; Moreira, Karin Di Monteiro; Suchecki, Deborah; Oliveira, Maria Gabriela M; Tiba, Paula A

2013-11-01

Pre-training rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) deprivation affects memory acquisition and/or consolidation. It also produces major REMS rebound at the cost of waking and slow wave sleep (SWS). Given that both SWS and REMS appear to be important for memory processes, REMS rebound after training may disrupt the organization of sleep cycles, i.e., excessive amount of REMS and/or little SWS after training could be harmful for memory formation. To examine whether lithium, a drug known to increase SWS and reduce REMS, could prevent the memory impairment induced by pre-training sleep deprivation. Animals were divided in 2 groups: cage control (CC) and REMS-deprived (REMSDep), and then subdivided into 4 subgroups, treated either with vehicle or 1 of 3 doses of lithium (50, 100, and 150 mg/kg) 2 h before training on the multiple trial inhibitory avoidance task. Animals were tested 48 h later to make sure that the drug had been already metabolized and eliminated. Another set of animals was implanted with electrodes and submitted to the same experimental protocol for assessment of drug-induced sleep-wake changes. Wistar male rats weighing 300-400 g. Sleep deprived rats required more trials to learn the task and still showed a performance deficit during test, except from those treated with 150 mg/kg of lithium, which also reduced the time spent in REM sleep during sleep recovery. Lithium reduced rapid eye movement sleep and prevented memory impairment induced by sleep deprivation. These results indicate that these phenomena may be related, but cause-effect relationship cannot be ascertained.

Association of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder with sleep-disordered breathing in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Zhang, Lin-Yuan; Liu, Wen-Yan; Kang, Wen-Yan; Yang, Qiong; Wang, Xiao-Ying; Ding, Jian-Qing; Chen, Sheng-Di; Liu, Jun

2016-04-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) are two major sleep disturbances observed in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). However, prior studies exploring the clinical correlations between RBD and SDB in PD have been limited. We aimed to investigate the relationship between RBD and SDB in PD using a case-control study. A total of 46 PD patients with Hoehn-Yahr stages ranging from 1 to 3 participated in the present study. Participants underwent polysomnography to diagnose the presence of RBD and SDB, and were classified into groups, accordingly. SDB was defined as an apnea-hypopnea index greater than 5. Comparison of clinical and sleep-respiratory parameters was performed among them. SDB was more frequent in the RBD group than in the non-RBD group (51.4% vs 9.1%, p = 0.016). PD patients with RBD had significantly reduced mean SaO2 and more severe sleep apnea-related parameters during total sleep and non-REM sleep in comparison with non-RBD PD patients. However, there were no differences on the REM-related apnea/hypopnea variables between participants with and without RBD (p > 0.05). Both the frequency of RBD and RBD screening questionnaire (RBDSQ) scores were higher in the participants with SDB than in the participants without SDB (p <0.05). Furthermore, a significant negative correlation was found between RBDSQ and mean SaO2 in all participants. In PD patients, SDB is more frequent and more severe in patients with RBD than in patients without, and RBD increases the risk of hypoxemia during sleep. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Transcranial Electrical Currents to Probe EEG Brain Rhythms and Memory Consolidation during Sleep in Humans

PubMed Central

Marshall, Lisa; Kirov, Roumen; Brade, Julian; Mölle, Matthias; Born, Jan

2011-01-01

Previously the application of a weak electric anodal current oscillating with a frequency of the sleep slow oscillation (∼0.75 Hz) during non-rapid eye movement sleep (NonREM) sleep boosted endogenous slow oscillation activity and enhanced sleep-associated memory consolidation. The slow oscillations occurring during NonREM sleep and theta oscillations present during REM sleep have been considered of critical relevance for memory formation. Here transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) oscillating at 5 Hz, i.e., within the theta frequency range (theta-tDCS) is applied during NonREM and REM sleep. Theta-tDCS during NonREM sleep produced a global decrease in slow oscillatory activity conjoint with a local reduction of frontal slow EEG spindle power (8–12 Hz) and a decrement in consolidation of declarative memory, underlining the relevance of these cortical oscillations for sleep-dependent memory consolidation. In contrast, during REM sleep theta-tDCS appears to increase global gamma (25–45 Hz) activity, indicating a clear brain state-dependency of theta-tDCS. More generally, results demonstrate the suitability of oscillating-tDCS as a tool to analyze functions of endogenous EEG rhythms and underlying endogenous electric fields as well as the interactions between EEG rhythms of different frequencies. PMID:21340034

Processing of a Subliminal Rebus during Sleep: Idiosyncratic Primary versus Secondary Process Associations upon Awakening from REM- versus Non-REM-Sleep

PubMed Central

Steinig, Jana; Bazan, Ariane; Happe, Svenja; Antonetti, Sarah; Shevrin, Howard

2017-01-01

Primary and secondary processes are the foundational axes of the Freudian mental apparatus: one horizontally as a tendency to associate, the primary process, and one vertically as the ability for perspective taking, the secondary process. Primary process mentation is not only supposed to be dominant in the unconscious but also, for example, in dreams. The present study tests the hypothesis that the mental activity during REM-sleep has more characteristics of the primary process, while during non-REM-sleep more secondary process operations take place. Because the solving of a rebus requires the ability to non-contexually condensate the literal reading of single stimuli into a new one, rebus solving is a primary process operation by excellence. In a replication of the dream-rebus study of Shevrin and Fisher (1967), a rebus, which consisted of an image of a comb (German: “Kamm”) and an image of a raft (German: “Floß”), resulting in the German rebus word “kampflos” (Engl.: without a struggle), was flashed subliminally (at 1 ms) to 20 participants before going to sleep. Upon consecutive awakenings participants were asked for a dream report, free associations and an image description. Based on objective association norms, there were significantly more conceptual associations referring to Kamm and Floß indexing secondary process mentation when subjects were awakened from non-REM sleep as compared to REM-awakenings. There were not significantly more rebus associations referring to kampflos indexing primary process mentation when awakened from REM-sleep as compared to non-REM awakenings. However, when the associations were scored on the basis of each subject’s individual norms, there was a rebus effect with more idiosyncratic rebus associations in awakenings after REM than after non-REM-sleep. Our results support the general idea that REM-sleep is characterized by primary process thinking, while non-REM-sleep mentation follows the rules of the secondary process. PMID:29209244

Long and Short Range Correlations in Healthy and Pathologic Human Cardiac Prosses

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bunde, Armin

2001-03-01

Healthy sleep consists of several stages: deep sleep, light sleep and REM sleep. In this talk, recent work on the characterization of heart-rates in the three stages by long-range correlations is presented. Only in REM sleep, long-range correlations reminiscent to the wake phase occur, and the heart-rates show multifractal behaviour. In contrast, in non-REM phases, the heart-rates are uncorrelated above the typical breathing cycle time, pointing to a random regulation of the heartbeat during non-REM sleep. In deep sleep, the heart-rates show simple multifractal behaviour.

Human amygdala activation during rapid eye movements of rapid eye movement sleep: an intracranial study.

PubMed

Corsi-Cabrera, María; Velasco, Francisco; Del Río-Portilla, Yolanda; Armony, Jorge L; Trejo-Martínez, David; Guevara, Miguel A; Velasco, Ana L

2016-10-01

The amygdaloid complex plays a crucial role in processing emotional signals and in the formation of emotional memories. Neuroimaging studies have shown human amygdala activation during rapid eye movement sleep (REM). Stereotactically implanted electrodes for presurgical evaluation in epileptic patients provide a unique opportunity to directly record amygdala activity. The present study analysed amygdala activity associated with REM sleep eye movements on the millisecond scale. We propose that phasic activation associated with rapid eye movements may provide the amygdala with endogenous excitation during REM sleep. Standard polysomnography and stereo-electroencephalograph (SEEG) were recorded simultaneously during spontaneous sleep in the left amygdala of four patients. Time-frequency analysis and absolute power of gamma activity were obtained for 250 ms time windows preceding and following eye movement onset in REM sleep, and in spontaneous waking eye movements in the dark. Absolute power of the 44-48 Hz band increased significantly during the 250 ms time window after REM sleep rapid eye movements onset, but not during waking eye movements. Transient activation of the amygdala provides physiological support for the proposed participation of the amygdala in emotional expression, in the emotional content of dreams and for the reactivation and consolidation of emotional memories during REM sleep, as well as for next-day emotional regulation, and its possible role in the bidirectional interaction between REM sleep and such sleep disorders as nightmares, anxiety and post-traumatic sleep disorder. These results provide unique, direct evidence of increased activation of the human amygdala time-locked to REM sleep rapid eye movements. © 2016 European Sleep Research Society.

Rapid Eye Movement Sleep in Relation to Overweight in Children and Adolescents

PubMed Central

Liu, Xianchen; Forbes, Erika E.; Ryan, Neal D.; Rofey, Dana; Hannon, Tamara S.; Dahl, Ronald E.

2009-01-01

Context Short sleep duration is associated with obesity, but few studies have examined the relationship between obesity and specific physiological stages of sleep. Objective To examine specific sleep stages, including rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and stages 1 through 4 of non-REM sleep, in relation to overweight in children and adolescents. Design, Setting, and Participants A total of 335 children and adolescents (55.2% male; aged 7-17 years) underwent 3 consecutive nights of standard polysomnography and weight and height assessments as part of a study on the development of internalizing disorders (depression and anxiety). Main Outcome Measures Body mass index (calculated as weight in kilograms divided by height in meters squared) z score and weight status (normal, at risk for overweight, overweight) according to the body mass index percentile for age and sex. Results The body mass index z score was significantly related to total sleep time (β=-0.174), sleep efficiency (β=-0.027), and REM density (β=-0.256). Compared with normal-weight children, overweight children slept about 22 minutes less and had lower sleep efficiency, shorter REM sleep, lower REM activity and density, and longer latency to the first REM period. After adjustment for demographics, pubertal status, and psychiatric diagnosis, 1 hour less of total sleep was associated with approximately 2-fold increased odds of overweight (odds ratio=1.85), 1 hour less of REM sleep was associated with about 3-fold increased odds (odds ratio=2.91), and REM density and activity below the median increased the odds of overweight by 2-fold (odds ratio=2.18) and 3-fold (odds ratio=3.32), respectively. Conclusions Our results confirm previous epidemiological observations that short sleep time is associated with overweight in children and adolescents. A core aspect of the association between short sleep duration and overweight may be attributed to reduced REM sleep. Further studies are needed to investigate possible mechanisms underpinning the association between diminished REM sleep and endocrine and metabolic changes that may contribute to obesity. PMID:18678797

The Clinical Phenotype of Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder at Presentation: A Study in 203 Consecutive Patients

PubMed Central

Fernández-Arcos, Ana; Iranzo, Alex; Serradell, Mónica; Gaig, Carles; Santamaria, Joan

2016-01-01

Objective: To describe the clinical phenotype of idiopathic rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (IRBD) at presentation in a sleep center. Methods: Clinical history review of 203 consecutive patients with IRBD identified between 1990 and 2014. IRBD was diagnosed by clinical history plus video-polysomnographic demonstration of REM sleep with increased electromyographic activity linked to abnormal behaviors. Results: Patients were 80% men with median age at IRBD diagnosis of 68 y (range, 50–85 y). In addition to the already known clinical picture of IRBD, other important features were apparent: 44% of the patients were not aware of their dream-enactment behaviors and 70% reported good sleep quality. In most of these cases bed partners were essential to convince patients to seek medical help. In 11% IRBD was elicited only after specific questioning when patients consulted for other reasons. Seven percent did not recall unpleasant dreams. Leaving the bed occurred occasionally in 24% of subjects in whom dementia with Lewy bodies often developed eventually. For the correct diagnosis of IRBD, video-polysomnography had to be repeated in 16% because of insufficient REM sleep or electromyographic artifacts from coexistent apneas. Some subjects with comorbid obstructive sleep apnea reported partial improvement of RBD symptoms following continuous positive airway pressure therapy. Lack of therapy with clonazepam resulted in an increased risk of sleep related injuries. Synucleinopathy was frequently diagnosed, even in patients with mild severity or uncommon IRBD presentations (e.g., patients who reported sleeping well, onset triggered by a life event, nocturnal ambulation) indicating that the development of a neurodegenerative disease is independent of the clinical presentation of IRBD. Conclusions: We report the largest IRBD cohort observed in a single center to date and highlight frequent features that were not reported or not sufficiently emphasized in previous publications. Physicians should be aware of the full clinical expression of IRBD, a sleep disturbance that represents a neurodegenerative disease. Commentary: A commentary on this article appears in this issue on page 7. Citation: Fernández-Arcos A, Iranzo A, Serradell M, Gaig C, Santamaria J. The clinical phenotype of idiopathic rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder at presentation: a study in 203 consecutive patients. SLEEP 2016;39(1):121–132. PMID:26940460

Neural Markers of Responsiveness to the Environment in Human Sleep.

PubMed

Andrillon, Thomas; Poulsen, Andreas Trier; Hansen, Lars Kai; Léger, Damien; Kouider, Sid

2016-06-15

Sleep is characterized by a loss of behavioral responsiveness. However, recent research has shown that the sleeping brain is not completely disconnected from its environment. How neural activity constrains the ability to process sensory information while asleep is yet unclear. Here, we instructed human volunteers to classify words with lateralized hand responses while falling asleep. Using an electroencephalographic (EEG) marker of motor preparation, we show how responsiveness is modulated across sleep. These modulations are tracked using classic event-related potential analyses complemented by Lempel-Ziv complexity (LZc), a measure shown to track arousal in sleep and anesthesia. Neural activity related to the semantic content of stimuli was conserved in light non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. However, these processes were suppressed in deep NREM sleep and, importantly, also in REM sleep, despite the recovery of wake-like neural activity in the latter. In NREM sleep, sensory activations were counterbalanced by evoked down states, which, when present, blocked further processing of external information. In addition, responsiveness markers correlated positively with baseline complexity, which could be related to modulation in sleep depth. In REM sleep, however, this relationship was reversed. We therefore propose that, in REM sleep, endogenously generated processes compete with the processing of external input. Sleep can thus be seen as a self-regulated process in which external information can be processed in lighter stages but suppressed in deeper stages. Last, our results suggest drastically different gating mechanisms in NREM and REM sleep. Previous research has tempered the notion that sleepers are isolated from their environment. Here, we pushed this idea forward and examined, across all sleep stages, the brain's ability to flexibly process sensory information, up to the decision level. We extracted an EEG marker of motor preparation to determine the completion of the sensory processing chain and explored how it is constrained by baseline and evoked neural activity. In NREM sleep, slow waves elicited by stimuli appeared to block response preparation. We also used a novel analytic approach (Lempel-Ziv complexity) and showed that the ability to process external information correlates with neural complexity. A reversal of the correlation between complexity and motor indices in REM sleep suggests drastically different gating mechanisms across sleep stages. Copyright © 2016 the authors 0270-6474/16/366583-14$15.00/0.

Respiratory cycle-related electroencephalographic changes during sleep in healthy children and in children with sleep disordered breathing.

PubMed

Immanuel, Sarah A; Pamula, Yvonne; Kohler, Mark; Martin, James; Kennedy, Declan; Saint, David A; Baumert, Mathias

2014-08-01

To investigate respiratory cycle-related electroencephalographic changes (RCREC) in healthy children and in children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB) during scored event-free (SEF) breathing periods of sleep. Interventional case-control repeated measurements design. Paediatric sleep laboratory in a hospital setting. Forty children with SDB and 40 healthy, age- and sex-matched children. Adenotonsillectomy in children with SDB and no intervention in controls. Overnight polysomnography; electroencephalography (EEG) power variations within SEF respiratory cycles in the overall and frequency band-specific EEG within stage 2 nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, slow wave sleep (SWS), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Within both groups there was a decrease in EEG power during inspiration compared to expiration across all sleep stages. Compared to controls, RCREC in children with SDB in the overall EEG were significantly higher during REM and frequency band specific RCRECs were higher in the theta band of stage 2 and REM sleep, alpha band of SWS and REM sleep, and sigma band of REM sleep. This between-group difference was not significant postadenotonsillectomy. The presence of nonrandom respiratory cycle-related electroencephalographic changes (RCREC) in both healthy children and in children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB) during NREM and REM sleep has been demonstrated. The RCREC values were higher in children with SDB, predominantly in REM sleep and this difference reduced after adenotonsillectomy. Immanuel SA, Pamula Y, Kohler M, Martin J, Kennedy D, Saint DA, Baumert M. Respiratory cycle-related electroencephalographic changes during sleep in healthy children and in children with sleep disordered breathing.

Sleep in the Cape Mole Rat: A Short-Sleeping Subterranean Rodent.

PubMed

Kruger, Jean-Leigh; Gravett, Nadine; Bhagwandin, Adhil; Bennett, Nigel C; Archer, Elizabeth K; Manger, Paul R

2016-01-01

The Cape mole rat Georychus capensis is a solitary subterranean rodent found in the western and southern Cape of South Africa. This approximately 200-gram bathyergid rodent shows a nocturnal circadian rhythm, but sleep in this species is yet to be investigated. Using telemetric recordings of the electroencephalogram (EEG) and electromyogram (EMG) in conjunction with video recordings, we were able to show that the Cape mole rat, like all other rodents, has sleep periods composed of both rapid eye movement (REM) and slow-wave (non-REM) sleep. These mole rats spent on average 15.4 h awake, 7.1 h in non-REM sleep and 1.5 h in REM sleep each day. Cape mole rats sleep substantially less than other similarly sized terrestrial rodents but have a similar percentage of total sleep time occupied by REM sleep. In addition, the duration of both non-REM and REM sleep episodes was markedly shorter in the Cape mole rat than has been observed in terrestrial rodents. Interestingly, these features (total sleep time and episode duration) are similar to those observed in another subterranean bathyergid mole rat, i.e. Fukomys mechowii. Thus, there appears to be a bathyergid type of sleep amongst the rodents that may be related to their environment and the effect of this on their circadian rhythm. Investigating further species of bathyergid mole rats may fully define the emerging picture of sleep in these subterranean African rodents. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Spatial and Reversal Learning in the Morris Water Maze Are Largely Resistant to Six Hours of REM Sleep Deprivation Following Training

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Walsh, Christine M.; Booth, Victoria; Poe, Gina R.

2011-01-01

This first test of the role of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep in reversal spatial learning is also the first attempt to replicate a much cited pair of papers reporting that REM sleep deprivation impairs the consolidation of initial spatial learning in the Morris water maze. We hypothesized that REM sleep deprivation following training would impair…

Complexity of heart rate fluctuations in near-term sheep and human fetuses during sleep.

PubMed

Frank, Birgit; Frasch, Martin G; Schneider, Uwe; Roedel, Marcus; Schwab, Matthias; Hoyer, Dirk

2006-10-01

We investigated how the complexity of fetal heart rate fluctuations (fHRF) is related to the sleep states in sheep and human fetuses. The complexity as a function of time scale for fetal heart rate data for 7 sheep and 27 human fetuses was estimated in rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep by means of permutation entropy and the associated Kullback-Leibler entropy. We found that in humans, fHRF complexity is higher in non-REM than REM sleep, whereas in sheep this relationship is reversed. To show this relation, choice of the appropriate time scale is crucial. In sheep fetuses, we found differences in the complexity of fHRF between REM and non-REM sleep only for larger time scales (above 2.5 s), whereas in human fetuses the complexity was clearly different between REM and non-REM sleep over the whole range of time scales. This may be due to inherent time scales of complexity, which reflect species-specific functions of the autonomic nervous system. Such differences have to be considered when animal data are translated to the human situation.

Do birds sleep in flight?

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Rattenborg, Niels C.

2006-09-01

The following review examines the evidence for sleep in flying birds. The daily need to sleep in most animals has led to the common belief that birds, such as the common swift ( Apus apus), which spend the night on the wing, sleep in flight. The electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings required to detect sleep in flight have not been performed, however, rendering the evidence for sleep in flight circumstantial. The neurophysiology of sleep and flight suggests that some types of sleep might be compatible with flight. As in mammals, birds exhibit two types of sleep, slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep. Whereas, SWS can occur in one or both brain hemispheres at a time, REM sleep only occurs bihemispherically. During unihemispheric SWS, the eye connected to the awake hemisphere remains open, a state that may allow birds to visually navigate during sleep in flight. Bihemispheric SWS may also be possible during flight when constant visual monitoring of the environment is unnecessary. Nevertheless, the reduction in muscle tone that usually accompanies REM sleep makes it unlikely that birds enter this state in flight. Upon landing, birds may need to recover the components of sleep that are incompatible with flight. Periods of undisturbed postflight recovery sleep may be essential for maintaining adaptive brain function during wakefulness. The recent miniaturization of EEG recording devices now makes it possible to measure brain activity in flight. Determining if and how birds sleep in flight will contribute to our understanding of a largely unexplored aspect of avian behavior and may also provide insight into the function of sleep.

Blockade of GABA, type A, receptors in the rat pontine reticular formation induces rapid eye movement sleep that is dependent upon the cholinergic system.

PubMed

Marks, G A; Sachs, O W; Birabil, C G

2008-09-22

The brainstem reticular formation is an area important to the control of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The antagonist of GABA-type A (GABA(A)) receptors, bicuculline methiodide (BMI), injected into the rat nucleus pontis oralis (PnO) of the reticular formation resulted in a long-lasting increase in REM sleep. Thus, one factor controlling REM sleep appears to be the number of functional GABA(A) receptors in the PnO. The long-lasting effect produced by BMI may result from secondary influences on other neurotransmitter systems known to have long-lasting effects. To study this question, rats were surgically prepared for chronic sleep recording and additionally implanted with guide cannulas aimed at sites in the PnO. Multiple, 60 nl, unilateral injections were made either singly or in combination. GABA(A) receptor antagonists, BMI and gabazine (GBZ), produced dose-dependent increases in REM sleep with GBZ being approximately 35 times more potent than BMI. GBZ and the cholinergic agonist, carbachol, produced very similar results, both increasing REM sleep for about 8 h, mainly through increased period frequency, with little reduction in REM latency. Pre-injection of the muscarinic antagonist, atropine, completely blocked the REM sleep-increase by GBZ. GABAergic control of REM sleep in the PnO requires the cholinergic system and may be acting through presynaptic modulation of acetylcholine release.

Characterization of REM sleep without atonia in patients with narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia using AASM scoring manual criteria.

PubMed

DelRosso, Lourdes M; Chesson, Andrew L; Hoque, Romy

2013-07-15

The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events (Manual) has provided standardized definitions for tonic and phasic REM sleep without atonia (RSWA). This study used Manual criteria to characterize REM sleep in patients with narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia (IH). A retrospective review of PSG data from ICSD-2 defined patients with narcolepsy or IH, performed by two board certified sleep medicine physicians. Data compiled included REM sleep epochs and the presence in REM sleep of epochs scored as sustained muscle activity (tonic), and excessive transient muscle activity (phasic) as defined by Manual criteria. PSG data from 8 narcolepsy patients (mean age: 27.5 years; age range: 11-55) showed mean ± standard deviation values for: total REM sleep epochs 205 ± 46.1; RSWA/ phasic epochs 56.1 ± 25.4; and RSWA/tonic epochs 15.0 ± 10.7. PSG data from 8 IH patients (mean age: 33.1 years; age range: 20-57) showed mean ± standard deviation values of total REM sleep epochs 163.8 ± 67.9; RSWA/phasic epochs 6.2 ± 3.5; and RSWA/tonic epochs 0.2 ± 0.4. Comparison revealed intergroup differences in phasic REM sleep (p < 0.01) and tonic REM sleep (p < 0.01) were significantly increased in narcoleptics compared to IH. Our retrospective analysis showed that RSWA phasic activity and RSWA tonic activity are significantly increased in patients meeting ICSD-2 criteria for narcolepsy compared to patients meeting ICSD-2 criteria for IH. This robust difference, with further validation, could be useful as electrophysiological criteria differentiating the two disorders and understanding the physiological differences.

Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder: A Window on the Emotional World of Parkinson Disease

PubMed Central

Mariotti, Paolo; Quaranta, Davide; Di Giacopo, Raffaella; Bentivoglio, Anna Rita; Mazza, Marianna; Martini, Annalisa; Canestri, Jorge; Della Marca, Giacomo

2015-01-01

Study Objectives: REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia characterized by motor activity during sleep with dream mentation. Aggressiveness has been considered a peculiar feature of dreams associated with RBD, despite normal score in aggressiveness scales during wakefulness. We aimed to measure daytime aggressiveness and analyze dream contents in a population of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) with and without RBD. Design: This is a single-center prospective observational study; it concerns the description of the clinical features of a medical disorder in a case series. Setting: The study was performed in the Department of Neurosciences of the Catholic University in Rome, Italy. Patients: Three groups of subjects were enrolled: patients with PD plus RBD, patients with PD without RBD, and healthy controls. Interventions: The diagnosis of RBD was determined clinically and confirmed by means of overnight, laboratory-based video-polysomnography. For the evaluation of diurnal aggressiveness, the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) was used. The content of dreams was evaluated by means of the methods of Hall and Van De Castle. Measurements and Results: Patients with PD without RBD displayed higher levels of anger, and verbal and physical aggressiveness than patients with PD and RBD and controls. Patients with PD and RBD and controls did not differ in hostility. Conclusions: It can be hypothesized that a noradrenergic impairment at the level of the locus coeruleus could, at the same time, explain the presence of REM sleep behavior disorder, as well as the reduction of diurnal aggressiveness. This finding also suggests a role for REM sleep in regulating homeostasis of emotional brain function. Citation: Mariotti P, Quaranta D, Di Giacopo R, Bentivoglio AR, Mazza M, Martini A, Canestri J, Della Marca G. Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder: a window on the emotional world of Parkinson disease. SLEEP 2015;38(2):287–294. PMID:25325501

Individual Differences in Animal Stress Models: Considering Resilience, Vulnerability, and the Amygdala in Mediating the Effects of Stress and Conditioned Fear on Sleep.

PubMed

Wellman, Laurie L; Fitzpatrick, Mairen E; Hallum, Olga Y; Sutton, Amy M; Williams, Brook L; Sanford, Larry D

2016-06-01

To examine the REM sleep response to stress and fearful memories as a potential marker of stress resilience and vulnerability and to assess the role of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in mediating the effects of fear memory on sleep. Outbred Wistar rats were surgically implanted with electrodes for recording EEG and EMG and with bilateral guide cannulae directed at the BLA. Data loggers were placed intraperitoneally to record core body temperature. After recovery from surgery, the rats received shock training (ST: 20 footshocks, 0.8 mA, 0.5-s duration, 60-s interstimulus interval) and afterwards received microinjections of the GABAA agonist muscimol (MUS; 1.0 μM) to inactivate BLA or microinjections of vehicle (VEH) alone. Subsequently, the rats were separated into 4 groups (VEH-vulnerable (VEH-Vul; n = 14), VEH-resilient (VEH-Res; n = 13), MUS-vulnerable (MUS-Vul; n = 8), and MUS-resilient (MUS-Res; n = 11) based on whether or not REM was decreased, compared to baseline, during the first 4 h following ST. We then compared sleep, freezing, and the stress response (stress-induced hyperthermia, SIH) across groups to determine the effects of ST and fearful context re-exposure alone (CTX). REM was significantly reduced on the ST day in both VEH-Vul and MUS-Vul rats; however, post-ST MUS blocked the reduction in REM on the CTX day in the MUS-Vul group. The VEH-Res and MUS-Res rats showed similar levels of REM on both ST and CTX days. The effects of post-ST inactivation of BLA on freezing and SIH were minimal. Outbred Wistar rats can show significant individual differences in the effects of stress on REM that are mediated by BLA. These differences in REM can be independent of behavioral fear and the peripheral stress response, and may be an important biomarker of stress resilience and vulnerability. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Respiratory Cycle-Related Electroencephalographic Changes during Sleep in Healthy Children and in Children with Sleep Disordered Breathing

PubMed Central

Immanuel, Sarah A.; Pamula, Yvonne; Kohler, Mark; Martin, James; Kennedy, Declan; Saint, David A.; Baumert, Mathias

2014-01-01

Study Objective: To investigate respiratory cycle-related electroencephalographic changes (RCREC) in healthy children and in children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB) during scored event-free (SEF) breathing periods of sleep. Design: Interventional case-control repeated measurements design. Setting: Paediatric sleep laboratory in a hospital setting. Participants: Forty children with SDB and 40 healthy, age- and sex-matched children. Interventions: Adenotonsillectomy in children with SDB and no intervention in controls. Measurements and Results: Overnight polysomnography; electroencephalography (EEG) power variations within SEF respiratory cycles in the overall and frequency band-specific EEG within stage 2 nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, slow wave sleep (SWS), and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Within both groups there was a decrease in EEG power during inspiration compared to expiration across all sleep stages. Compared to controls, RCREC in children with SDB in the overall EEG were significantly higher during REM and frequency band specific RCRECs were higher in the theta band of stage 2 and REM sleep, alpha band of SWS and REM sleep, and sigma band of REM sleep. This between-group difference was not significant postadenotonsillectomy. Conclusion: The presence of nonrandom respiratory cycle-related electroencephalographic changes (RCREC) in both healthy children and in children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB) during NREM and REM sleep has been demonstrated. The RCREC values were higher in children with SDB, predominantly in REM sleep and this difference reduced after adenotonsillectomy. Citation: Immanuel SA, Pamula Y, Kohler M, Martin J, Kennedy D, Saint DA, Baumert M. Respiratory cycle-related electroencephalographic changes during sleep in healthy children and in children with sleep disordered breathing. SLEEP 2014;37(8):1353-1361. PMID:25083016

Slow wave and REM sleep deprivation effects on explicit and implicit memory during sleep.

PubMed

Casey, Sarah J; Solomons, Luke C; Steier, Joerg; Kabra, Neeraj; Burnside, Anna; Pengo, Martino F; Moxham, John; Goldstein, Laura H; Kopelman, Michael D

2016-11-01

It has been debated whether different stages in the human sleep cycle preferentially mediate the consolidation of explicit and implicit memories, or whether all of the stages in succession are necessary for optimal consolidation. Here we investigated whether the selective deprivation of slow wave sleep (SWS) or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep over an entire night would have a specific effect on consolidation in explicit and implicit memory tasks. Participants completed a set of explicit and implicit memory tasks at night, prior to sleep. They had 1 control night of undisturbed sleep and 2 experimental nights, during which either SWS or REM sleep was selectively deprived across the entire night (sleep conditions counterbalanced across participants). Polysomnography recordings quantified precisely the amount of SWS and REM sleep that occurred during each of the sleep conditions, and spindle counts were recorded. In the morning, participants completed the experimental tasks in the same sequence as the night before. SWS deprivation disrupted the consolidation of explicit memories for visuospatial information (ηp2 = .23), and both SWS (ηp2 = .53) and REM sleep (ηp2 = .52) deprivation adversely affected explicit verbal recall. Neither SWS nor REM sleep deprivation affected aspects of short-term or working memory, and did not affect measures of verbal implicit memory. Spindle counts did not correlate significantly with memory performance. These findings demonstrate the importance of measuring the sleep cycles throughout the entire night, and the contribution of both SWS and REM sleep to memory consolidation. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Obstructive Sleep Apnea during REM Sleep and Cardiovascular Disease.

PubMed

Aurora, R Nisha; Crainiceanu, Ciprian; Gottlieb, Daniel J; Kim, Ji Soo; Punjabi, Naresh M

2018-03-01

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) during REM sleep is a common disorder. Data on whether OSA that occurs predominantly during REM sleep is associated with health outcomes are limited. The present study examined the association between OSA during REM sleep and a composite cardiovascular endpoint in a community sample with and without prevalent cardiovascular disease. Full-montage home polysomnography was conducted as part of the Sleep Heart Health Study. The study cohort was followed for an average of 9.5 years, during which time cardiovascular events were assessed. Only participants with a non-REM apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) of less than 5 events/h were included. A composite cardiovascular endpoint was determined as the occurrence of nonfatal or fatal events, including myocardial infarction, coronary artery revascularization, congestive heart failure, and stroke. Proportional hazards regression was used to derive the adjusted hazards ratios for the composite cardiovascular endpoint. The sample consisted of 3,265 subjects with a non-REM AHI of less than 5.0 events/h. Using a REM AHI of less than 5.0 events/h as the reference group (n = 1,758), the adjusted hazards ratios for the composite cardiovascular endpoint in those with severe REM OSA (≥30 events/h; n = 180) was 1.35 (95% confidence interval, 0.98-1.85). Stratified analyses demonstrated that the association was most notable in those with prevalent cardiovascular disease and severe OSA during REM sleep with an adjusted hazards ratio of 2.56 (95% confidence interval, 1.46-4.47). Severe OSA that occurs primarily during REM sleep is associated with higher incidence of a composite cardiovascular endpoint, but in only those with prevalent cardiovascular disease.

Loss of consciousness is related to hyper-correlated gamma-band activity in anesthetized macaques and sleeping humans.

PubMed

Bola, Michał; Barrett, Adam B; Pigorini, Andrea; Nobili, Lino; Seth, Anil K; Marchewka, Artur

2018-02-15

Loss of consciousness can result from a wide range of causes, including natural sleep and pharmacologically induced anesthesia. Important insights might thus come from identifying neuronal mechanisms of loss and re-emergence of consciousness independent of a specific manipulation. Therefore, to seek neuronal signatures of loss of consciousness common to sleep and anesthesia we analyzed spontaneous electrophysiological activity recorded in two experiments. First, electrocorticography (ECoG) acquired from 4 macaque monkeys anesthetized with different anesthetic agents (ketamine, medetomidine, propofol) and, second, stereo-electroencephalography (sEEG) from 10 epilepsy patients in different wake-sleep stages (wakefulness, NREM, REM). Specifically, we investigated co-activation patterns among brain areas, defined as correlations between local amplitudes of gamma-band activity. We found that resting wakefulness was associated with intermediate levels of gamma-band coupling, indicating neither complete dependence, nor full independence among brain regions. In contrast, loss of consciousness during NREM sleep and propofol anesthesia was associated with excessively correlated brain activity, as indicated by a robust increase of number and strength of positive correlations. However, such excessively correlated brain signals were not observed during REM sleep, and were present only to a limited extent during ketamine anesthesia. This might be related to the fact that, despite suppression of behavioral responsiveness, REM sleep and ketamine anesthesia often involve presence of dream-like conscious experiences. We conclude that hyper-correlated gamma-band activity might be a signature of loss of consciousness common across various manipulations and independent of behavioral responsiveness. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Relevance of deprivation studies in understanding rapid eye movement sleep

PubMed Central

Mehta, Rachna; Khan, Shafa; Mallick, Birendra N

2018-01-01

Rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) is a unique phenomenon essential for maintaining normal physiological processes and is expressed at least in species higher in the evolution. The basic scaffold of the neuronal network responsible for REMS regulation is present in the brainstem, which may be directly or indirectly influenced by most other physiological processes. It is regulated by the neurons in the brainstem. Various manipulations including chemical, elec-trophysiological, lesion, stimulation, behavioral, ontogenic and deprivation studies have been designed to understand REMS genesis, maintenance, physiology and functional significance. Although each of these methods has its significance and limitations, deprivation studies have contributed significantly to the overall understanding of REMS. In this review, we discuss the advantages and limitations of various methods used for REMS deprivation (REMSD) to understand neural regulation and physiological significance of REMS. Among the deprivation strategies, the flowerpot method is by far the method of choice because it is simple and convenient, exploits physiological parameter (muscle atonia) for REMSD and allows conducting adequate controls to overcome experimental limitations as well as to rule out nonspecific effects. Notwithstanding, a major criticism that the flowerpot method faces is that of perceived stress experienced by the experimental animals. Nevertheless, we conclude that like most methods, particularly for in vivo behavioral studies, in spite of a few limitations, given the advantages described above, the flowerpot method is the best method of choice for REMSD studies. PMID:29881316

Relevance of deprivation studies in understanding rapid eye movement sleep.

PubMed

Mehta, Rachna; Khan, Shafa; Mallick, Birendra N

2018-01-01

Rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) is a unique phenomenon essential for maintaining normal physiological processes and is expressed at least in species higher in the evolution. The basic scaffold of the neuronal network responsible for REMS regulation is present in the brainstem, which may be directly or indirectly influenced by most other physiological processes. It is regulated by the neurons in the brainstem. Various manipulations including chemical, elec-trophysiological, lesion, stimulation, behavioral, ontogenic and deprivation studies have been designed to understand REMS genesis, maintenance, physiology and functional significance. Although each of these methods has its significance and limitations, deprivation studies have contributed significantly to the overall understanding of REMS. In this review, we discuss the advantages and limitations of various methods used for REMS deprivation (REMSD) to understand neural regulation and physiological significance of REMS. Among the deprivation strategies, the flowerpot method is by far the method of choice because it is simple and convenient, exploits physiological parameter (muscle atonia) for REMSD and allows conducting adequate controls to overcome experimental limitations as well as to rule out nonspecific effects. Notwithstanding, a major criticism that the flowerpot method faces is that of perceived stress experienced by the experimental animals. Nevertheless, we conclude that like most methods, particularly for in vivo behavioral studies, in spite of a few limitations, given the advantages described above, the flowerpot method is the best method of choice for REMSD studies.

How Memory Replay in Sleep Boosts Creative Problem-Solving.

PubMed

Lewis, Penelope A; Knoblich, Günther; Poe, Gina

2018-06-01

Creative thought relies on the reorganisation of existing knowledge. Sleep is known to be important for creative thinking, but there is a debate about which sleep stage is most relevant, and why. We address this issue by proposing that rapid eye movement sleep, or 'REM', and non-REM sleep facilitate creativity in different ways. Memory replay mechanisms in non-REM can abstract rules from corpuses of learned information, while replay in REM may promote novel associations. We propose that the iterative interleaving of REM and non-REM across a night boosts the formation of complex knowledge frameworks, and allows these frameworks to be restructured, thus facilitating creative thought. We outline a hypothetical computational model which will allow explicit testing of these hypotheses. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

The Time Course of the Probability of Transition Into and Out of REM Sleep

PubMed Central

Bassi, Alejandro; Vivaldi, Ennio A.; Ocampo-Garcés, Adrián

2009-01-01

Study Objectives: A model of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep expression is proposed that assumes underlying regulatory mechanisms operating as inhomogenous Poisson processes, the overt results of which are the transitions into and out of REM sleep. Design: Based on spontaneously occurring REM sleep episodes (“Episode”) and intervals without REM sleep (“Interval”), 3 variables are defined and evaluated over discrete 15-second epochs using a nonlinear logistic regression method: “Propensity” is the instantaneous rate of into-REM transition occurrence throughout an Interval, “Volatility” is the instantaneous rate of out-of-REM transition occurrence throughout an Episode, and “Opportunity” is the probability of being in non-REM (NREM) sleep at a given time throughout an Interval, a requisite for transition. Setting: 12:12 light:dark cycle, isolated boxes. Participants: Sixteen male Sprague-Dawley rats Interventions: None. Spontaneous sleep cycles. Measurements and Results: The highest levels of volatility and propensity occur, respectively, at the very beginning of Episodes and Intervals. The new condition stabilizes rapidly, and variables reach nadirs at minute 1.25 and 2.50, respectively. Afterward, volatility increases markedly, reaching values close to the initial level. Propensity increases moderately, the increment being stronger through NREM sleep bouts occurring at the end of long Intervals. Short-term homeostasis is evidenced by longer REM sleep episodes lowering propensity in the following Interval. Conclusions: The stabilization after transitions into Episodes or Intervals and the destabilization after remaining for some time in either condition may be described as resulting from continuous processes building up during Episodes and Intervals. These processes underlie the overt occurrence of transitions. Citation: Bassi A; Vivaldi EA; Ocampo-Garcées A. The time course of the probability of transition into and out of REM sleep. SLEEP 2009;32(5):655-669 PMID:19480233

Tumor Necrosis Factor Antagonism Normalizes Rapid Eye Movement Sleep in Alcohol Dependence

PubMed Central

Irwin, Michael R.; Olmstead, Richard; Valladares, Edwin M.; Breen, Elizabeth Crabb; Ehlers, Cindy L.

2009-01-01

Background In alcohol dependence, markers of inflammation are associated with increases in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is thought to be a prognostic indicator of alcohol relapse. This study was undertaken to test whether blockade of biologically active tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) normalizes REM sleep in alcohol-dependent adults. Methods In a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover trial, 18 abstinent alcohol-dependent male adults received a single dose of etanercept (25 mg) versus placebo in a counterbalanced order. Polysomnographic sleep was measured at baseline and for 3 nights after the acute dose of etanercept or placebo. Results Compared with placebo, administration of etanercept produced significant decreases in the amount and percentage of REM sleep. Decreases in REM sleep were robust and approached low levels typically found in age-comparable control subjects. Individual differences in biologically active drug as indexed by circulating levels of soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor II negatively correlated with the percentage of REM sleep. Conclusions Pharmacologic neutralization of TNF-α activity is associated with significant reductions in REM sleep in abstinent alcohol-dependent patients. These data suggest that circulating levels of TNF-α may have a physiologic role in the regulation of REM sleep in humans. PMID:19185287

Development of REM sleep drive and clinical implications

PubMed Central

Kobayashi, T.; Good, C.; Mamiya, K.; Skinner, R.D.; Garcia-Rill, E.

2015-01-01

REM sleep in the human declines from about 50% of total sleep time (~8 hours) in the newborn to about 15% of total sleep time (~1 hour) in the adult, and this decrease takes place mainly between birth and the end of puberty. We hypothesize that, if this developmental decrease in REM drive does not occur, lifelong increases in REM sleep drive may ensue. In the rat, the developmental decrease in REM sleep occurs between 10 and 30 days after birth, declining from over 70% of total sleep time in the newborn to the adult level of about 15% of sleep time during this period. Rats aged 12–21 days were anaesthetized with Ketamine, decapitated and brainstem slices cut for intracellular recordings. We found that excitatory responses of pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN) neurons to NMDA decrease, while responses to kainic acid increase, over this critical period. Serotonergic type 1 agonists have increasing inhibitory responses, while serotonergic type 2 agonists do not change, during this developmental period. The results suggest that, as PPN neurons develop, they are increasingly activated by kainic acid and increasingly inhibited by serotonergic type 1 receptors. These processes may be related to the developmental decrease in REM sleep. Developmental disturbances in each of these systems could induce differential increases in REM sleep drive, accounting for the post-pubertal onset of a number of different disorders manifesting increases in REM sleep drive. Examination of modulation by PPN projections to ascending and descending targets revealed the presence of common signals modulating both ascending arousal-related functions and descending postural/locomotor-related functions. PMID:14527968

Automated determination of wakefulness and sleep in rats based on non-invasively acquired measures of movement and respiratory activity

PubMed Central

Zeng, Tao; Mott, Christopher; Mollicone, Daniel; Sanford, Larry D.

2012-01-01

The current standard for monitoring sleep in rats requires labor intensive surgical procedures and the implantation of chronic electrodes which have the potential to impact behavior and sleep. With the goal of developing a non-invasive method to determine sleep and wakefulness, we constructed a non-contact monitoring system to measure movement and respiratory activity using signals acquired with pulse Doppler radar and from digitized video analysis. A set of 23 frequency and time-domain features were derived from these signals and were calculated in 10 s epochs. Based on these features, a classification method for automated scoring of wakefulness, non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM) and REM in rats was developed using a support vector machine (SVM). We then assessed the utility of the automated scoring system in discriminating wakefulness and sleep by comparing the results to standard scoring of wakefulness and sleep based on concurrently recorded EEG and EMG. Agreement between SVM automated scoring based on selected features and visual scores based on EEG and EMG were approximately 91% for wakefulness, 84% for NREM and 70% for REM. The results indicate that automated scoring based on non-invasively acquired movement and respiratory activity will be useful for studies requiring discrimination of wakefulness and sleep. However, additional information or signals will be needed to improve discrimination of NREM and REM episodes within sleep. PMID:22178621

Sleep/Wake Physiology and Quantitative Electroencephalogram Analysis of the Neuroligin-3 Knockout Rat Model of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Thomas, Alexia M; Schwartz, Michael D; Saxe, Michael D; Kilduff, Thomas S

2017-10-01

Neuroligin-3 (NLGN3) is one of the many genes associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Sleep dysfunction is highly prevalent in ASD, but has not been rigorously examined in ASD models. Here, we evaluated sleep/wake physiology and behavioral phenotypes of rats with genetic ablation of Nlgn3. Male Nlgn3 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) rats were assessed using a test battery for ASD-related behaviors and also implanted with telemeters to record the electroencephalogram (EEG), electromyogram, body temperature, and locomotor activity. 24-h EEG recordings were analyzed for sleep/wake states and spectral composition. Nlgn3 KO rats were hyperactive, exhibited excessive chewing behavior, and had impaired prepulse inhibition to an auditory startle stimulus. KO rats also spent less time in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, more time in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, exhibited elevated theta power (4-9 Hz) during wakefulness and REM, and elevated delta power (0.5-4 Hz) during NREM. Beta (12-30 Hz) power and gamma (30-50 Hz) power were suppressed across all vigilance states. The sleep disruptions in Nlgn3 KO rats are consistent with observations of sleep disturbances in ASD patients. The EEG provides objective measures of brain function to complement rodent behavioral analyses and therefore may be a useful tool to study ASD. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Polysomnographic abnormalities in succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) deficiency.

PubMed

Pearl, Phillip L; Shamim, Sadat; Theodore, William H; Gibson, K Michael; Forester, Katherine; Combs, Susan E; Lewin, Daniel; Dustin, Irene; Reeves-Tyer, Patricia; Jakobs, Cornelis; Sato, Susumu

2009-12-01

Patients with SSADH deficiency, a disorder of chronically elevated endogenous GABA and GHB, were studied for sleep symptoms and polysomnography. We hypothesized that patients would have excessive daytime somnolence and decreased REM sleep. Polysomnography and MSLT were performed on patients enrolled for comprehensive clinical studies of SSADH deficiency. Sleep studies were obtained in the sleep laboratories at CNMC and NIH. Sleep recordings were obtained in 10 patients with confirmed SSADH deficiency. Thirteen overnight polysomnograms were obtained in 10 patients (7 male, 3 female, ages 11-27 y). Eleven MSLT studies were completed in 8 patients. Polysomnograms showed prolongation of REM stage latency (mean 272 +/- 89 min) and decreased percent stage REM (mean 8.9%, range 0.3% to 13.8%). Decreased mean sleep latency was present in 6 of 11 MSLTs. SSADH deficiency is associated with prolonged latency to stage REM and decreased percent stage REM. This disorder represents a model of chronic GABA and GHB accumulation associated with suppression of REM sleep.

Filtering the reality: functional dissociation of lateral and medial pain systems during sleep in humans.

PubMed

Bastuji, Hélène; Mazza, Stéphanie; Perchet, Caroline; Frot, Maud; Mauguière, François; Magnin, Michel; Garcia-Larrea, Luis

2012-11-01

Behavioral reactions to sensory stimuli during sleep are scarce despite preservation of sizeable cortical responses. To further understand such dissociation, we recorded intracortical field potentials to painful laser pulses in humans during waking and all-night sleep. Recordings were obtained from the three cortical structures receiving 95% of the spinothalamic cortical input in primates, namely the parietal operculum, posterior insula, and mid-anterior cingulate cortex. The dynamics of responses during sleep differed among cortical sites. In sleep Stage 2, evoked potential amplitudes were similarly attenuated relative to waking in all three cortical regions. During paradoxical, or rapid eye movements (REM), sleep, opercular and insular potentials remained stable in comparison with Stage 2, whereas the responses from mid-anterior cingulate abated drastically, and decreasing below background noise in half of the subjects. Thus, while the lateral operculo-insular system subserving sensory analysis of somatic stimuli remained active during paradoxical-REM sleep, mid-anterior cingulate processes related to orienting and avoidance behavior were suppressed. Dissociation between sensory and orienting-motor networks might explain why nociceptive stimuli can be either neglected or incorporated into dreams without awakening the subject. Copyright © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Changes in Cardiac Variability after REM Sleep Deprivation in Recurrent Nightmares

PubMed Central

Nielsen, Tore; Paquette, Tyna; Solomonova, Elizaveta; Lara-Carrasco, Jessica; Colombo, Roberto; Lanfranchi, Paola

2010-01-01

Study Objectives: To assess whether dysfunctional autonomic regulation during REM sleep as indexed by heart rate variability (HRV) is a pathophysiological factor in frequent nightmares (NMs). Design: Monitoring with polysomnography (PSG) and electrocardiography (ECG) for 3 consecutive nights: Night 1 (N1), adaptation night; N2, administration of partial REM sleep deprivation; N3, recovery night. Differences between NM and control (CTL) groups assessed for ECG measures drawn from wakefulness, REM sleep, and Stage 2 sleep on both N1 and N3. Setting: Hospital-based sleep laboratory Participants: Sixteen subjects with frequent NMs ( ≥ 1 NM/week; mean age = 26.1 ± 8.7 years) but no other medical or psychiatric disorders and 11 healthy comparison subjects ( < 1 NM/month; mean age = 27.1±5.6 years). Results: NM and CTL groups differed on 2 REM sleep measures only on N1; the NM group had longer REM latencies and REM/NREM cycle durations than did the CTL group. No differences were found on time domain and absolute frequency domain ECG measures for either N1 or N3. However, altered HRV for the NM group was suggested by significantly higher LFnu, lower HFnu, and higher LF/HF ratio than for the CTL group. Conclusions: Results are consistent with a higher than normal sympathetic drive among NM subjects which is unmasked by high REM sleep propensity. Results also support a growing literature linking anxiety disorders of several types (panic disorder, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), generalized anxiety disorder) to altered HR variability. Citation: Nielsen T; Paquette T; Solomonova E; Lara-Carrasco J; Colombo R; Lanfranchi P. Changes in cardiac variability after rem sleep deprivation in recurrent nightmares. SLEEP 2010;33(1):113-122. PMID:20120628

No effect of odor-induced memory reactivation during REM sleep on declarative memory stability

PubMed Central

Cordi, Maren J.; Diekelmann, Susanne; Born, Jan; Rasch, Björn

2014-01-01

Memory reactivations in hippocampal brain areas are critically involved in memory consolidation processes during sleep. In particular, specific firing patterns of hippocampal place cells observed during learning are replayed during subsequent sleep and rest in rodents. In humans, experimentally inducing hippocampal memory reactivations during slow-wave sleep (but not during wakefulness) benefits consolidation and immediately stabilizes declarative memories against future interference. Importantly, spontaneous hippocampal replay activity can also be observed during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and some authors have suggested that replay during REM sleep is related to processes of memory consolidation. However, the functional role of reactivations during REM sleep for memory stability is still unclear. Here, we reactivated memories during REM sleep and examined its consequences for the stability of declarative memories. After 3 h of early, slow-wave sleep (SWS) rich sleep, 16 healthy young adults learned a 2-D object location task in the presence of a contextual odor. During subsequent REM sleep, participants were either re-exposed to the odor or to an odorless vehicle, in a counterbalanced within subject design. Reactivation was followed by an interference learning task to probe memory stability after awakening. We show that odor-induced memory reactivation during REM sleep does not stabilize memories against future interference. We propose that the beneficial effect of reactivation during sleep on memory stability might be critically linked to processes characterizing SWS including, e.g., slow oscillatory activity, sleep spindles, or low cholinergic tone, which are required for a successful redistribution of memories from medial temporal lobe regions to neocortical long-term stores. PMID:25225474

Sleep and morningness-eveningness in the 'middle' years of life (20-59 y)

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Carrier, J.; Monk, T. H.; Buysse, D. J.; Kupfer, D. J.

1997-01-01

The following four issues were assessed in a group of 110 adults between the age of 20 and 59y: (1) the effect of age (regarded as a continuous variable) on polysomnographic sleep characteristics, habitual sleep-diary patterns, and subjective sleep quality; (2) the effects of age on morningness-eveningness; (3) the effects of morningness-eveningness on sleep, after controlling for the effects of age; and (4) the role of morningness-eveningness as a mediator of the age and sleep relationship. Increasing age was related to earlier habitual waketime, earlier bedtime, less time in bed and better mood and alertness at waketime. In the laboratory, increasing age was associated with less time asleep, increased number of awakenings, decreased sleep efficiency, lower percentages of slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, higher percentages of Stage 1 and 2, shorter REM latency and reduced REM activity and density. Increasing age was also associated with higher morningness scores. After controlling for the effects of age, morningness was associated with earlier waketime, earlier bedtime, less time in bed, better alertness at waketime, less time spent asleep, more wake in the last 2 h of sleep, decreased REM activity, less stage REM (min and percentage), more Stage 1 (min and percentage) and fewer minutes of Stage 2. For one set of variables (night time in bed, waketime, total sleep time, wake in the last 2 h of sleep and minutes of REM and REM activity), morningness-eveningness accounted for about half of the relationship between age and sleep. For another set of variables (bedtime, alertness at waketime, percentages of REM and Stage 1), morningness-eveningness accounted for the entire relationship between age and sleep. In conclusion, age and morningness were both important predictors of the habitual sleep patterns and polysomnographic sleep characteristics of people in the middle years of life (20-59 y).

Natural History Study of Synucleinopathies

ClinicalTrials.gov

2018-01-23

Patients With Synucleinopathies; Neurogenic Orthostatic Hypotension; Pure Autonomic Failure; REM Sleep Behavior Disorder; Parkinson Disease; Dementia With Lewy Bodies; Multiple System Atrophy; Shy-Drager Disease

Does the Circadian Modulation of Dream Recall Modify with Age?

PubMed Central

Chellappa, Sarah Laxhmi; Münch, Mirjam; Blatter, Katharina; Knoblauch, Vera; Cajochen, Christian

2009-01-01

Study objectives: The ultradian NREM-REM sleep cycle and the circadian modulation of REM sleep sum to generate dreaming. Here we investigated age-related changes in dream recall, number of dreams, and emotional domain characteristics of dreaming during both NREM and REM sleep. Design: Analysis of dream recall and sleep EEG (NREM/REM sleep) during a 40-h multiple nap protocol (150 min of wakefulness and 75 min of sleep) under constant routine conditions. Setting: Centre for Chronobiology, Psychiatric Hospital of the University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland. Participants: Seventeen young (20-31 years) and 15 older (57-74 years) healthy volunteers Interventions: N/A. Measurements and Results: Dream recall and number of dreams varied significantly across the circadian cycle and between age groups, with older subjects exhibiting fewer dreams (P < 0.05), particularly after naps scheduled during the biological day, closely associated with the circadian rhythm of REM sleep. No significant age differences were observed for the emotional domain of dream content. Conclusions: Since aging was associated with attenuated amplitude in the circadian modulation of REM sleep, our data suggest that the age-related decrease in dream recall can result from an attenuated circadian modulation of REM sleep. Citation: Chellappa SL; Möunch M; Blatter K; Knoblauch V; Cajochen C. Does the circadian modulation of dream recall modify with age? SLEEP 2009;32(9):1201-1209. PMID:19750925

Noradrenaline from Locus Coeruleus Neurons Acts on Pedunculo-Pontine Neurons to Prevent REM Sleep and Induces Its Loss-Associated Effects in Rats

PubMed Central

Khanday, Mudasir Ahmad; Somarajan, Bindu I.; Mehta, Rachna

2016-01-01

Normally, rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) does not appear during waking or non-REMS. Isolated, independent studies showed that elevated noradrenaline (NA) levels inhibit REMS and induce REMS loss-associated cytomolecular, cytomorphological, psychosomatic changes and associated symptoms. However, the source of NA and its target in the brain for REMS regulation and function in health and diseases remained to be confirmed in vivo. Using tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-siRNA and virus-coated TH-shRNA in normal freely moving rats, we downregulated NA synthesis in locus coeruleus (LC) REM-OFF neurons in vivo. These TH-downregulated rats showed increased REMS, which was prevented by infusing NA into the pedunculo-pontine tegmentum (PPT), the site of REM-ON neurons, normal REMS returned after recovery. Moreover, unlike normal or control-siRNA- or shRNA-injected rats, upon REMS deprivation (REMSD) TH-downregulated rat brains did not show elevated Na-K ATPase (molecular changes) expression and activity. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first in vivo findings in an animal model confirming that NA from the LC REM-OFF neurons (1) acts on the PPT REM-ON neurons to prevent appearance of REMS, and (2) are responsible for inducing REMSD-associated molecular changes and symptoms. These observations clearly show neuro-physio-chemical mechanism of why normally REMS does not appear during waking. Also, that LC neurons are the primary source of NA, which in turn causes some, if not many, REMSD-associated symptoms and behavioral changes. The findings are proof-of-principle for the first time and hold potential to be exploited for confirmation toward treating REMS disorder and amelioration of REMS loss-associated symptoms in patients. PMID:27957531

Noradrenaline from Locus Coeruleus Neurons Acts on Pedunculo-Pontine Neurons to Prevent REM Sleep and Induces Its Loss-Associated Effects in Rats.

PubMed

Khanday, Mudasir Ahmad; Somarajan, Bindu I; Mehta, Rachna; Mallick, Birendra Nath

2016-01-01

Normally, rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) does not appear during waking or non-REMS. Isolated, independent studies showed that elevated noradrenaline (NA) levels inhibit REMS and induce REMS loss-associated cytomolecular, cytomorphological, psychosomatic changes and associated symptoms. However, the source of NA and its target in the brain for REMS regulation and function in health and diseases remained to be confirmed in vivo . Using tyrosine hydroxylase (TH)-siRNA and virus-coated TH-shRNA in normal freely moving rats, we downregulated NA synthesis in locus coeruleus (LC) REM-OFF neurons in vivo . These TH-downregulated rats showed increased REMS, which was prevented by infusing NA into the pedunculo-pontine tegmentum (PPT), the site of REM-ON neurons, normal REMS returned after recovery. Moreover, unlike normal or control-siRNA- or shRNA-injected rats, upon REMS deprivation (REMSD) TH-downregulated rat brains did not show elevated Na-K ATPase (molecular changes) expression and activity. To the best of our knowledge, these are the first in vivo findings in an animal model confirming that NA from the LC REM-OFF neurons (1) acts on the PPT REM-ON neurons to prevent appearance of REMS, and (2) are responsible for inducing REMSD-associated molecular changes and symptoms. These observations clearly show neuro-physio-chemical mechanism of why normally REMS does not appear during waking. Also, that LC neurons are the primary source of NA, which in turn causes some, if not many, REMSD-associated symptoms and behavioral changes. The findings are proof-of-principle for the first time and hold potential to be exploited for confirmation toward treating REMS disorder and amelioration of REMS loss-associated symptoms in patients.

Chimpanzee sleep stages.

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Freemon, F. R.; Mcnew, J. J.; Adey, W. R.

1971-01-01

The electroencephalogram and electro-oculogram of two unrestrained juvenile chimpanzees was monitored for 7 consecutive nights using telemetry methods. Of the sleeping time, 23% was spent in the rapid eye movement of REM type of sleep, whereas 8, 4, 15, and 10% were spent in non-REM stages 1 through 4, respectively. Seven to nine periods of REM sleep occurred per night. The average time from the beginning of one REM period to the beginning of the next was approximately 85 min.

Ventilatory control sensitivity in patients with obstructive sleep apnea is sleep stage dependent.

PubMed

Landry, Shane A; Andara, Christopher; Terrill, Philip I; Joosten, Simon A; Leong, Paul; Mann, Dwayne L; Sands, Scott A; Hamilton, Garun S; Edwards, Bradley A

2018-05-01

The severity of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is known to vary according to sleep stage; however, the pathophysiology responsible for this robust observation is incompletely understood. The objective of the present work was to examine how ventilatory control system sensitivity (i.e. loop gain) varies during sleep in patients with OSA. Loop gain was estimated using signals collected from standard diagnostic polysomnographic recordings performed in 44 patients with OSA. Loop gain measurements associated with nonrapid eye movement (NREM) stage 2 (N2), stage 3 (N3), and REM sleep were calculated and compared. The sleep period was also split into three equal duration tertiles to investigate how loop gain changes over the course of sleep. Loop gain was significantly lower (i.e. ventilatory control more stable) in REM (Mean ± SEM: 0.51 ± 0.04) compared with N2 sleep (0.63 ± 0.04; p = 0.001). Differences in loop gain between REM and N3 (p = 0.095), and N2 and N3 (p = 0.247) sleep were not significant. Furthermore, N2 loop gain was significantly lower in the first third (0.57 ± 0.03) of the sleep period compared with later second (0.64 ± 0.03, p = 0.012) and third (0.64 ± 0.03, p = 0.015) tertiles. REM loop gain also tended to increase across the night; however, this trend was not statistically significant [F(2, 12) = 3.49, p = 0.09]. These data suggest that loop gain varies between REM and NREM sleep and modestly increases over the course of sleep. Lower loop gain in REM is unlikely to contribute to the worsened OSA severity typically observed in REM sleep, but may explain the reduced propensity for central sleep apnea in this sleep stage.

Sleep instability and cognitive status in drug-resistant epilepsies.

PubMed

Pereira, Alessandra Marques; Bruni, Oliviero; Ferri, Raffaele; Nunes, Magda Lahorgue

2012-05-01

The aims of this study were to evaluate the sleep habits of children with drug resistant epilepsy and to correlate sleep abnormalities with epilepsy and level of intelligence. Twenty five subjects with drug resistant epilepsy (14 males, age range 2-16.4 years) were recruited for this study. A control group was formed by 23 normal children. Two instruments to assess sleep habits were administered to the patients with epilepsy: a questionnaire on sleep habits (to preschool children) and a questionnaire on sleep behavior (for children aged more than seven years old); a cognitive test (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-WISC) was also performed. Patients underwent a complete polysomnographic study and sleep parameters, including CAP, were analyzed and correlated according to cognitive-behavioral measures in children with epilepsy. Children with drug-resistant epilepsy and severe mental retardation showed sleep abnormalities such as low sleep efficiency, high percentage of wakefulness after sleep onset, reduced slow wave sleep, and reduced REM sleep. Sleep microstructure evaluated by means of CAP analysis showed a decrease in A1 index during N3 in patients with more severe cognitive impairment. Children with epilepsy and cognitive impairment (n=10) had higher Sleep Behavior Questionnaire for Children (SBQC) total scores (65.60 ± 18.56) compared to children with epilepsy and normal IQ (50.00 ± 10.40), p<0.05. Children with drug-resistant epilepsy have a greater incidence of sleep problems regarding qualitative aspects, macrostructure, and CAP. The decrease of CAP rate and of A1, mainly during slow wave sleep (associated to REM sleep reduction), might represent a sleep microstructural pattern of intellectual disability. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Analysis of automated quantification of motor activity in REM sleep behaviour disorder.

PubMed

Frandsen, Rune; Nikolic, Miki; Zoetmulder, Marielle; Kempfner, Lykke; Jennum, Poul

2015-10-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is characterized by dream enactment and REM sleep without atonia. Atonia is evaluated on the basis of visual criteria, but there is a need for more objective, quantitative measurements. We aimed to define and optimize a method for establishing baseline and all other parameters in automatic quantifying submental motor activity during REM sleep. We analysed the electromyographic activity of the submental muscle in polysomnographs of 29 patients with idiopathic RBD (iRBD), 29 controls and 43 Parkinson's (PD) patients. Six adjustable parameters for motor activity were defined. Motor activity was detected and quantified automatically. The optimal parameters for separating RBD patients from controls were investigated by identifying the greatest area under the receiver operating curve from a total of 648 possible combinations. The optimal parameters were validated on PD patients. Automatic baseline estimation improved characterization of atonia during REM sleep, as it eliminates inter/intra-observer variability and can be standardized across diagnostic centres. We found an optimized method for quantifying motor activity during REM sleep. The method was stable and can be used to differentiate RBD from controls and to quantify motor activity during REM sleep in patients with neurodegeneration. No control had more than 30% of REM sleep with increased motor activity; patients with known RBD had as low activity as 4.5%. We developed and applied a sensitive, quantitative, automatic algorithm to evaluate loss of atonia in RBD patients. © 2015 European Sleep Research Society.

Endogenous excitatory drive to the respiratory system in rapid eye movement sleep in cats.

PubMed

Orem, J; Lovering, A T; Dunin-Barkowski, W; Vidruk, E H

2000-09-01

A putative endogenous excitatory drive to the respiratory system in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep may explain many characteristics of breathing in that state, e.g. its irregularity and variable ventilatory responses to chemical stimuli. This drive is hypothetical, and determinations of its existence and character are complicated by control of the respiratory system by the oscillator and its feedback mechanisms. In the present study, endogenous drive was studied during apnoea caused by mechanical hyperventilation. We reasoned that if there was a REM-dependent drive to the respiratory system, then respiratory activity should emerge out of the background apnoea as a manifestation of the drive. Diaphragmatic muscle or medullary respiratory neuronal activity was studied in five intact, unanaesthetized adult cats who were either mechanically hyperventilated or breathed spontaneously in more than 100 REM sleep periods. Diaphragmatic activity emerged out of a background apnoea caused by mechanical hyperventilation an average of 34 s after the onset of REM sleep. Emergent activity occurred in 60 % of 10 s epochs in REM sleep and the amount of activity per unit time averaged approximately 40 % of eupnoeic activity. The activity occurred in episodes and was poorly related to pontogeniculo-occipital waves. At low CO2 levels, this activity was non-rhythmic. At higher CO2 levels (less than 0.5 % below eupnoeic end-tidal percentage CO2 levels in non-REM (NREM) sleep), activity became rhythmic. Medullary respiratory neurons were recorded in one of the five animals. Nineteen of twenty-seven medullary respiratory neurons were excited in REM sleep during apnoea. Excited neurons included inspiratory, expiratory and phase-spanning neurons. Excitation began about 43 s after the onset of REM sleep. Activity increased from an average of 6 impulses s-1 in NREM sleep to 15.5 impulses s-1 in REM sleep. Neuronal activity was non-rhythmic at low CO2 levels and became rhythmic when levels were less than 0.5 % below eupnoeic end-tidal levels in NREM sleep. The level of CO2 at which rhythmic neuronal activity developed corresponded to eupnoeic end-tidal CO2 levels in REM sleep. These results demonstrate an endogenous excitatory drive to the respiratory system in REM sleep and account for rapid and irregular breathing and the lower set-point to CO2 in that state.

Upper Airway Collapsibility During REM Sleep in Children with the Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

PubMed Central

Huang, Jingtao; Karamessinis, Laurie R.; Pepe, Michelle E.; Glinka, Stephen M.; Samuel, John M.; Gallagher, Paul R.; Marcus, Carole L.

2009-01-01

Study Objectives: In children, most obstructive events occur during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We hypothesized that children with the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), in contrast to age-matched control subjects, would not maintain airflow in the face of an upper airway inspiratory pressure drop during REM sleep. Design: During slow wave sleep (SWS) and REM sleep, we measured airflow, inspiratory time, inspiratory time/total respiratory cycle time, respiratory rate, tidal volume, and minute ventilation at a holding pressure at which flow limitation occurred and at 5 cm H2O below the holding pressure in children with OSAS and in control subjects. Setting: Sleep laboratory. Participants: Fourteen children with OSAS and 23 normal control subjects. Results: In both sleep states, control subjects were able to maintain airflow, whereas subjects with OSAS preserved airflow in SWS but had a significant decrease in airflow during REM sleep (change in airflow of 18.58 ± 12.41 mL/s for control subjects vs −44.33 ± 14.09 mL/s for children with OSAS, P = 0.002). Although tidal volume decreased, patients with OSAS were able to maintain minute ventilation by increasing the respiratory rate and also had an increase in inspiratory time and inspiratory time per total respiratory cycle time Conclusion: Children with OSAS do not maintain airflow in the face of upper-airway inspiratory-pressure drops during REM sleep, indicating a more collapsible upper airway, compared with that of control subjects during REM sleep. However, compensatory mechanisms exist to maintain minute ventilation. Local reflexes, central control mechanisms, or both reflexes and control mechanisms need to be further explored to better understand the pathophysiology of this abnormality and the compensation mechanism. Citation: Huang J; Karamessinis LR; Pepe ME; Glinka SM; Samuel JM; Gallagher PR; Marcus CL. Upper airway collapsibility during REM sleep in children with the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome. SLEEP 2009;32(9):1173-1181. PMID:19750922

Disturbed EEG sleep, paranoid cognition and somatic symptoms identify veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder

PubMed Central

Rothman, Lorne; Kleinman, Robert; Rhind, Shawn G.; Richardson, J. Donald

2016-01-01

Background Chronic post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) behavioural symptoms and medically unexplainable somatic symptoms are reported to occur following the stressful experience of military combatants in war zones. Aims To determine the contribution of disordered EEG sleep physiology in those military combatants who have unexplainable physical symptoms and PTSD behavioural difficulties following war-zone exposure. Method This case-controlled study compared 59 veterans with chronic sleep disturbance with 39 veterans with DSM-IV and clinician-administered PTSD Scale diagnosed PTSD who were unresponsive to pharmacological and psychological treatments. All had standardised EEG polysomnography, computerised sleep EEG cyclical alternating pattern (CAP) as a measure of sleep stability, self-ratings of combat exposure, paranoid cognition and hostility subscales of Symptom Checklist-90, Beck Depression Inventory and the Wahler Physical Symptom Inventory. Statistical group comparisons employed linear models, logistic regression and chi-square automatic interaction detection (CHAID)-like decision trees. Results Veterans with PTSD were more likely than those without PTSD to show disturbances in non-rapid eye movement (REM) and REM sleep including delayed sleep onset, less efficient EEG sleep, less stage 4 (deep) non-REM sleep, reduced REM and delayed onset to REM. There were no group differences in the prevalence of obstructive sleep apnoeas/hypopnoeas and periodic leg movements, but sleep-disturbed, non-PTSD military had more EEG CAP sleep instability. Rank order determinants for the diagnosis of PTSD comprise paranoid thinking, onset to REM sleep, combat history and somatic symptoms. Decision-tree analysis showed that a specific military event (combat), delayed onset to REM sleep, paranoid thinking and medically unexplainable somatic pain and fatigue characterise chronic PTSD. More PTSD veterans reported domestic and social misbehaviour. Conclusions Military combat, disturbed REM/non-REM EEG sleep, paranoid ideation and medically unexplained chronic musculoskeletal pain and fatigue are key factors in determining PTSD disability following war-zone exposure. Declaration of interest None. Copyright and usage © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 2016. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Non-Commercial, No Derivatives (CC BY-NC-ND) license. PMID:29018561

REM sleep deprivation induces endothelial dysfunction and hypertension in middle-aged rats: Roles of the eNOS/NO/cGMP pathway and supplementation with L-arginine.

PubMed

Jiang, Jiaye; Gan, Zhongyuan; Li, Yuan; Zhao, Wenqi; Li, Hanqing; Zheng, Jian-Pu; Ke, Yan

2017-01-01

Sleep loss can induce or aggravate the development of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. However, the molecular mechanism underlying this phenomenon is poorly understood. The present study was designed to investigate the effects of REM sleep deprivation on blood pressure in rats and the underlying mechanisms of these effects. After Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to REM sleep deprivation for 5 days, their blood pressures and endothelial function were measured. In addition, one group of rats was given continuous access to L-arginine supplementation (2% in distilled water) for the 5 days before and the 5 days of REM sleep deprivation to reverse sleep deprivation-induced pathological changes. The results showed that REM sleep deprivation decreased body weight, increased blood pressure, and impaired endothelial function of the aortas in middle-aged rats but not young rats. Moreover, nitric oxide (NO) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) concentrations as well as endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) phosphorylation in the aorta were decreased by REM sleep deprivation. Supplementation with L-arginine could protect against REM sleep deprivation-induced hypertension, endothelial dysfunction, and damage to the eNOS/NO/cGMP signaling pathway. The results of the present study suggested that REM sleep deprivation caused endothelial dysfunction and hypertension in middle-aged rats via the eNOS/NO/cGMP pathway and that these pathological changes could be inhibited via L-arginine supplementation. The present study provides a new strategy to inhibit the signaling pathways involved in insomnia-induced or insomnia-enhanced cardiovascular diseases.

Aging Effects on Cardiac and Respiratory Dynamics in Healthy Subjects across Sleep Stages

PubMed Central

Schumann, Aicko Y.; Bartsch, Ronny P.; Penzel, Thomas; Ivanov, Plamen Ch.; Kantelhardt, Jan W.

2010-01-01

Study Objectives: Respiratory and heart rate variability exhibit fractal scaling behavior on certain time scales. We studied the short-term and long-term correlation properties of heartbeat and breathing-interval data from disease-free subjects focusing on the age-dependent fractal organization. We also studied differences across sleep stages and night-time wake and investigated quasi-periodic variations associated with cardiac risk. Design: Full-night polysomnograms were recorded during 2 nights, including electrocardiogram and oronasal airflow. Setting: Data were collected in 7 laboratories in 5 European countries. Participants: 180 subjects without health complaints (85 males, 95 females) aged from 20 to 89 years. Interventions: None. Measurements and Results: Short-term correlations in heartbeat intervals measured by the detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA) exponent α1 show characteristic age dependence with a maximum around 50–60 years disregarding the dependence on sleep and wake states. Long-term correlations measured by α2 differ in NREM sleep when compared with REM sleep and wake, besides weak age dependence. Results for respiratory intervals are similar to those for α2 of heartbeat intervals. Deceleration capacity (DC) decreases with age; it is lower during REM and deep sleep (compared with light sleep and wake). Conclusion: The age dependence of α1 should be considered when using this value for diagnostic purposes in post-infarction patients. Pronounced long-term correlations (larger α2) for heartbeat and respiration during REM sleep and wake indicate an enhanced control of higher brain regions, which is absent during NREM sleep. Reduced DC possibly indicates an increased cardiovascular risk with aging and during REM and deep sleep. Citation: Schumann AY; Bartsch RP; Penzel T; Ivanov PC; Kantelhardt JW. Aging effects on cardiac and respiratory dynamics in healthy subjects across sleep stages. SLEEP 2010;33(7):943-955. PMID:20614854

Effects of three hypnotics on the sleep-wakefulness cycle in sleep-disturbed rats.

PubMed

Shinomiya, Kazuaki; Shigemoto, Yuki; Omichi, Junji; Utsu, Yoshiaki; Mio, Mitsunobu; Kamei, Chiaki

2004-04-01

New sleep disturbance model in rats is useful for estimating the characteristics of some hypnotics. The present study was undertaken to investigate the utility of a sleep disturbance model by placing rats on a grid suspended over water using three kinds of hypnotics, that is, short-acting benzodiazepine (triazolam), intermediate-acting benzodiazepine (flunitrazepam) and long-acting barbiturate (phenobarbital). Electrodes for measurement of EEG and EMG were implanted into the frontal cortex and the dorsal neck muscle of rats. EEG and EMG were recorded with an electroencephalogram. SleepSign ver.2.0 was used for EEG and EMG analysis. Total times of wakefulness, non-REM and REM sleep were measured from 0900 to 1500 hours. In rats placed on the grid suspended over water up to 1 cm under the grid surface, not only triazolam but also flunitrazepam and phenobarbital caused a shortening of sleep latency. Both flunitrazepam and phenobarbital were effective in increasing of total non-REM sleep time in rats placed on sawdust or the grid, and the effects of both drugs in rats placed on the grid were larger than those in rats placed on sawdust. Measurement of the hourly non-REM sleep time was useful for investigating the peak time and duration of effect of the three hypnotics. Phenobarbital showed a decrease in total REM sleep time in rats placed on the grid, although both triazolam and flunitrazepam were without effect. The present insomnia model can be used as a sleep disturbance model for testing not only the sleep-inducing effects but also the sleep-maintaining effects including non-REM sleep and REM sleep of hypnotics.

Extracellular levels of lactate, but not oxygen, reflect sleep homeostasis in the rat cerebral cortex.

PubMed

Dash, Michael B; Tononi, Giulio; Cirelli, Chiara

2012-07-01

It is well established that brain metabolism is higher during wake and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep than in nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. Most of the brain's energy is used to maintain neuronal firing and glutamatergic transmission. Recent evidence shows that cortical firing rates, extracellular glutamate levels, and markers of excitatory synaptic strength increase with time spent awake and decline throughout NREM sleep. These data imply that the metabolic cost of each behavioral state is not fixed but may reflect sleep-wake history, a possibility that is investigated in the current report. Chronic (4d) electroencephalographic (EEG) recordings in the rat cerebral cortex were coupled with fixed-potential amperometry to monitor the extracellular concentration of oxygen ([oxy]) and lactate ([lac]) on a second-by-second basis across the spontaneous sleep-wake cycle and in response to sleep deprivation. Basic sleep research laboratory. Wistar Kyoto (WKY) adult male rats. N/A. Within 30-60 sec [lac] and [oxy] progressively increased during wake and REM sleep and declined during NREM sleep (n = 10 rats/metabolite), but with several differences. [Oxy], but not [lac], increased more during wake with high motor activity and/or elevated EEG high-frequency power. Meanwhile, only the NREM decline of [lac] reflected sleep pressure as measured by slow-wave activity, mirroring previous results for cortical glutamate. The observed state-dependent changes in cortical [lac] and [oxy] are consistent with higher brain metabolism during waking and REM sleep in comparison with NREM sleep. Moreover, these data suggest that glycolytic activity, most likely through its link with glutamatergic transmission, reflects sleep homeostasis.

Effects of sleep on memory for conditioned fear and fear extinction.

PubMed

Pace-Schott, Edward F; Germain, Anne; Milad, Mohammed R

2015-07-01

Learning and memory for extinction of conditioned fear is a basic mammalian mechanism for regulating negative emotion. Sleep promotes both the consolidation of memory and the regulation of emotion. Sleep can influence consolidation and modification of memories associated with both fear and its extinction. After brief overviews of the behavior and neural circuitry associated with fear conditioning, extinction learning, and extinction memory in the rodent and human, interactions of sleep with these processes will be examined. Animal and human studies suggest that sleep can serve to consolidate both fear and extinction memory. In humans, sleep also promotes generalization of extinction memory. Time-of-day effects on extinction learning and generalization are also seen. Rapid eye movement (REM) may be a sleep stage of particular importance for the consolidation of both fear and extinction memory as evidenced by selective REM deprivation experiments. REM sleep is accompanied by selective activation of the same limbic structures implicated in the learning and memory of fear and extinction. Preliminary evidence also suggests extinction learning can take place during slow wave sleep. Study of low-level processes such as conditioning, extinction, and habituation may allow sleep effects on emotional memory to be identified and inform study of sleep's effects on more complex, emotionally salient declarative memories. Anxiety disorders are marked by impairments of both sleep and extinction memory. Improving sleep quality may ameliorate anxiety disorders by strengthening naturally acquired extinction. Strategically timed sleep may be used to enhance treatment of anxiety by strengthening therapeutic extinction learned via exposure therapy. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Mental time travel to the future might be reduced in sleep.

PubMed

Speth, Jana; Schloerscheidt, Astrid M; Speth, Clemens

2017-02-01

We present a quantitative study of mental time travel to the future in sleep. Three independent, blind judges analysed a total of 563 physiology-monitored mentation reports from sleep onset, REM sleep, non-REM sleep, and waking. The linguistic tool for the mentation report analysis is based on established grammatical and cognitive-semantic theories and has been validated in previous studies. Our data indicate that REM and non-REM sleep must be characterized by a reduction in mental time travel to the future, which would support earlier physiological evidence at the level of brain function. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of transdermal nicotine patches on sleep and dreams.

PubMed

Page, F; Coleman, G; Conduit, R

2006-07-30

This study was undertaken to determine the effect of 24-h transdermal nicotine patches on sleep and dream mentation in 15 smokers aged 20 to 33. Utilising a repeated measures design, it was found that more time awake and more ASDA micro-arousals occurred while wearing the nicotine patch compared to placebo. Also, the percentage of REM sleep decreased, but REM latency and the proportion of time spent in NREM sleep stages did not change significantly. Dream reports containing visual imagery, visual imagery ratings and the number of visualizable nouns were significantly greater from REM compared to Stage 2 awakenings, regardless of patch condition. However, a general interaction effect was observed. Stage 2 dream variables remained equivalent across nicotine and placebo conditions. Within REM sleep, more dream reports containing visual imagery occurred while wearing the nicotine patch, and these were rated as more vivid. The greater frequency of visual imagery reports and higher imagery ratings specifically from REM sleep suggests that previously reported dreaming side effects from 24-h nicotine patches may be specific to REM sleep. Combined with previous animal studies showing that transdermally delivered nicotine blocks PGO activity in REM sleep, the current results do no appear consistent with PGO-based hypotheses of dreaming, such as the Activation-Synthesis (AS) or Activation, Input and Modulation (AIM) models.

Pharmacological Validation of Candidate Causal Sleep Genes Identified in an N2 Cross

PubMed Central

Brunner, Joseph I.; Gotter, Anthony L.; Millstein, Joshua; Garson, Susan; Binns, Jacquelyn; Fox, Steven V.; Savitz, Alan T.; Yang, He S.; Fitzpatrick, Karrie; Zhou, Lili; Owens, Joseph R.; Webber, Andrea L.; Vitaterna, Martha H.; Kasarskis, Andrew; Uebele, Victor N.; Turek, Fred; Renger, John J.; Winrow, Christopher J.

2013-01-01

Despite the substantial impact of sleep disturbances on human health and the many years of study dedicated to understanding sleep pathologies, the underlying genetic mechanisms that govern sleep and wake largely remain unknown. Recently, we completed large scale genetic and gene expression analyses in a segregating inbred mouse cross and identified candidate causal genes that regulate the mammalian sleep-wake cycle, across multiple traits including total sleep time, amounts of REM, non-REM, sleep bout duration and sleep fragmentation. Here we describe a novel approach toward validating candidate causal genes, while also identifying potential targets for sleep-related indications. Select small molecule antagonists and agonists were used to interrogate candidate causal gene function in rodent sleep polysomnography assays to determine impact on overall sleep architecture and to evaluate alignment with associated sleep-wake traits. Significant effects on sleep architecture were observed in validation studies using compounds targeting the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor M3 subunit (Chrm3)(wake promotion), nicotinic acetylcholine receptor alpha4 subunit (Chrna4)(wake promotion), dopamine receptor D5 subunit (Drd5)(sleep induction), serotonin 1D receptor (Htr1d)(altered REM fragmentation), glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor (Glp1r)(light sleep promotion and reduction of deep sleep), and Calcium channel, voltage-dependent, T type, alpha 1I subunit (Cacna1i)(increased bout duration slow wave sleep). Taken together, these results show the complexity of genetic components that regulate sleep-wake traits and highlight the importance of evaluating this complex behavior at a systems level. Pharmacological validation of genetically identified putative targets provides a rapid alternative to generating knock out or transgenic animal models, and may ultimately lead towards new therapeutic opportunities. PMID:22091728

Characterising non-linear dynamics in nocturnal breathing patterns of healthy infants using recurrence quantification analysis.

PubMed

Terrill, Philip I; Wilson, Stephen J; Suresh, Sadasivam; Cooper, David M; Dakin, Carolyn

2013-05-01

Breathing dynamics vary between infant sleep states, and are likely to exhibit non-linear behaviour. This study applied the non-linear analytical tool recurrence quantification analysis (RQA) to 400 breath interval periods of REM and N-REM sleep, and then using an overlapping moving window. The RQA variables were different between sleep states, with REM radius 150% greater than N-REM radius, and REM laminarity 79% greater than N-REM laminarity. RQA allowed the observation of temporal variations in non-linear breathing dynamics across a night's sleep at 30s resolution, and provides a basis for quantifying changes in complex breathing dynamics with physiology and pathology. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Rapid eye movement sleep debt accrues in mice exposed to volatile anesthetics

PubMed Central

Pick, Jeremy; Chen, Yihan; Moore, Jason T.; Sun, Yi; Wyner, Abraham J.; Friedman, Eliot B.; Kelz, Max B.

2011-01-01

Background General anesthesia has been likened to a state in which anesthetized subjects are locked out of access to both rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and wakefulness. Were this true for all anesthetics, one might expect a significant REM rebound following anesthetic exposure. However, for the intravenous anesthetic propofol, studies demonstrate that no sleep debt accrues. Moreover, pre-existing sleep debts dissipate during propofol anesthesia. To determine whether these effects are specific to propofol or are typical of volatile anesthetics we tested the hypothesis that REM sleep debt would accrue in rodents anesthetized with volatile anesthetics. Methods Electroencephalographic and electromyographic electrodes were implanted in 10 mice. After 9–11 days of recovery and habituation to a 12h:12h light:dark cycle, baseline states of wakefulness, non-rapid eye movement sleep, and REM sleep were recorded in mice exposed to 6 hours of an oxygen control and on separate days to 6 hours of isoflurane, sevoflurane, or halothane in oxygen. All exposures were conducted at the onset of light. Results Mice in all three anesthetized groups exhibited a significant doubling of REM sleep during the first six-hours of the dark phase of the circadian schedule while only mice exposed to halothane displayed a significant increase in non-rapid eye movement sleep that peaked at 152% of baseline. Conclusion REM sleep rebound following exposure to volatile anesthetics suggests that these volatile anesthetics do not fully substitute for natural sleep. This result contrasts with the published actions of propofol for which no REM sleep rebound occurred. PMID:21934405

Effects of sleep on memory for conditioned fear and fear extinction

PubMed Central

Pace-Schott, Edward F.; Germain, Anne; Milad, Mohammed R.

2015-01-01

Learning and memory for extinction of conditioned fear is a basic mammalian mechanism for regulating negative emotion. Sleep promotes both the consolidation of memory and the regulation of emotion. Sleep can influence consolidation and modification of memories associated with both fear and its extinction. After brief overviews of the behavior and neural circuitry associated with fear conditioning, extinction learning and extinction memory in the rodent and human, interactions of sleep with these processes will be examined. Animal and human studies suggest that sleep can serve to consolidate both fear and extinction memory. In humans, sleep also promotes generalization of extinction memory. Time-of-day effects on extinction learning and generalization are also seen. REM may be a sleep stage of particular importance for the consolidation of both fear and extinction memory as evidenced by selective REM deprivation experiments. REM sleep is accompanied by selective activation of the same limbic structures implicated in the learning and memory of fear and extinction. Preliminary evidence also suggests extinction learning can take place during slow wave sleep. Study of low-level processes such as conditioning, extinction and habituation may allow sleep effects on emotional memory to be identified and inform study of sleep’s effects on more complex, emotionally salient declarative memories. Anxiety disorders are marked by impairments of both sleep and extinction memory. Improving sleep quality may ameliorate anxiety disorders by strengthening naturally acquired extinction. Strategically timed sleep may be used to enhance treatment of anxiety by strengthening therapeutic extinction learned via exposure therapy. PMID:25894546

Circadian rhythms and sleep have additive effects on respiration in the rat

PubMed Central

Stephenson, Richard; Liao, Kiong Sen; Hamrahi, Hedieh; Horner, Richard L

2001-01-01

We tested two hypotheses: that respiration and metabolism are subject to circadian modulation in wakefulness, non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep; and that the effects of sleep on breathing vary as a function of time of day.Electroencephalogram (EEG), neck electromyogram (EMG) and abdominal body temperature (Tb) were measured by telemetry in six male Sprague-Dawley rats. The EEG and EMG were used to identify sleep-wake states. Ventilation (V̇I) and metabolic rate (V̇CO2) were measured by plethysmography. Recordings were made over 24 h (12:12 h light:dark) when rats were in established states of wakefulness, NREM sleep and REM sleep.Statistically significant circadian rhythms were observed in V̇I and V̇CO2 in each of the wakefulness, NREM sleep and REM sleep states. Amplitudes and phases of the circadian rhythms were similar across sleep-wake states.The circadian rhythm in V̇I was mediated by a circadian rhythm in respiratory frequency (fR). Tidal volume (VT) was unaffected by time of day in all three sleep-wake states.The 24 h mean V̇I was significantly greater during wakefulness (363.5 ± 18.5 ml min−1) than during NREM sleep (284.8 ± 11.1 ml min−1) and REM sleep (276.1 ± 13.9 ml min−1). V̇CO2 and VT each significantly decreased from wakefulness to NREM sleep to REM sleep. fR was significantly lower in NREM sleep than in wakefulness and REM sleep.These data confirm that ventilation and metabolism exhibit circadian rhythms during wakefulness, and NREM and REM sleep, and refute the hypothesis that state-related effects on breathing vary as a function of time of day. We conclude that the effects of circadian rhythms and sleep-wake state on respiration and metabolic rate are additive in the rat. PMID:11579171

The role of sleep and sleep deprivation in consolidating fear memories.

PubMed

Menz, M M; Rihm, J S; Salari, N; Born, J; Kalisch, R; Pape, H C; Marshall, L; Büchel, C

2013-07-15

Sleep, in particular REM sleep, has been shown to improve the consolidation of emotional memories. Here, we investigated the role of sleep and sleep deprivation on the consolidation of fear memories and underlying neuronal mechanisms. We employed a Pavlovian fear conditioning paradigm either followed by a night of polysomnographically monitored sleep, or wakefulness in forty healthy participants. Recall of learned fear was better after sleep, as indicated by stronger explicitly perceived anxiety and autonomous nervous responses. These effects were positively correlated with the preceding time spent in REM sleep and paralleled by activation of the basolateral amygdala. These findings suggest REM sleep-associated consolidation of fear memory in the human amygdala. In view of the critical participation of fear learning mechanisms in the etiology of anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder, deprivation of REM sleep after exposure to distressing events is an interesting target for further investigation. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sleep-Dependent Oscillatory Synchronization: A Role in Fear Memory Consolidation.

PubMed

Totty, Michael S; Chesney, Logan A; Geist, Phillip A; Datta, Subimal

2017-01-01

Sleep plays an important role in memory consolidation through the facilitation of neuronal plasticity; however, how sleep accomplishes this remains to be completely understood. It has previously been demonstrated that neural oscillations are an intrinsic mechanism by which the brain precisely controls neural ensembles. Inter-regional synchronization of these oscillations is also known to facilitate long-range communication and long-term potentiation (LTP). In the present study, we investigated how the characteristic rhythms found in local field potentials (LFPs) during non-REM and REM sleep play a role in emotional memory consolidation. Chronically implanted bipolar electrodes in the lateral amygdala (LA), dorsal and ventral hippocampus (DH, VH), and the infra-limbic (IL), and pre-limbic (PL) prefrontal cortex were used to record LFPs across sleep-wake activity following each day of a Pavlovian cued fear conditioning paradigm. This resulted in three principle findings: (1) theta rhythms during REM sleep are highly synchronized between regions; (2) the extent of inter-regional synchronization during REM and non-REM sleep is altered by FC and EX; (3) the mean phase difference of synchronization between the LA and VH during REM sleep predicts changes in freezing after cued fear extinction. These results both oppose a currently proposed model of sleep-dependent memory consolidation and provide a novel finding which suggests that the role of REM sleep theta rhythms in memory consolidation may rely more on the relative phase-shift between neural oscillations, rather than the extent of phase synchronization.

Visual hallucinations and pontine demyelination in a child: possible REM dissociation?

PubMed

Vita, Maria Gabriella; Batocchi, Anna Paola; Dittoni, Serena; Losurdo, Anna; Cianfoni, Alessandro; Stefanini, Maria Chiara; Vollono, Catello; Della Marca, Giacomo; Mariotti, Paolo

2008-12-15

An 11 year-old-boy acutely developed complex visual and acoustic hallucinations. Hallucinations, consisting of visions of a threatening, evil character of the Harry Potter saga, persisted for 3 days. Neurological and psychiatric examinations were normal. Ictal EEG was negative. MRI documented 3 small areas of hyperintense signal in the brainstem, along the paramedian and lateral portions of pontine tegmentum, one of which showed post-contrast enhancement. These lesions were likely of inflammatory origin, and treatment with immunoglobulins was started. Polysomnography was normal, multiple sleep latency test showed a mean sleep latency of 8 minutes, with one sleep-onset REM period. The pontine tegmentum is responsible for REM sleep regulation, and contains definite "REM-on" and "REM-off" regions. The anatomical distribution of the lesions permits us to hypothesize that hallucinations in this boy were consequent to a transient impairment of REM sleep inhibitory mechanisms, with the appearance of dream-like hallucinations during wake.

The Role of Mesopontine NGF in Sleep and Wakefulness

PubMed Central

Ramos, Oscar V.; Torterolo, Pablo; Lim, Vincent; Chase, Michael H.; Sampogna, Sharon; Yamuy, Jack

2011-01-01

The microinjection of nerve growth factor (NGF) into the cat pontine tegmentum rapidly induces rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. To determine if NGF is involved in naturally-occurring REM sleep, we examined whether it is present in mesopontine cholinergic structures that promote the initiation of REM sleep, and whether the blockade of NGF production in these structures suppresses REM sleep. We found that cholinergic neurons in the cat dorsolateral mesopontine tegmentum exhibited NGF-like immunoreactivity. In addition, the microinjection of an oligodeoxyribonucleotide (OD) directed against cat NGF mRNA into this region resulted in a reduction in the time spent in REM sleep in conjunction with an increase in the time spent in wakefulness. Sleep and wakefulness returned to baseline conditions 2 to 5 days after antisense OD administration. The preceding antisense OD-induced effects occurred in conjunction with the suppression of NGF-like immunoreactivity within the site of antisense OD injection. These data support the hypothesis that NGF is involved in the modulation of naturally-occurring sleep and wakefulness. PMID:21840513

Quantitative electroencephalography during rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep in combat-exposed veterans with and without post-traumatic stress disorder.

PubMed

Cohen, Daniel J; Begley, Amy; Alman, Jennie J; Cashmere, David J; Pietrone, Regina N; Seres, Robert J; Germain, Anne

2013-02-01

Sleep disturbances are a hallmark feature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and associated with poor clinical outcomes. Few studies have examined sleep quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG), a technique able to detect subtle differences that polysomnography does not capture. We hypothesized that greater high-frequency qEEG would reflect 'hyperarousal' in combat veterans with PTSD (n = 16) compared to veterans without PTSD (n = 13). EEG power in traditional EEG frequency bands was computed for artifact-free sleep epochs across an entire night. Correlations were performed between qEEG and ratings of PTSD symptoms and combat exposure. The groups did not differ significantly in whole-night qEEG measures for either rapid eye movement (REM) or non-REM (NREM) sleep. Non-significant medium effect sizes suggest less REM beta (opposite to our hypothesis), less REM and NREM sigma and more NREM gamma in combat veterans with PTSD. Positive correlations were found between combat exposure and NREM beta (PTSD group only), and REM and NREM sigma (non-PTSD group only). Results did not support global hyperarousal in PTSD as indexed by increased beta qEEG activity. The correlation of sigma activity with combat exposure in those without PTSD and the non-significant trend towards less sigma activity during both REM and NREM sleep in combat veterans with PTSD suggests that differential information processing during sleep may characterize combat-exposed military veterans with and without PTSD. © 2012 European Sleep Research Society.

Brain prolactin is involved in stress-induced REM sleep rebound.

PubMed

Machado, Ricardo Borges; Rocha, Murilo Ramos; Suchecki, Deborah

2017-03-01

REM sleep rebound is a common behavioural response to some stressors and represents an adaptive coping strategy. Animals submitted to multiple, intermittent, footshock stress (FS) sessions during 96h of REM sleep deprivation (REMSD) display increased REM sleep rebound (when compared to the only REMSD ones, without FS), which is correlated to high plasma prolactin levels. To investigate whether brain prolactin plays a role in stress-induced REM sleep rebound two experiments were carried out. In experiment 1, rats were either not sleep-deprived (NSD) or submitted to 96h of REMSD associated or not to FS and brains were evaluated for PRL immunoreactivity (PRL-ir) and determination of PRL concentrations in the lateral hypothalamus and dorsal raphe nucleus. In experiment 2, rats were implanted with cannulas in the dorsal raphe nucleus for prolactin infusion and were sleep-recorded. REMSD associated with FS increased PRL-ir and content in the lateral hypothalamus and all manipulations increased prolactin content in the dorsal raphe nucleus compared to the NSD group. Prolactin infusion in the dorsal raphe nucleus increased the time and length of REM sleep episodes 3h after the infusion until the end of the light phase of the day cycle. Based on these results we concluded that brain prolactin is a major mediator of stress-induced REMS. The effect of PRL infusion in the dorsal raphe nucleus is discussed in light of the existence of a bidirectional relationship between this hormone and serotonin as regulators of stress-induced REM sleep rebound. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The emotional brain and sleep: an intimate relationship.

PubMed

Vandekerckhove, Marie; Cluydts, Raymond

2010-08-01

Research findings confirm our own experiences in life where daytime events and especially emotionally stressful events have an impact on sleep quality and well-being. Obviously, daytime emotional stress may have a differentiated effect on sleep by influencing sleep physiology and dream patterns, dream content and the emotion within a dream, although its exact role is still unclear. Other effects that have been found are the exaggerated startle response, decreased dream recall and elevated awakening thresholds from rapid eye movement (REM)-sleep, increased or decreased latency to REM-sleep, increased REM-density, REM-sleep duration and the occurrence of arousals in sleep as a marker of sleep disruption. However, not only do daytime events affect sleep, also the quality and amount of sleep influences the way we react to these events and may be an important determinant in general well-being. Sleep seems restorative in daily functioning, whereas deprivation of sleep makes us more sensitive to emotional and stressful stimuli and events in particular. The way sleep impacts next day mood/emotion is thought to be affected particularly via REM-sleep, where we observe a hyperlimbic and hypoactive dorsolateral prefrontal functioning in combination with a normal functioning of the medial prefrontal cortex, probably adaptive in coping with the continuous stream of emotional events we experience. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Changes in EEG activity and hypothalamic temperature as indices for non-REM sleep to REM sleep transitions.

PubMed

Capitani, Paolo; Cerri, Matteo; Amici, Roberto; Baracchi, Francesca; Jones, Christine Ann; Luppi, Marco; Perez, Emanuele; Parmeggiani, Pier Luigi; Zamboni, Giovanni

A shift of physiological regulations from a homeostatic to a non-homeostatic modality characterizes the passage from non-NREM sleep (NREMS) to REM sleep (REMS). In the rat, an EEG index which allows the automatic scoring of transitions from NREMS to REMS has been proposed: the NREMS to REMS transition indicator value, NIV [J.H. Benington et al., Sleep 17 (1994) 28-36]. However, such transitions are not always followed by a REMS episode, but are often followed by an awakening. In the present study, the relationship between changes in EEG activity and hypothalamic temperature (Thy), taken as an index of autonomic activity, was studied within a window consisting of the 60s which precedes a state change from a consolidated NREMS episode. Furthermore, the probability that a transition would lead to REMS or wake was analysed. The results showed that, within this time window, both a modified NIV (NIV(60)) and the difference between Thy at the limits of the window (Thy(D)) were related to the probability of REMS onset. Both the relationship between the indices and the probability of REMS onset was sigmoid, the latter of which saturated at a probability level around 50-60%. The efficacy for the prediction of successful transitions from NREMS to REMS found using Thy(D) as an index supports the view that such a transition is a dynamic process where the physiological risk to enter REMS is weighted at a central level.

Cold exposure and sleep in the rat: REM sleep homeostasis and body size.

PubMed

Amici, Roberto; Cerri, Matteo; Ocampo-Garcés, Adrian; Baracchi, Francesca; Dentico, Daniela; Jones, Christine Ann; Luppi, Marco; Perez, Emanuele; Parmeggiani, Pier Luigi; Zamboni, Giovanni

2008-05-01

Exposure to low ambient temperature (Ta) depresses REM sleep (REMS) occurrence. In this study, both short and long-term homeostatic aspects of REMS regulation were analyzed during cold exposure and during subsequent recovery at Ta 24 degrees C. EEG activity, hypothalamic temperature, and motor activity were studied during a 24-h exposure to Tas ranging from 10 degrees C to -10 degrees C and for 4 days during recovery. Laboratory of Physiological Regulation during the Wake-Sleep Cycle, Department of Human and General Physiology, Alma Mater Studiorum-University of Bologna. 24 male albino rats. Animals were implanted with electrodes for EEG recording and a thermistor to measure hypothalamic temperature. REMS occurrence decreased proportionally with cold exposure, but a fast compensatory REMS rebound occurred during the first day of recovery when the previous loss went beyond a "fast rebound" threshold corresponding to 22% of the daily REMS need. A slow REMS rebound apparently allowed the animals to fully restore the previous REMS loss during the following 3 days of recovery. Comparing the present data on rats with data from earlier studies on cats and humans, it appears that small mammals have less tolerance for REMS loss than large ones. In small mammals, this low tolerance may be responsible on a short-term basis for the shorter wake-sleep cycle, and on long-term basis, for the higher percentage of REMS that is quickly recovered following REMS deprivation.

Forward-genetics analysis of sleep in randomly mutagenized mice.

PubMed

Funato, Hiromasa; Miyoshi, Chika; Fujiyama, Tomoyuki; Kanda, Takeshi; Sato, Makito; Wang, Zhiqiang; Ma, Jing; Nakane, Shin; Tomita, Jun; Ikkyu, Aya; Kakizaki, Miyo; Hotta-Hirashima, Noriko; Kanno, Satomi; Komiya, Haruna; Asano, Fuyuki; Honda, Takato; Kim, Staci J; Harano, Kanako; Muramoto, Hiroki; Yonezawa, Toshiya; Mizuno, Seiya; Miyazaki, Shinichi; Connor, Linzi; Kumar, Vivek; Miura, Ikuo; Suzuki, Tomohiro; Watanabe, Atsushi; Abe, Manabu; Sugiyama, Fumihiro; Takahashi, Satoru; Sakimura, Kenji; Hayashi, Yu; Liu, Qinghua; Kume, Kazuhiko; Wakana, Shigeharu; Takahashi, Joseph S; Yanagisawa, Masashi

2016-11-17

Sleep is conserved from invertebrates to vertebrates, and is tightly regulated in a homeostatic manner. The molecular and cellular mechanisms that determine the amount of rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) and non-REMS (NREMS) remain unknown. Here we identify two dominant mutations that affect sleep and wakefulness by using an electroencephalogram/electromyogram-based screen of randomly mutagenized mice. A splicing mutation in the Sik3 protein kinase gene causes a profound decrease in total wake time, owing to an increase in inherent sleep need. Sleep deprivation affects phosphorylation of regulatory sites on the kinase, suggesting a role for SIK3 in the homeostatic regulation of sleep amount. Sik3 orthologues also regulate sleep in fruitflies and roundworms. A missense, gain-of-function mutation in the sodium leak channel NALCN reduces the total amount and episode duration of REMS, apparently by increasing the excitability of REMS-inhibiting neurons. Our results substantiate the use of a forward-genetics approach for studying sleep behaviours in mice, and demonstrate the role of SIK3 and NALCN in regulating the amount of NREMS and REMS, respectively.

Why REM sleep? Clues beyond the laboratory in a more challenging world.

PubMed

Horne, Jim

2013-02-01

REM sleep (REM) seems more likely to prepare for ensuing wakefulness rather than provides recovery from prior wakefulness, as happens with 'deeper' nonREM. Many of REM's characteristics are 'wake-like' (unlike nonREM), including several common to feeding. These, with recent findings outside sleep, provide perspectives on REM beyond those from the laboratory. REM can interchange with a wakefulness involving motor output, indicating that REM's atonia is integral to its function. Wakefulness for 'wild' mammals largely comprises exploration; a complex opportunistic behaviour mostly for foraging, involving: curiosity, minimising risks, (emotional) coping, navigation, when (including circadian timing) to investigate new destinations; all linked to 'purposeful, goal directed movement'. REM reflects these adaptive behaviours (including epigenesis), masked in laboratories having constrained, safe, unchanging, unchallenging, featureless, exploration-free environments with ad lib food. Similarly masked may be REM's functions for today's humans living safe, routine lives, with easy food accessibility. In these respects animal and human REM studies are not sufficiently 'ecological'. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Visual Hallucinations and Pontine Demyelination in a Child: Possible REM Dissociation?

PubMed Central

Vita, Maria Gabriella; Batocchi, Anna Paola; Dittoni, Serena; Losurdo, Anna; Cianfoni, Alessandro; Stefanini, Maria Chiara; Vollono, Catello; Marca, Giacomo Della; Mariotti, Paolo

2008-01-01

An 11 year-old-boy acutely developed complex visual and acoustic hallucinations. Hallucinations, consisting of visions of a threatening, evil character of the Harry Potter saga, persisted for 3 days. Neurological and psychiatric examinations were normal. Ictal EEG was negative. MRI documented 3 small areas of hyperintense signal in the brainstem, along the paramedian and lateral portions of pontine tegmentum, one of which showed post-contrast enhancement. These lesions were likely of inflammatory origin, and treatment with immunoglobulins was started. Polysomnography was normal, multiple sleep latency test showed a mean sleep latency of 8 minutes, with one sleep-onset REM period. The pontine tegmentum is responsible for REM sleep regulation, and contains definite “REM-on” and “REM-off” regions. The anatomical distribution of the lesions permits us to hypothesize that hallucinations in this boy were consequent to a transient impairment of REM sleep inhibitory mechanisms, with the appearance of dream-like hallucinations during wake. Citation: Vita MG; Batocchi AP; Dittoni S; Losurdo A; Cianfoni A; Stefanini MC; Vollono C; Della Marca G; Mariotti P. Visual hallucinations and pontine demyelination in a child: possible REM dissociation? J Clin Sleep Med 2008;4(6):588–590. PMID:19110890

Auditory Inhibition of Rapid Eye Movements and Dream Recall from REM Sleep

PubMed Central

Stuart, Katrina; Conduit, Russell

2009-01-01

Study Objectives: There is debate in dream research as to whether ponto-geniculo-occipital (PGO) waves or cortical arousal during sleep underlie the biological mechanisms of dreaming. This study comprised 2 experiments. As eye movements (EMs) are currently considered the best noninvasive indicator of PGO burst activity in humans, the aim of the first experiment was to investigate the effect of low-intensity repeated auditory stimulation on EMs (and inferred PGO burst activity) during REM sleep. It was predicted that such auditory stimuli during REM sleep would have a suppressive effect on EMs. The aim of the second experiment was to examine the effects of this auditory stimulation on subsequent dream reporting on awakening. Design: Repeated measures design with counterbalanced order of experimental and control conditions across participants. Setting: Sleep laboratory based polysomnography (PSG) Participants: Experiment 1: 5 males and 10 females aged 18-35 years (M = 20.8, SD = 5.4). Experiment 2: 7 males and 13 females aged 18-35 years (M = 23.3, SD = 5.5). Interventions: Below-waking threshold tone presentations during REM sleep compared to control REM sleep conditions without tone presentations. Measurements and Results: PSG records were manually scored for sleep stages, EEG arousals, and EMs. Auditory stimulation during REM sleep was related to: (a) an increase in EEG arousal, (b) a decrease in the amplitude and frequency of EMs, and (c) a decrease in the frequency of visual imagery reports on awakening. Conclusions: The results of this study provide phenomenological support for PGO-based theories of dream reporting on awakening from sleep in humans. Citation: Stuart K; Conduit R. Auditory inhibition of rapid eye movements and dream recall from REM sleep. SLEEP 2009;32(3):399–408. PMID:19294960

Head direction cells in the postsubiculum do not show replay of prior waking sequences during sleep

PubMed Central

Brandon, Mark P.; Bogaard, Andrew; Andrews, Chris M.; Hasselmo, Michael E.

2011-01-01

During slow-wave sleep and REM sleep, hippocampal place cells in the rat show replay of sequences previously observed during waking. We tested the hypothesis from computational modelling that the temporal structure of REM sleep replay could arise from an interplay of place cells with head direction cells in the postsubiculum. Physiological single-unit recording was performed simultaneously from five or more head direction or place by head direction cells in the postsubiculum during running on a circular track allowing sampling of a full range of head directions, and during sleep periods before and after running on the circular track. Data analysis compared the spiking activity during individual REM periods with waking as in previous analysis procedures for REM sleep. We also used a new procedure comparing groups of similar runs during waking with REM sleep periods. There was no consistent evidence for a statistically significant correlation of the temporal structure of spiking during REM sleep with spiking during waking running periods. Thus, the spiking activity of head direction cells during REM sleep does not show replay of head direction cell activity occurring during a previous waking period of running on the task. In addition, we compared the spiking of postsubiculum neurons during hippocampal sharp wave ripple events. We show that head direction cells are not activated during sharp wave ripples, while neurons responsive to place in the postsubiculum show reliable spiking at ripple events. PMID:21509854

Motivation and affect in REM sleep and the mentation reporting process.

PubMed

Smith, Mark R; Antrobus, John S; Gordon, Evelyn; Tucker, Matthew A; Hirota, Yasutaka; Wamsley, Erin J; Ross, Lars; Doan, Tieu; Chaklader, Annie; Emery, Rebecca N

2004-09-01

Although the emotional and motivational characteristics of dreaming have figured prominently in folk and psychoanalytic conceptions of dream production, emotions have rarely been systematically studied, and motivation, never. Because emotions during sleep lack the somatic components of waking emotions, and they change as the sleeper awakens, their properties are difficult to assess. Recent evidence of limbic system activation during REM sleep suggests a basis in brain architecture for the interaction of motivational and cognitive properties in dreaming. Motivational and emotional content in REM and NREM laboratory mentation reports from 25 participants were compared. Motivational and emotional content was significantly greater in REM than NREM sleep, even after controlling for the greater word count of REM reports.

The effects of various protein synthesis inhibitors on the sleep-wake cycle of rats.

PubMed

Rojas-Ramírez, J A; Aguilar-Jiménez, E; Posadas-Andrews, A; Bernal-Pedraza, J G; Drucker-Colín, R R

1977-07-18

The present investigation sought to determine the effects of Anisomycin (A), Chloramphenicol (ChA), Vincristine (V), and Penicilline G on the sleep-wake cycle of rats. It was found that both high and low doses of anisomycin decreased rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, while only high doses of ChA and V produced such a decrease. Slow wave sleep (SWS) was unaffected by these drugs. Penicilline G, on the other hand, had no effect on the sleep-wake cycle. It was further shown that the reduction of REM sleep was the result of a decrease in the number of REM periods rather than in the duration of each individual period. These results suggest that protein synthesis may participate in the mechanisms that trigger REM sleep.

Cerebral blood flow in normal and abnormal sleep and dreaming

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Meyer, J.S.; Ishikawa, Y.; Hata, T.

Measurements of regional or local cerebral blood flow (CBF) by the xenon-133 inhalation method and stable xenon computerized tomography CBF (CTCBF) method were made during relaxed wakefulness and different stages of REM and non-REM sleep in normal age-matched volunteers, narcoleptics, and sleep apneics. In the awake state, CBF values were reduced in both narcoleptics and sleep apneics in the brainstem and cerebellar regions. During sleep onset, whether REM or stage I-II, CBF values were paradoxically increased in narcoleptics but decreased severely in sleep apneics, while in normal volunteers they became diffusely but more moderately decreased. In REM sleep and dreamingmore » CBF values greatly increased, particularly in right temporo-parietal regions in subjects experiencing both visual and auditory dreaming.« less

Incorporation of recent waking-life experiences in dreams correlates with frontal theta activity in REM sleep.

PubMed

Eichenlaub, Jean-Baptiste; van Rijn, Elaine; Gareth Gaskell, M; Lewis, Penelope A; Maby, Emmanuel; Malinowski, Josie; Walker, Matthew P; Boy, Frederic; Blagrove, Mark

2018-06-04

Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep and its main oscillatory feature, frontal theta, have been related to the processing of recent emotional memories. As memories constitute much of the source material for our dreams, we explored the link between REM frontal theta and the memory sources of dreaming, so as to elucidate the brain activities behind the formation of dream content. Twenty participants were woken for dream reports in REM and Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) while monitored using electroencephalography. Eighteen participants reported at least one REM dream and 14 at least one SWS dream, and they, and independent judges, subsequently compared their dream reports with log records of their previous daily experiences. The number of references to recent waking-life experiences in REM dreams was positively correlated with frontal theta activity in the REM sleep period. No such correlation was observed for older memories, nor for SWS dreams. The emotional intensity of recent waking-life experiences incorporated into dreams was higher than the emotional intensity of experiences that were not incorporated. These results suggest that the formation of wakefulness-related dream content is associated with REM theta activity, and accords with theories that dreaming reflects emotional memory processing taking place in REM sleep.

Sleep architecture and the risk of incident dementia in the community.

PubMed

Pase, Matthew P; Himali, Jayandra J; Grima, Natalie A; Beiser, Alexa S; Satizabal, Claudia L; Aparicio, Hugo J; Thomas, Robert J; Gottlieb, Daniel J; Auerbach, Sandford H; Seshadri, Sudha

2017-09-19

Sleep disturbance is common in dementia, although it is unclear whether differences in sleep architecture precede dementia onset. We examined the associations between sleep architecture and the prospective risk of incident dementia in the community-based Framingham Heart Study (FHS). Our sample comprised a subset of 321 FHS Offspring participants who participated in the Sleep Heart Health Study between 1995 and 1998 and who were aged over 60 years at the time of sleep assessment (mean age 67 ± 5 years, 50% male). Stages of sleep were quantified using home-based polysomnography. Participants were followed for a maximum of 19 years for incident dementia (mean follow-up 12 ± 5 years). We observed 32 cases of incident dementia; 24 were consistent with Alzheimer disease dementia. After adjustments for age and sex, lower REM sleep percentage and longer REM sleep latency were both associated with a higher risk of incident dementia. Each percentage reduction in REM sleep was associated with approximately a 9% increase in the risk of incident dementia (hazard ratio 0.91; 95% confidence interval 0.86, 0.97). The magnitude of association between REM sleep percentage and dementia was similar following adjustments for multiple covariates including vascular risk factors, depressive symptoms, and medication use, following exclusions for persons with mild cognitive impairment at baseline and following exclusions for early converters to dementia. Stages of non-REM sleep were not associated with dementia risk. Despite contemporary interest in slow-wave sleep and dementia pathology, our findings implicate REM sleep mechanisms as predictors of clinical dementia. © 2017 American Academy of Neurology.

A relationship between REM sleep measures and the duration of posttraumatic stress disorder in a young adult urban minority population.

PubMed

Mellman, Thomas A; Kobayashi, Ihori; Lavela, Joseph; Wilson, Bryonna; Hall Brown, Tyish S

2014-08-01

To determine relationships of polysomnographic (PSG) measures with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a young adult, urban African American population. Cross-sectional, clinical and laboratory evaluation. Community recruitment, evaluation in the clinical research unit of an urban University hospital. Participants (n = 145) were Black, 59.3% female, with a mean age of 23.1 y (SD = 4.8). One hundred twenty-one participants (83.4%) met criteria for trauma exposure, the most common being nonsexual violence. Thirty-nine participants (26.9%) met full (n = 19) or subthreshold criteria (n = 20) for current PTSD, 41 (28.3%) had met lifetime PTSD criteria and were recovered, and 65 (45%) were negative for PTSD. Evaluations included the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale (CAPS) and 2 consecutive nights of overnight PSG. Analysis of variance did not reveal differences in measures of sleep duration and maintenance, percentage of sleep stages, and the latency to and duration of uninterrupted segments of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep by study group. There were significant relationships between the duration of PTSD and REM sleep percentage (r = 0.53, P = 0.001), REM segment length (r = 0.43, P = 0.006), and REM sleep latency (r = -0.34, P < 0.03) among those with current PTSD that persisted when removing cases with, or controlling for, depression. The findings are consistent with observations in the literature of fragmented and reduced REM sleep with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) relatively proximate to trauma exposure and nondisrupted or increased REM sleep with chronic PTSD. Mellman TA, Kobayashi I, Lavela J, Wilson B, Hall Brown TS. A relationship between REM sleep measures and the duration of posttraumatic stress disorder in a young adult urban minority population.

Association between Glucose Metabolism and Sleep-disordered Breathing during REM Sleep.

PubMed

Chami, Hassan A; Gottlieb, Daniel J; Redline, Susan; Punjabi, Naresh M

2015-11-01

Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) has been associated with impaired glucose metabolism. It is possible that the association between SDB and glucose metabolism is distinct for non-REM versus REM sleep because of differences in sleep-state-dependent sympathetic activation and/or degree of hypoxemia. To characterize the association between REM-related SDB, glucose intolerance, and insulin resistance in a community-based sample. A cross-sectional analysis that included 3,310 participants from the Sleep Heart Health Study was undertaken (53% female; mean age, 66.1 yr). Full montage home-polysomnography and fasting glucose were available on all participants. SDB severity during REM and non-REM sleep was quantified using the apnea-hypopnea index in REM (AHIREM) and non-REM sleep (AHINREM), respectively. Fasting and 2-hour post-challenge glucose levels were assessed during a glucose tolerance test (n = 2,264). The homeostatic model assessment index for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) was calculated (n = 1,543). Linear regression was used to assess the associations of AHIREM and AHINREM with fasting and post-prandial glucose levels and HOMA-IR. AHIREM and AHINREM were associated with fasting glycemia, post-prandial glucose levels, and HOMA-IR in models that adjusted for age, sex, race, and site. However, with additional adjustment for body mass index, waist circumference, and sleep duration, AHIREM was only associated with HOMA-IR (β = 0.04; 95% CI, 0.1-0.07; P = 0.01), whereas AHINREM was only associated with fasting (β = 0.93; 95% CI, 0.14-1.72; P = 0.02) and post-prandial glucose levels (β = 3.0; 95% CI, 0.5-5.5; P = 0.02). AHIREM is associated with insulin resistance but not with fasting glycemia or glucose intolerance.

Prolonged enhancement of REM sleep produced by carbachol microinjection into the amygdala.

PubMed

Calvo, J M; Simón-Arceo, K; Fernández-Mas, R

1996-01-31

The effect on sleep organization of carbachol microinjected into different amygdaloid nuclei was analysed in 12 cats. Single carbachol doses of 8 micrograms in 0.50 microliter saline were delivered unilaterally or bilaterally into the central, basal, lateral or basolateral amygdaloid nucleus. Carbachol administration into the central nucleus induced a prolonged (5 days) enhancement of both REM sleep and its preceeding slow wave sleep episodes with PGO waves (sommeil phasique a ondes lentes, SPHOL), which was more pronounced following bilateral than unilateral carbachol administration. However, neither SPHOL nor REM sleep changes were produced by administration of carbachol into the other amygdaloid nuclei. We conclude that cholinergic activation of the central amygdaloid nucleus produces a long-term facilitation of REM sleep occurrence.

Temporally structured replay of neural activity in a model of entorhinal cortex, hippocampus and postsubiculum

PubMed Central

Hasselmo, Michael E.

2008-01-01

The spiking activity of hippocampal neurons during REM sleep exhibits temporally structured replay of spiking occurring during previously experienced trajectories (Louie and Wilson, 2001). Here, temporally structured replay of place cell activity during REM sleep is modeled in a large-scale network simulation of grid cells, place cells and head direction cells. During simulated waking behavior, the movement of the simulated rat drives activity of a population of head direction cells that updates the activity of a population of entorhinal grid cells. The population of grid cells drives the activity of place cells coding individual locations. Associations between location and movement direction are encoded by modification of excitatory synaptic connections from place cells to speed modulated head direction cells. During simulated REM sleep, the population of place cells coding an experienced location activates the head direction cells coding the associated movement direction. Spiking of head direction cells then causes frequency shifts within the population of entorhinal grid cells to update a phase representation of location. Spiking grid cells then activate new place cells that drive new head direction activity. In contrast to models that perform temporally compressed sequence retrieval similar to sharp wave activity, this model can simulate data on temporally structured replay of hippocampal place cell activity during REM sleep at time scales similar to those observed during waking. These mechanisms could be important for episodic memory of trajectories. PMID:18973557

A prominent role for amygdaloid complexes in the Variability in Heart Rate (VHR) during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep relative to wakefulness.

PubMed

Desseilles, Martin; Vu, Thanh Dang; Laureys, Steven; Peigneux, Philippe; Degueldre, Christian; Phillips, Christophe; Maquet, Pierre

2006-09-01

Rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) is associated with intense neuronal activity, rapid eye movements, muscular atonia and dreaming. Another important feature in REMS is the instability in autonomic, especially in cardiovascular regulation. The neural mechanisms underpinning the variability in heart rate (VHR) during REMS are not known in detail, especially in humans. During wakefulness, the right insula has frequently been reported as involved in cardiovascular regulation but this might not be the case during REMS. We aimed at characterizing the neural correlates of VHR during REMS as compared to wakefulness and to slow wave sleep (SWS), the other main component of human sleep, in normal young adults, based on the statistical analysis of a set of H(2)(15)O positron emission tomography (PET) sleep data acquired during SWS, REMS and wakefulness. The results showed that VHR correlated more tightly during REMS than during wakefulness with the rCBF in the right amygdaloid complex. Moreover, we assessed whether functional relationships between amygdala and any brain area changed depending the state of vigilance. Only the activity within in the insula was found to covary with the amygdala, significantly more tightly during wakefulness than during REMS in relation to the VHR. The functional connectivity between the amygdala and the insular cortex, two brain areas involved in cardiovascular regulation, differs significantly in REMS as compared to wakefulness. This suggests a functional reorganization of central cardiovascular regulation during REMS.

REM sleep respiratory behaviours mental content in narcoleptic lucid dreamers.

PubMed

Oudiette, Delphine; Dodet, Pauline; Ledard, Nahema; Artru, Emilie; Rachidi, Inès; Similowski, Thomas; Arnulf, Isabelle

2018-02-08

Breathing is irregular during rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep, whereas it is stable during non-REM sleep. Why this is so remains a mystery. We propose that irregular breathing has a cortical origin and reflects the mental content of dreams, which often accompany REM sleep. We tested 21 patients with narcolepsy who had the exceptional ability to lucid dream in REM sleep, a condition in which one is conscious of dreaming during the dream and can signal lucidity with an ocular code. Sleep and respiration were monitored during multiple naps. Participants were instructed to modify their dream scenario so that it involved vocalizations or an apnoea, -two behaviours that require a cortical control of ventilation when executed during wakefulness. Most participants (86%) were able to signal lucidity in at least one nap. In 50% of the lucid naps, we found a clear congruence between the dream report (e.g., diving under water) and the observed respiratory behaviour (e.g., central apnoea) and, in several cases, a preparatory breath before the respiratory behaviour. This suggests that the cortico-subcortical networks involved in voluntary respiratory movements are preserved during REM sleep and that breathing irregularities during this stage have a cortical/subcortical origin that reflects dream content.

Neural Correlates of Dream Lucidity Obtained from Contrasting Lucid versus Non-Lucid REM Sleep: A Combined EEG/fMRI Case Study

PubMed Central

Dresler, Martin; Wehrle, Renate; Spoormaker, Victor I.; Koch, Stefan P.; Holsboer, Florian; Steiger, Axel; Obrig, Hellmuth; Sämann, Philipp G.; Czisch, Michael

2012-01-01

Study Objectives: To investigate the neural correlates of lucid dreaming. Design: Parallel EEG/fMRI recordings of night sleep. Setting: Sleep laboratory and fMRI facilities. Participants: Four experienced lucid dreamers. Interventions: N/A. Measurements and Results: Out of 4 participants, one subject had 2 episodes of verified lucid REM sleep of sufficient length to be analyzed by fMRI. During lucid dreaming the bilateral precuneus, cuneus, parietal lobules, and prefrontal and occipito-temporal cortices activated strongly as compared with non-lucid REM sleep. Conclusions: In line with recent EEG data, lucid dreaming was associated with a reactivation of areas which are normally deactivated during REM sleep. This pattern of activity can explain the recovery of reflective cognitive capabilities that are the hallmark of lucid dreaming. Citation: Dresler M; Wehrle R; Spoormaker VI; Koch SP; Holsboer F; Steiger A; Obrig H; Sämann PG; Czisch M. Neural correlates of dream lucidity obtained from contrasting lucid versus non-lucid REM sleep: a combined EEG/fMRI case study. SLEEP 2012;35(7):1017–1020. PMID:22754049

Increases in cAMP, MAPK Activity and CREB Phosphorylation during REM Sleep: Implications for REM Sleep and Memory Consolidation

PubMed Central

Luo, Jie; Phan, Trongha X.; Yang, Yimei; Garelick, Michael G.; Storm, Daniel R.

2013-01-01

The cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) and cAMP response element-binding protein (CREB) transcriptional pathway is required for consolidation of hippocampus-dependent memory. In mice, this pathway undergoes a circadian oscillation required for memory persistence that reaches a peak during the daytime. Since mice exhibit polyphasic sleep patterns during the day, this suggested the interesting possibility that cAMP, MAPK activity and CREB phosphorylation may be elevated during sleep. Here, we report that cAMP, phospho-p44/42 MAPK and phospho-CREB are higher in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep compared to awake mice but are not elevated in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. This peak of activity during REM sleep does not occur in mice lacking calmodulin-stimulated adenylyl cyclases, a mouse strain that learns but cannot consolidate hippocampus-dependent memory. We conclude that a preferential increase in cAMP, MAPK activity and CREB phosphorylation during REM sleep may contribute to hippocampus-dependent memory consolidation. PMID:23575844

Auditory Verbal Experience and Agency in Waking, Sleep Onset, REM, and Non-REM Sleep.

PubMed

Speth, Jana; Harley, Trevor A; Speth, Clemens

2017-04-01

We present one of the first quantitative studies on auditory verbal experiences ("hearing voices") and auditory verbal agency (inner speech, and specifically "talking to (imaginary) voices or characters") in healthy participants across states of consciousness. Tools of quantitative linguistic analysis were used to measure participants' implicit knowledge of auditory verbal experiences (VE) and auditory verbal agencies (VA), displayed in mentation reports from four different states. Analysis was conducted on a total of 569 mentation reports from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, non-REM sleep, sleep onset, and waking. Physiology was controlled with the nightcap sleep-wake mentation monitoring system. Sleep-onset hallucinations, traditionally at the focus of scientific attention on auditory verbal hallucinations, showed the lowest degree of VE and VA, whereas REM sleep showed the highest degrees. Degrees of different linguistic-pragmatic aspects of VE and VA likewise depend on the physiological states. The quantity and pragmatics of VE and VA are a function of the physiologically distinct state of consciousness in which they are conceived. Copyright © 2016 Cognitive Science Society, Inc.

Effect of a Hypocretin/Orexin Antagonist on Neurocognitive Performance

DTIC Science & Technology

2015-11-01

somnolence without cataplexy and, in rat, decreases active wake and increases the time spent in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and (REM) sleep (Brisbare-Roch...system results in a narcoleptic phenotype characterized by excessive sleepiness, fragmented sleep, abnormally timed Rapid- Eye -Movement (REM) sleep, and...spent in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and (REM) sleep with differential effects on various neurotransmitter systems. To date, no studies have reported

Polysomnographic Abnormalities in Succinic Semialdehyde Dehydrogenase (SSADH) Deficiency

PubMed Central

Pearl, Phillip L.; Shamim, Sadat; Theodore, William H.; Gibson, K. Michael; Forester, Katherine; Combs, Susan E.; Lewin, Daniel; Dustin, Irene; Reeves-Tyer, Patricia; Jakobs, Cornelis; Sato, Susumu

2009-01-01

Objectives: Patients with SSADH deficiency, a disorder of chronically elevated endogenous GABA and GHB, were studied for sleep symptoms and polysomnography. We hypothesized that patients would have excessive daytime somnolence and decreased REM sleep. Design: Polysomnography and MSLT were performed on patients enrolled for comprehensive clinical studies of SSADH deficiency. Setting: Sleep studies were obtained in the sleep laboratories at CNMC and NIH. Patients: Sleep recordings were obtained in 10 patients with confirmed SSADH deficiency. Interventions: Thirteen overnight polysomnograms were obtained in 10 patients (7 male, 3 female, ages 11-27 y). Eleven MSLT studies were completed in 8 patients. Measurements and Results: Polysomnograms showed prolongation of REM stage latency (mean 272 ± 89 min) and decreased percent stage REM (mean 8.9%, range 0.3% to 13.8%). Decreased mean sleep latency was present in 6 of 11 MSLTs. Conclusions: SSADH deficiency is associated with prolonged latency to stage REM and decreased percent stage REM. This disorder represents a model of chronic GABA and GHB accumulation associated with suppression of REM sleep. Citation: Pearl PL; Shamim S; Theodore WH; Gibson M; Forester K; Combs SE; Lewin D; Dustin I; Reeves P; Jakobs C; Sato S. Polysomnographic abnormalities in succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) deficiency. SLEEP 2009;32(12):1645-1648. PMID:20041601

[Trazodone in REM sleep behavior disorder].

PubMed

Chica-Urzola, Heydy Luz

2015-01-01

This case concerns an elderly man with a REM sleep behavior disorder, who was initially offered a pharmacological treatment with clonazepam, recommended by other articles, but with poor adherence due to its adverse reactions and persistence of symptoms. He was then offered a treatment with Trazodone was offered, achieving a complete remission of symptoms, with no reported side effects. It is clear that Trazodone has no known indication for this type of disorder; nevertheless, it was considered in this case because of its pharmacological profile, obtaining satisfactory results. Further research is needed in order to document thoroughly the mechanisms of action, efficacy and utility of this molecule in cases such as the one presented. Copyright © 2015 Asociación Colombiana de Psiquiatría. Publicado por Elsevier España. All rights reserved.

First rapid eye movement sleep periods and sleep-onset rapid eye movement periods in sleep-stage sequencing of hypersomnias.

PubMed

Drakatos, Panagis; Kosky, Christopher A; Higgins, Sean E; Muza, Rexford T; Williams, Adrian J; Leschziner, Guy D

2013-09-01

Discrimination between narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, and behavior-induced inadequate sleep syndrome (BIISS) is based on clinical features and on specific nocturnal polysomnography (NPSG) and multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) results. However, previous studies have cast doubt on the specificity and sensitivity of these diagnostic tools. Eleven variables of the NPSG were analyzed in 101 patients who were retrospectively diagnosed with narcolepsy with cataplexy (N+C) (n=24), narcolepsy without cataplexy (N-C) (n=38), idiopathic hypersomnia with long sleep period (IHL) (n=21), and BIISS (n=18). Fifteen out of 24 N+C and 8 out of 38 N-C entered the first rapid eye movement (REM) sleep period (FREMP) from sleep stage 1 (N1) or wake (W), though this sleep-stage sequence did not arise in the other patient groups. FREMP stage sequence was a function of REM sleep latency (REML) for both N+C and N-C groups. FREMP stage sequence was not associated with mean sleep latency (MSL) in N+C but was associated in N-C, which implies heterogeneity within the N-C group. REML also was a useful discriminator. Depending on the cutoff period, REML had a sensitivity and specificity of up to 85.5% and 97.4%, respectively. The FREMP stage sequence may be a useful tool in the diagnosis of narcolepsy, particularly in conjunction with sleep-stage sequence analysis of sleep-onset REM periods (SOREMPs) in the MSLT; it also may provide a helpful intermediate phenotype in the clarification of heterogeneity in the N-C diagnostic group. However, larger prospective studies are necessary to confirm these findings. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Assessing the dream-lag effect for REM and NREM stage 2 dreams.

PubMed

Blagrove, Mark; Fouquet, Nathalie C; Henley-Einion, Josephine A; Pace-Schott, Edward F; Davies, Anna C; Neuschaffer, Jennifer L; Turnbull, Oliver H

2011-01-01

This study investigates evidence, from dream reports, for memory consolidation during sleep. It is well-known that events and memories from waking life can be incorporated into dreams. These incorporations can be a literal replication of what occurred in waking life, or, more often, they can be partial or indirect. Two types of temporal relationship have been found to characterize the time of occurrence of a daytime event and the reappearance or incorporation of its features in a dream. These temporal relationships are referred to as the day-residue or immediate incorporation effect, where there is the reappearance of features from events occurring on the immediately preceding day, and the dream-lag effect, where there is the reappearance of features from events occurring 5-7 days prior to the dream. Previous work on the dream-lag effect has used spontaneous home recalled dream reports, which can be from Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (REM) and from non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (NREM). This study addresses whether the dream-lag effect occurs only for REM sleep dreams, or for both REM and NREM stage 2 (N2) dreams. 20 participants kept a daily diary for over a week before sleeping in the sleep laboratory for 2 nights. REM and N2 dreams collected in the laboratory were transcribed and each participant rated the level of correspondence between every dream report and every diary record. The dream-lag effect was found for REM but not N2 dreams. Further analysis indicated that this result was not due to N2 dream reports being shorter, in terms of number of words, than the REM dream reports. These results provide evidence for a 7-day sleep-dependent non-linear memory consolidation process that is specific to REM sleep, and accord with proposals for the importance of REM sleep to emotional memory consolidation.

Assessing the Dream-Lag Effect for REM and NREM Stage 2 Dreams

PubMed Central

Blagrove, Mark; Fouquet, Nathalie C.; Henley-Einion, Josephine A.; Pace-Schott, Edward F.; Davies, Anna C.; Neuschaffer, Jennifer L.; Turnbull, Oliver H.

2011-01-01

This study investigates evidence, from dream reports, for memory consolidation during sleep. It is well-known that events and memories from waking life can be incorporated into dreams. These incorporations can be a literal replication of what occurred in waking life, or, more often, they can be partial or indirect. Two types of temporal relationship have been found to characterize the time of occurrence of a daytime event and the reappearance or incorporation of its features in a dream. These temporal relationships are referred to as the day-residue or immediate incorporation effect, where there is the reappearance of features from events occurring on the immediately preceding day, and the dream-lag effect, where there is the reappearance of features from events occurring 5–7 days prior to the dream. Previous work on the dream-lag effect has used spontaneous home recalled dream reports, which can be from Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (REM) and from non-Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (NREM). This study addresses whether the dream-lag effect occurs only for REM sleep dreams, or for both REM and NREM stage 2 (N2) dreams. 20 participants kept a daily diary for over a week before sleeping in the sleep laboratory for 2 nights. REM and N2 dreams collected in the laboratory were transcribed and each participant rated the level of correspondence between every dream report and every diary record. The dream-lag effect was found for REM but not N2 dreams. Further analysis indicated that this result was not due to N2 dream reports being shorter, in terms of number of words, than the REM dream reports. These results provide evidence for a 7-day sleep-dependent non-linear memory consolidation process that is specific to REM sleep, and accord with proposals for the importance of REM sleep to emotional memory consolidation. PMID:22046336

Increased Reward-Related Behaviors during Sleep and Wakefulness in Sleepwalking and Idiopathic Nightmares.

PubMed

Perogamvros, Lampros; Aberg, Kristoffer; Gex-Fabry, Marianne; Perrig, Stephen; Cloninger, C Robert; Schwartz, Sophie

2015-01-01

We previously suggested that abnormal sleep behaviors, i.e., as found in parasomnias, may often be the expression of increased activity of the reward system during sleep. Because nightmares and sleepwalking predominate during REM and NREM sleep respectively, we tested here whether exploratory excitability, a waking personality trait reflecting high activity within the mesolimbic dopaminergic (ML-DA) system, may be associated with specific changes in REM and NREM sleep patterns in these two sleep disorders. Twenty-four unmedicated patients with parasomnia (12 with chronic sleepwalking and 12 with idiopathic nightmares) and no psychiatric comorbidities were studied. Each patient spent one night of sleep monitored by polysomnography. The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was administered to all patients and healthy controls from the Geneva population (n = 293). Sleepwalkers were more anxious than patients with idiopathic nightmares (Spielberger Trait anxiety/STAI-T), but the patient groups did not differ on any personality dimension as estimated by the TCI. Compared to controls, parasomnia patients (sleepwalkers together with patients with idiopathic nightmares) scored higher on the Novelty Seeking (NS) TCI scale and in particular on the exploratory excitability/curiosity (NS1) subscale, and lower on the Self-directedness (SD) TCI scale, suggesting a general increase in reward sensitivity and impulsivity. Furthermore, parasomnia patients tended to worry about social separation persistently, as indicated by greater anticipatory worry (HA1) and dependence on social attachment (RD3). Moreover, exploratory excitability (NS1) correlated positively with the severity of parasomnia (i.e., the frequency of self-reported occurrences of nightmares and sleepwalking), and with time spent in REM sleep in patients with nightmares. These results suggest that patients with parasomnia might share common waking personality traits associated to reward-related brain functions. They also provide further support to the notion that reward-seeking networks are active during human sleep.

Predeployment Sleep Duration and Insomnia Symptoms as Risk Factors for New-Onset Mental Health Disorders Following Military Deployment

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-01-01

avoidance symptoms, 2 hyperarousal symptoms, and 1 intrusion symptom were endorsed at “moderate” or higher levels.27,29 Since the sleep item from the...processes related to specific sleep stages. REM sleep mechanisms are one potential candidate, given that REM fragmentation has been proposed in the...Psychiatry 2002;159:855-7. 41. Mellman TA, Bustamante V, Fins AI, Pigeon WR, Nolan B. Rem sleep and the early development of posttraumatic stress

Technologically sensed social exposure related to slow-wave sleep in healthy adults.

PubMed

Butt, Maryam; Ouarda, Taha B M J; Quan, Stuart F; Pentland, Alex Sandy; Khayal, Inas

2015-03-01

The aim of this study is to understand the relationship between automatically captured social exposure and detailed sleep parameters of healthy young adults. This study was conducted in a real-world setting in a graduate-student housing community at a US university. Social exposure was measured using Bluetooth proximity sensing technology in mobile devices. Sleep was monitored in a naturalistic setting using a headband sleep monitoring device over a period of 2 weeks. The analysis included a total of 11 subjects (6 males and 5 females) aged 24-35 (149 subject nights). Slow-wave sleep showed a significant positive correlation (Spearman's rho = 0.51, p < 0.0001) with social exposure, whereas light non-REM (N1 + N2) sleep and wake time were found to be negatively correlated (rho = -0.25, p < 0.01; rho = -0.21, p < 0.01, respectively). The correlation of median slow-wave sleep with median social exposure per subject showed a strong positive significance (rho = 0.88, p < 0.001). On average, within subjects, following day's social exposure was higher when (slow-wave NREM + REM) percentage was high (Wilcoxon sign-ranked test, p < 0.05). Subjects with higher social exposure spent more time in slow-wave sleep. Following day's social exposure was found to be positively affected by previous night's (slow-wave NREM + REM) percentage. This suggests that sleep affects following day's social exposure and not vice versa. Capturing an individual's dynamic social behavior and sleep from their natural environment can provide novel insights into these relationships.

Individual Differences in Animal Stress Models: Considering Resilience, Vulnerability, and the Amygdala in Mediating the Effects of Stress and Conditioned Fear on Sleep

PubMed Central

Wellman, Laurie L.; Fitzpatrick, Mairen E.; Hallum, Olga Y.; Sutton, Amy M.; Williams, Brook L.; Sanford, Larry D.

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: To examine the REM sleep response to stress and fearful memories as a potential marker of stress resilience and vulnerability and to assess the role of the basolateral amygdala (BLA) in mediating the effects of fear memory on sleep. Methods: Outbred Wistar rats were surgically implanted with electrodes for recording EEG and EMG and with bilateral guide cannulae directed at the BLA. Data loggers were placed intraperitoneally to record core body temperature. After recovery from surgery, the rats received shock training (ST: 20 footshocks, 0.8 mA, 0.5-s duration, 60-s interstimulus interval) and afterwards received microinjections of the GABAA agonist muscimol (MUS; 1.0 μM) to inactivate BLA or microinjections of vehicle (VEH) alone. Subsequently, the rats were separated into 4 groups (VEH-vulnerable (VEH-Vul; n = 14), VEH-resilient (VEH-Res; n = 13), MUS-vulnerable (MUS-Vul; n = 8), and MUS-resilient (MUS-Res; n = 11) based on whether or not REM was decreased, compared to baseline, during the first 4 h following ST. We then compared sleep, freezing, and the stress response (stress-induced hyperthermia, SIH) across groups to determine the effects of ST and fearful context re-exposure alone (CTX). Results: REM was significantly reduced on the ST day in both VEH-Vul and MUS-Vul rats; however, post-ST MUS blocked the reduction in REM on the CTX day in the MUS-Vul group. The VEH-Res and MUS-Res rats showed similar levels of REM on both ST and CTX days. The effects of post-ST inactivation of BLA on freezing and SIH were minimal. Conclusions: Outbred Wistar rats can show significant individual differences in the effects of stress on REM that are mediated by BLA. These differences in REM can be independent of behavioral fear and the peripheral stress response, and may be an important biomarker of stress resilience and vulnerability. Citation: Wellman LL, Fitzpatrick ME, Hallum OY, Sutton AM, Williams BL, Sanford LD. Individual differences in animal stress models: considering resilience, vulnerability, and the amygdala in mediating the effects of stress and conditioned fear on sleep. SLEEP 2016;39(6):1293–1303. PMID:27091518

The neural correlates of dreaming.

PubMed

Siclari, Francesca; Baird, Benjamin; Perogamvros, Lampros; Bernardi, Giulio; LaRocque, Joshua J; Riedner, Brady; Boly, Melanie; Postle, Bradley R; Tononi, Giulio

2017-06-01

Consciousness never fades during waking. However, when awakened from sleep, we sometimes recall dreams and sometimes recall no experiences. Traditionally, dreaming has been identified with rapid eye-movement (REM) sleep, characterized by wake-like, globally 'activated', high-frequency electroencephalographic activity. However, dreaming also occurs in non-REM (NREM) sleep, characterized by prominent low-frequency activity. This challenges our understanding of the neural correlates of conscious experiences in sleep. Using high-density electroencephalography, we contrasted the presence and absence of dreaming in NREM and REM sleep. In both NREM and REM sleep, reports of dream experience were associated with local decreases in low-frequency activity in posterior cortical regions. High-frequency activity in these regions correlated with specific dream contents. Monitoring this posterior 'hot zone' in real time predicted whether an individual reported dreaming or the absence of dream experiences during NREM sleep, suggesting that it may constitute a core correlate of conscious experiences in sleep.

The effects of acetazolamide on arterial pressure variability during REM sleep in the rat.

PubMed

Sone, M; Sei, H; Morita, Y; Ogura, T; Sone, S

1998-01-01

During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the arterial pressure (AP) undergoes large fluctuations in the rat, cat, and other mammals, including humans, and it has been suggested that this effect originates in the forebrain. In addition, acetazolamide (ACTZ), a carbonic anhydrase inhibitor, is known to be effective in the treatment of central sleep apnea or epilepsy. The aim of the present study was to analyze the effects of ACTZ on EEG theta rhythm and AP variability during REM sleep in rats. Treatment consisted of intraperitoneal injection of 5 mg of ACTZ in 0.5 mL of saline (n = 6) or 0.5 mL of vehicle alone (n = 6). We then recorded and analyzed the mean AP (MAP) variations during different sleep phases, using a telemetric system. Our results show: 1) Significant decreases in the coefficient of variation of MAP, in the very-low frequency (0.025 - 0.225 Hz) component of the power spectral density of the AP and in theta frequency in the electroencephalogram, were seen in the ACTZ-treated group during REM sleep compared with controls, whereas no significant difference was found between the two groups in non-REM sleep. There was no significant difference in sleep duration, average MAP, and heart rate between the groups. Our data suggest that ACTZ may act as a stabilizing factor preventing AP fluctuations during REM sleep.

Longitudinal sleep EEG trajectories indicate complex patterns of adolescent brain maturation.

PubMed

Feinberg, Irwin; Campbell, Ian G

2013-02-15

New longitudinal sleep data spanning ages 6-10 yr are presented and combined with previous data to analyze maturational trajectories of delta and theta EEG across ages 6-18 yr in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. NREM delta power (DP) increased from age 6 to age 8 yr and then declined. Its highest rate of decline occurred between ages 12 and 16.5 yr. We attribute the delta EEG trajectories to changes in synaptic density. Whatever their neuronal underpinnings, these age curves can guide research into the molecular-genetic mechanisms that underlie adolescent brain development. The DP trajectories in NREM and REM sleep differed strikingly. DP in REM did not initially increase but declined steadily from age 6 to age 16 yr. We hypothesize that the DP decline in REM reflects maturation of the same brain arousal systems that eliminate delta waves in waking EEG. Whereas the DP age curves differed in NREM and REM sleep, theta age curves were similar in both, roughly paralleling the age trajectory of REM DP. The different maturational curves for NREM delta and theta indicate that they serve different brain functions despite having similar within-sleep dynamics and responses to sleep loss. Period-amplitude analysis of NREM and REM delta waveforms revealed that the age trends in DP were driven more by changes in wave amplitude rather than incidence. These data further document the powerful and complex link between sleep and brain maturation. Understanding this relationship would shed light on both brain development and the function of sleep.

Pareidolias in REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: A Possible Predictive Marker of Lewy Body Diseases?

PubMed

Sasai-Sakuma, Taeko; Nishio, Yoshiyuki; Yokoi, Kayoko; Mori, Etsuro; Inoue, Yuichi

2017-02-01

To investigate conditions and clinical significance of pareidolias in patients with idiopathic rapid eyemovent (REM) sleep behavior disorder (iRBD). This cross-sectional study examined 202 patients with iRBD (66.8 ± 8.0 yr, 58 female) and 46 healthy control subjects (64.7 ± 5.8 years, 14 females). They underwent the Pareidolia test, a newly developed instrument for evoking pareidolias, video polysomnography, olfactory tests, and Addenbrooke's cognitive examination-revised. Results show that 53.5% of iRBD patients exhibited one or more pareidolic responses: The rate was higher than control subjects showed (21.7%). The pictures evoking pareidolic responses were more numerous for iRBD patients than for control subjects (1.2 ± 1.8 vs. 0.4 ± 0.8, p < .001). Subgroup analyses revealed that iRBD patients with pareidolic responses had higher amounts of REM sleep without atonia (RWA), with lower sleep efficiency, lower cognitive function, and older age than subjects without pareidolic responses. Results of multivariate analyses show the number of pareidolic responses as a factor associated with decreased cognitive function in iRBD patients with better predictive accuracy. Morbidity length and severity of iRBD, olfactory function, and the amount of RWA were not factors associated with better predictive accuracy. Half or more of the iRBD patients showed pareidolic responses. The responses were proven to be associated more intimately with their cognitive decline than clinical or physiological variables related to RBD. Pareidolias in iRBD are useful as a predictive marker of future development of Lewy body diseases. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

The basolateral amygdala can mediate the effects of fear memory on sleep independently of fear behavior and the peripheral stress response.

PubMed

Wellman, Laurie L; Fitzpatrick, Mairen E; Hallum, Olga Y; Sutton, Amy M; Williams, Brook L; Sanford, Larry D

2017-01-01

Fear conditioning associated with inescapable shock training (ST) and fearful context re-exposure (CR) alone can produce significant behavioral fear, a stress response and alterations in subsequent REM sleep. These alterations may vary among animals and are mediated by the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA). Here, we used the GABA A agonist, muscimol (Mus), to inactivate BLA prior to CR and examined the effects on sleep, freezing and stress-induced hyperthermia (SIH). Wistar rats (n=28) were implanted with electrodes for recording sleep, data loggers for recording core body temperature, and with cannulae aimed bilaterally into BLA. After recovery, the animals were habituated to the injection procedure and baseline sleep was recorded. On experimental day 1, rats received ST (20 footshocks, 0.8mA, 0.5s duration, 60s interstimulus interval). On experimental day 7, the rats received microinjections (0.5μl) into BLA of either Mus (1.0μM; n=13) or vehicle (Veh; n=15) prior to CR (CR1). On experimental day 21, the animals experienced a second CR (CR2) without Mus. For analysis, the rats were separated into 4 groups: (Veh-vulnerable (Veh-Vul; n=8), Veh-resilient (Veh-Res; n=7), Mus-vulnerable (Mus-Vul; n=7), and Mus-resilient (Mus-Res; n=6)) based on whether or not REM was decreased, compared to baseline, during the first 4h following ST. Pre-CR1 inactivation of BLA did not alter freezing or SIH, but did block the reduction in REM in the Mus-Vul group compared to the Veh-Vul group. These data indicate that BLA is an important region for mediating the effects of fearful memories on sleep. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Basolateral Amygdala Can Mediate the Effects of Fear Memory on Sleep Independently of Fear Behavior and the Peripheral Stress Response

PubMed Central

Wellman, Laurie L.; Fitzpatrick, Mairen E.; Hallum, Olga Y.; Sutton, Amy M.; Williams, Brook L.; Sanford, Larry D.

2016-01-01

Fear conditioning associated with inescapable shock training (ST) and fearful context re-exposure (CR) alone can produce significant behavioral fear, a stress response and alterations in subsequent REM sleep. These alterations may vary among animals and are mediated by the basolateral nucleus of the amygdala (BLA). Here, we used the GABAA agonist, muscimol (Mus), to inactivate BLA prior to CR and examined the effects on sleep, freezing and stress-induced hyperthermia (SIH). Wistar rats (n=28) were implanted with electrodes for recording sleep, data loggers for recording core body temperature, and with cannulae aimed bilaterally into BLA. After recovery, the animals were habituated to the injection procedure and baseline sleep was recorded. On experimental day 1, rats received ST (20 footshocks, 0.8mA, 0.5s duration, 60s interstimulus interval). On experimental day 7, the rats received microinjections (0.5ul) into BLA of either Mus (1.0uM; n = 13) or vehicle (Veh; n = 15) prior to CR (CR1). On experimental day 21, the animals experienced a second CR (CR2) without Mus. For analysis, the rats were separated into 4 groups: (Veh-vulnerable (Veh-Vul; n=8), Veh-resilient (Veh-Res; n=7), Mus-vulnerable (Mus-Vul; n=7), and Mus-resilient (Mus-Res; n=6)) based on whether or not REM was decreased, compared to baseline, during the first 4 h following ST. Pre-CR1 inactivation of BLA did not alter freezing or SIH, but did block the reduction in REM in the Mus-Vul group compared to the Veh-Vul group. These data indicate that BLA is an important region for mediating the effects of fearful memories on sleep. PMID:27818268

Visibility graph analysis of very short-term heart rate variability during sleep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Hou, F. Z.; Li, F. W.; Wang, J.; Yan, F. R.

2016-09-01

Based on a visibility-graph algorithm, complex networks were constructed from very short-term heart rate variability (HRV) during different sleep stages. Network measurements progressively changed from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep to light sleep and then deep sleep, exhibiting promising ability for sleep assessment. Abnormal activation of the cardiovascular controls with enhanced 'small-world' couplings and altered fractal organization during REM sleep indicates that REM could be a potential risk factor for adverse cardiovascular event, especially in males, older individuals, and people who are overweight. Additionally, an apparent influence of gender, aging, and obesity on sleep was demonstrated in healthy adults, which may be helpful for establishing expected sleep-HRV patterns in different populations.

[Parasomnias].

PubMed

Bjorvatn, Bjørn; Grønli, Janne; Pallesen, Ståle

2009-09-24

Parasomnias are undesirable experiences or motoric phenomena that occur in association with sleep. We have described characteristics of parasomnia subtypes. This review is based on the authors' research and clinical experience, and articles identified by non-systematic searches of Pubmed. Parasomnias are categorized into disorders of arousal (non-REM sleep parasomnias), e.g. sleepwalking, sleep terrors and confusional arousals, parasomnias associated with REM sleep, e.g. nightmare disorder, REM sleep behaviour disorder and recurrent isolated sleep paralysis, and other parasomnias, e.g. sleep-related groaning, exploding head syndrome, sleep-related hallucinations and sleep-related eating disorder. Prevalences for the subtypes vary. Most parasomnias are especially common in children. Drug treatment is seldom necessary, but may be indicated in severe cases.

Neural correlates of dream lucidity obtained from contrasting lucid versus non-lucid REM sleep: a combined EEG/fMRI case study.

PubMed

Dresler, Martin; Wehrle, Renate; Spoormaker, Victor I; Koch, Stefan P; Holsboer, Florian; Steiger, Axel; Obrig, Hellmuth; Sämann, Philipp G; Czisch, Michael

2012-07-01

To investigate the neural correlates of lucid dreaming. Parallel EEG/fMRI recordings of night sleep. Sleep laboratory and fMRI facilities. Four experienced lucid dreamers. N/A. Out of 4 participants, one subject had 2 episodes of verified lucid REM sleep of sufficient length to be analyzed by fMRI. During lucid dreaming the bilateral precuneus, cuneus, parietal lobules, and prefrontal and occipito-temporal cortices activated strongly as compared with non-lucid REM sleep. In line with recent EEG data, lucid dreaming was associated with a reactivation of areas which are normally deactivated during REM sleep. This pattern of activity can explain the recovery of reflective cognitive capabilities that are the hallmark of lucid dreaming.

Reduced Rapid Eye Movement Density in Parkinson Disease: A Polysomnography-Based Case-Control Study.

PubMed

Schroeder, Lynn A; Rufra, Olivier; Sauvageot, Nicolas; Fays, François; Pieri, Vannina; Diederich, Nico J

2016-12-01

To explore rapid eye movement density (RD) in patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease (IPD) and to investigate its usefulness as surrogate marker of excessive daytime sleepiness, a frequent complaint in IPD patients. Retrospective polysomnography study on 81 subjects without dementia: 29 patients with early stage IPD (disease duration ≤ 3 y), 21 patients with middle- stage IPD (disease duration > 3 and < 8 y) and 31 healthy controls (HC). Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep was defined as any REM episode with > 3 min of continuous REM sleep. RD was defined as number of ocular movements per minute of REM sleep. Patients with early stage IPD and HC fulfilled the PD-specific sleepiness questionnaires Parkinson's Disease Sleep Scale (PDSS) and the Nonmotor Symptoms Questionnaire for Parkinson's disease (NMSQuest). RD was lower in patients with IPD than in HC. The difference was most significant between patients with middle stage IPD and HC (P = 0.001), and most prominent for the third REM episode, again when comparing patients with middle stage IPD and HC (P = 0.03). RD was independent from sex, age, and other sleep parameters. In early stage IPD, RD correlated with the PDSS score (r = -0.63, P = 0.001) and the sleep-related questions of the NMSQuest score (r = 0.48, P = 0.017). REM density is reduced in patients with IPD and correlates with subjective scores on sleep impairment. As an indicator of persistent high sleep pressure, reduced RD in IPD is eligible as a biomarker of excessive daytime sleepiness in IPD. It possibly reflects direct involvement of the brainstem REM generation sites by the disease process. RD is a promising new tool for sleep research in IPD. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Phosphorylation of CaMKII in the rat dorsal raphe nucleus plays an important role in sleep-wake regulation.

PubMed

Cui, Su-Ying; Li, Sheng-Jie; Cui, Xiang-Yu; Zhang, Xue-Qiong; Yu, Bin; Sheng, Zhao-Fu; Huang, Yuan-Li; Cao, Qing; Xu, Ya-Ping; Lin, Zhi-Ge; Yang, Guang; Song, Jin-Zhi; Ding, Hui; Wang, Zi-Jun; Zhang, Yong-He

2016-02-01

The Ca(2+) modulation in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) plays an important role in sleep-wake regulation. Calmodulin-dependent kinase II (CaMKII) is an important signal-transducing molecule that is activated by Ca(2+) . This study investigated the effects of intracellular Ca(2+) /CaMKII signaling in the DRN on sleep-wake states in rats. Maximum and minimum CaMKII phosphorylation was detected at Zeitgeber time 21 (ZT 21; wakefulness state) and ZT 3 (sleep state), respectively, across the light-dark rhythm in the DRN in rats. Six-hour sleep deprivation significantly reduced CaMKII phosphorylation in the DRN. Microinjection of the CAMKII activation inhibitor KN-93 (5 or 10 nmol) into the DRN suppressed wakefulness and enhanced rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMS) and non-REM sleep (NREMS). Application of a high dose of KN-93 (10 nmol) increased slow-wave sleep (SWS) time, SWS bouts, the mean duration of SWS, the percentage of SWS relative to total sleep, and delta power density during NREMS. Microinjection of CaCl2 (50 nmol) in the DRN increased CaMKII phosphorylation and decreased NREMS, SWS, and REMS. KN-93 abolished the inhibitory effects of CaCl2 on NREMS, SWS, and REMS. These data indicate a novel wake-promoting and sleep-suppressing role for the Ca(2+) /CaMKII signaling pathway in DRN neurons. We propose that the intracellular Ca(2+) /CaMKII signaling in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) plays wake-promoting and sleep-suppressing role in rats. Intra-DRN application of KN-93 (CaMKII activation inhibitor) suppressed wakefulness and enhanced rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMS) and non-REMS (NREMS). Intra-DRN application of CaCl2 attenuated REMS and NREMS. We think these findings should provide a novel cellular and molecular mechanism of sleep-wake regulation. © 2015 International Society for Neurochemistry.

Slow eye movements distribution during nocturnal sleep.

PubMed

Pizza, Fabio; Fabbri, Margherita; Magosso, Elisa; Ursino, Mauro; Provini, Federica; Ferri, Raffaele; Montagna, Pasquale

2011-08-01

To assess the distribution across nocturnal sleep of slow eye movements (SEMs). We evaluated SEMs distribution in the different sleep stages, and across sleep cycles in nocturnal recordings of 10 healthy women. Sleep was scored according to standard criteria, and the percentage of time occupied by the SEMs was automatically detected. SEMs were differently represented during sleep stages with the following order: wakefulness after sleep onset (WASO): 61%, NREM sleep stage 1: 54%, REM sleep: 43%, NREM sleep stage 2: 21%, NREM sleep stage 3: 7%, and NREM sleep stage 4: 3% (p<0.0001). There was no difference between phasic and tonic REM sleep. SEMs progressively decreased across the NREM sleep cycles (38%, 15%, 13% during NREM sleep stage 2 in the first three sleep cycles, p=0.006), whereas no significant difference was found for REM, NREM sleep stage 1, slow-wave sleep and WASO. Our findings confirm that SEMs are a phenomenon typical of the sleep onset period, but are also found in REM sleep. The nocturnal evolution of SEMs during NREM sleep stage 2 parallels the homeostatic process underlying slow-wave sleep. SEMs are a marker of sleepiness and, potentially, of sleep homeostasis. Copyright © 2011 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Detecting REM sleep from the finger: an automatic REM sleep algorithm based on peripheral arterial tone (PAT) and actigraphy.

PubMed

Herscovici, Sarah; Pe'er, Avivit; Papyan, Surik; Lavie, Peretz

2007-02-01

Scoring of REM sleep based on polysomnographic recordings is a laborious and time-consuming process. The growing number of ambulatory devices designed for cost-effective home-based diagnostic sleep recordings necessitates the development of a reliable automatic REM sleep detection algorithm that is not based on the traditional electroencephalographic, electrooccolographic and electromyographic recordings trio. This paper presents an automatic REM detection algorithm based on the peripheral arterial tone (PAT) signal and actigraphy which are recorded with an ambulatory wrist-worn device (Watch-PAT100). The PAT signal is a measure of the pulsatile volume changes at the finger tip reflecting sympathetic tone variations. The algorithm was developed using a training set of 30 patients recorded simultaneously with polysomnography and Watch-PAT100. Sleep records were divided into 5 min intervals and two time series were constructed from the PAT amplitudes and PAT-derived inter-pulse periods in each interval. A prediction function based on 16 features extracted from the above time series that determines the likelihood of detecting a REM epoch was developed. The coefficients of the prediction function were determined using a genetic algorithm (GA) optimizing process tuned to maximize a price function depending on the sensitivity, specificity and agreement of the algorithm in comparison with the gold standard of polysomnographic manual scoring. Based on a separate validation set of 30 patients overall sensitivity, specificity and agreement of the automatic algorithm to identify standard 30 s epochs of REM sleep were 78%, 92%, 89%, respectively. Deploying this REM detection algorithm in a wrist worn device could be very useful for unattended ambulatory sleep monitoring. The innovative method of optimization using a genetic algorithm has been proven to yield robust results in the validation set.

The Developmental Decrease in REM Sleep: The Role of Transmitters and Electrical Coupling

PubMed Central

Garcia-Rill, Edgar; Charlesworth, Amanda; Heister, David; Ye, Meijun; Hayar, Abdallah

2008-01-01

Study Objectives: This mini-review considers certain factors related to the developmental decrease in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which occurs in favor of additional waking time, and its relationship to developmental factors that may influence its potential role in brain development. Design: Specifically, we discuss some of the theories proposed for the occurrence of REM sleep and agree with the classic notion that REM sleep is, at the least, a mechanism that may play a role in the maturation of thalamocortical pathways. The developmental decrease in REM sleep occurs gradually from birth until close to puberty in the human, and in other mammals it is brief and coincides with eye and ear opening and the beginning of massive exogenous activation. Therefore, the purported role for REM sleep may change to involve a number of other functions with age. Measurements and Results: We describe recent findings showing that morphologic and physiologic properties as well as cholinergic, gamma amino-butyric acid, kainic acid, n-methyl-d-aspartic acid, noradrenergic, and serotonergic synaptic inputs to mesopontine cholinergic neurons, as well as the degree of electrical coupling between mostly noncholinergic mesopontine neurons and levels of the neuronal gap-junction protein connexin 36, change dramatically during this critical period in development. A novel mechanism for sleep-wake control based on well-known transmitter interactions, as well as electrical coupling, is described. Conclusion: We hypothesize that a dysregulation of this process could result in life-long disturbances in arousal and REM sleep drive, leading to hypervigilance or hypovigilance such as that observed in a number of disorders that have a mostly postpubertal age of onset. Citation: Garcia-Rill E; Charlesworth A; Heister D; Ye Y; Hayar A. The developmental decrease in REM sleep: the role of transmitters and electrical coupling. SLEEP 2008;31(5):673–690. PMID:18517037

The energy allocation function of sleep: a unifying theory of sleep, torpor, and continuous wakefulness.

PubMed

Schmidt, Markus H

2014-11-01

The energy allocation (EA) model defines behavioral strategies that optimize the temporal utilization of energy to maximize reproductive success. This model proposes that all species of the animal kingdom share a universal sleep function that shunts waking energy utilization toward sleep-dependent biological investment. For endotherms, REM sleep evolved to enhance energy appropriation for somatic and CNS-related processes by eliminating thermoregulatory defenses and skeletal muscle tone. Alternating REM with NREM sleep conserves energy by decreasing the need for core body temperature defense. Three EA phenotypes are proposed: sleep-wake cycling, torpor, and continuous (or predominant) wakefulness. Each phenotype carries inherent costs and benefits. Sleep-wake cycling downregulates specific biological processes in waking and upregulates them in sleep, thereby decreasing energy demands imposed by wakefulness, reducing cellular infrastructure requirements, and resulting in overall energy conservation. Torpor achieves the greatest energy savings, but critical biological operations are compromised. Continuous wakefulness maximizes niche exploitation, but endures the greatest energy demands. The EA model advances a new construct for understanding sleep-wake organization in ontogenetic and phylogenetic domains. Copyright © 2014 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Sleep Duration Varies as a Function of Glutamate and GABA in Rat Pontine Reticular Formation

PubMed Central

Watson, Christopher J.; Lydic, Ralph; Baghdoyan, Helen A.

2011-01-01

The oral part of the pontine reticular formation (PnO) is a component of the ascending reticular activating system and plays a role in the regulation of sleep and wakefulness. The PnO receives glutamatergic and GABAergic projections from many brain regions that regulate behavioral state. Indirect, pharmacological evidence has suggested that glutamatergic and GABAergic signaling within the PnO alters traits that characterize wakefulness and sleep. No previous studies have simultaneously measured endogenous glutamate and GABA from rat PnO in relation to sleep and wakefulness. The present study utilized in vivo microdialysis coupled on-line to capillary electrophoresis with laser-induced fluorescence to test the hypothesis that concentrations of glutamate and GABA in the PnO vary across the sleep/wake cycle. Concentrations of glutamate and GABA were significantly higher during wakefulness than during NREM sleep and REM sleep. Regression analysis revealed that decreases in glutamate and GABA accounted for a significant portion of the variance in the duration of NREM sleep and REM sleep episodes. These data provide novel support for the hypothesis that endogenous glutamate and GABA in the PnO contribute to the regulation of sleep duration. PMID:21679185

Sleep Studies of Adults with Severe or Profound Mental Retardation and Epilepsy.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Espie, Colin A.; Paul, Audrey; McFie, Joyce; Amos, Pat; Hamilton, David; McColl, John H.; And Others

1998-01-01

A study of the sleep patterns of 28 people with severe or profound mental retardation and epilepsy found atypical sleep stages with significant depletion of REM sleep and a predominance of indiscriminate non-REM sleep. Sleep diaries completed by caregivers reveal lengthy sleep periods, especially among those with profound mental retardation.…

REM sleep and emotional face memory in typically-developing children and children with autism.

PubMed

Tessier, Sophie; Lambert, Andréane; Scherzer, Peter; Jemel, Boutheina; Godbout, Roger

2015-09-01

Relationship between REM sleep and memory was assessed in 13 neurotypical and 13 children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder (ASD). A neutral/positive/negative face recognition task was administered the evening before (learning and immediate recognition) and the morning after (delayed recognition) sleep. The number of rapid eye movements (REMs), beta and theta EEG activity over the visual areas were measured during REM sleep. Compared to neurotypical children, children with ASD showed more theta activity and longer reaction time (RT) for correct responses in delayed recognition of neutral faces. Both groups showed a positive correlation between sleep and performance but different patterns emerged: in neurotypical children, accuracy for recalling neutral faces and overall RT improvement overnight was correlated with EEG activity and REMs; in children with ASD, overnight RT improvement for positive and negative faces correlated with theta and beta activity, respectively. These results suggest that neurotypical and children with ASD use different sleep-related brain networks to process faces. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Slow waves, sharp waves, ripples, and REM in sleeping dragons.

PubMed

Shein-Idelson, Mark; Ondracek, Janie M; Liaw, Hua-Peng; Reiter, Sam; Laurent, Gilles

2016-04-29

Sleep has been described in animals ranging from worms to humans. Yet the electrophysiological characteristics of brain sleep, such as slow-wave (SW) and rapid eye movement (REM) activities, are thought to be restricted to mammals and birds. Recording from the brain of a lizard, the Australian dragon Pogona vitticeps, we identified SW and REM sleep patterns, thus pushing back the probable evolution of these dynamics at least to the emergence of amniotes. The SW and REM sleep patterns that we observed in lizards oscillated continuously for 6 to 10 hours with a period of ~80 seconds. The networks controlling SW-REM antagonism in amniotes may thus originate from a common, ancient oscillator circuit. Lizard SW dynamics closely resemble those observed in rodent hippocampal CA1, yet they originate from a brain area, the dorsal ventricular ridge, that has no obvious hodological similarity with the mammalian hippocampus. Copyright © 2016, American Association for the Advancement of Science.

A novel NREM and REM parasomnia with sleep breathing disorder associated with antibodies against IgLON5: a case series, pathological features, and characterization of the antigen

PubMed Central

Sabater, Lidia; Gaig, Carles; Gelpi, Ellen; Bataller, Luis; Lewerenz, Jan; Torres-Vega, Estefanía; Contreras, Angeles; Giometto, Bruno; Compta, Yaroslau; Embid, Cristina; Vilaseca, Isabel; Iranzo, Alex; Santamaría, Joan; Dalmau, Josep; Graus, Francesc

2014-01-01

Summary Background Autoimmunity may be involved in sleep and neurodegenerative disorders. We aimed to describe a neurological syndrome with prominent sleep dysfunction and antibodies to a previously unknown neuronal antigen. Methods In this observational study, clinical and video-polysomnography (V- PSG) investigations identified a novel sleep disorder in three patients referred to the Sleep Unit of Hospital Clinic University of Barcelona for abnormal sleep behaviors and obstructive sleep apnea(OSA). They had antibodies against a neuronal surface antigen also present in five additional patients referred to our laboratory for antibody studies. These five patients had been evaluated with PSG and in two, the study was done or reviewed in our Sleep Unit. Two patients underwent postmortem brain examination. Immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry were used to characterize the antigen and to develop a diagnostic test. Serum or CSF from 285 patients with neurodegenerative, sleep, or autoimmune disorders served as controls. Findings All eight patients (five women; range: 52–76 years, median 59) had abnormal sleep movements and behaviors and OSA confirmed by PSG. Six patients had a chronic evolution (range 2–12 years, median 5.5); in four the sleep disorder was the initial and most prominent feature, and in two it was preceded by gait instability, and followed by dysarthria, dysphagia, ataxia, or chorea. Two patients had a rapid evolution with disequilibrium, dysarthria, dysphagia, and central hypoventilation, and died two and six months after symptom onset. In 5/5 patients, the V-PSG reviewed in our Unit disclosed OSA, stridor, and abnormal sleep architecture with undifferentiated NREM sleep or poorly structured stage N2 with simple movements and finalistic behaviors, normalization of NREM sleep by the end of the night, and REM sleep behavior disorder. Four/4 patients carried the HLA-DRB1*1001 and HLA-DQB1*0501 alleles. All patients had antibodies (mainly IgG4) against IgLON5, member of a family of neuronal cell adhesion molecules. Only 1/285 controls (with progressive supranuclear palsy) had IgLON5 antibodies. Neuropathology showed neuronal loss and extensive deposits of hyperphosphorylated tau mainly involving the tegmentum of the brainstem and hypothalamus. Interpretation IgLON5-antibodies identify a unique NREM and REM parasomnia with sleep breathing dysfunction and pathological features suggesting a tauopathy. Funding Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias. Centros de Investigación Biomédica en Red de enfermedades neurodegenerativas (CIBERNED) and Respiratorias (CIBERES), Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad, Fundació la Marató TV3 and the National Institutes of Health. PMID:24703753

Reverberation, Storage, and Postsynaptic Propagation of Memories during Sleep

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ribeiro, Sidarta; Nicolelis, Miguel A. L.

2004-01-01

In mammals and birds, long episodes of nondreaming sleep ("slow-wave" sleep, SW) are followed by short episodes of dreaming sleep ("rapid-eye-movement" sleep, REM). Both SW and REM sleep have been shown to be important for the consolidation of newly acquired memories, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here we review…

Sleep and Arousal Mechanisms in Experimental Epilepsy: Epileptic Components of NREM and Antiepileptic Components of REM Sleep

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shouse, M. N.; Scordato, J. C.; Farber, P. R.

2004-01-01

Neural generators related to different sleep components have different effects on seizure discharge. These sleep-related systems can provoke seizure discharge propagation during nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and can suppress propagation during REM sleep. Experimental manipulations of discrete physiological components were conducted in feline…

Sleep stage 2: an electroencephalographic, autonomic, and hormonal duality.

PubMed

Brandenberger, Gabrielle; Ehrhart, Jean; Buchheit, Martin

2005-12-01

It is generally thought that the electroencephalogram of sleep stage 2 is not uniform, depending on whether sleep stage 2 evolves toward slow-wave sleep (SWS) or toward rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We provide here further evidence of the duality of sleep stage 2 on the basis of its autonomic and hormonal background. Fourteen healthy men (aged 21-29 years) underwent 1 experimental night. Sleep and cardiac recordings were taken from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM. Blood was sampled continuously over 10-minute periods. Autonomic activity, as inferred from heart rate variability analysis and hormone profiles, were examined with regard to the normalized hypnograms. We found a dual activity of the autonomic nervous system during sleep stage 2, with a progressive decrease in heart rate variability sympathetic indexes during the transition toward SWS contrasting with high and rather stable levels during sleep stage 2 that evolve toward REM sleep. Also, different profiles were observed in 2 major hormone systems, the activating adrenocorticotropic system and the renin-angiotensin system. Cortisol, in its active period of circadian secretion, was stable during sleep stage 2 preceding SWS and increased significantly when sleep stage 2 preceded REM sleep. For plasma renin activity, sleep stage 2 played a transitional role, initiating increasing levels that peaked during SWS and decreasing levels that reached a nadir during REM sleep. These results indicate an autonomic and hormonal duality of sleep stage 2 that is characterized by a "quiet" period preparing SWS and an "active" period preceding REM sleep. These differences may confer a fundamental role on this sleep stage in ultradian sleep regulation.

Data-driven modeling of sleep EEG and EOG reveals characteristics indicative of pre-Parkinson's and Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Christensen, Julie A E; Zoetmulder, Marielle; Koch, Henriette; Frandsen, Rune; Arvastson, Lars; Christensen, Søren R; Jennum, Poul; Sorensen, Helge B D

2014-09-30

Manual scoring of sleep relies on identifying certain characteristics in polysomnograph (PSG) signals. However, these characteristics are disrupted in patients with neurodegenerative diseases. This study evaluates sleep using a topic modeling and unsupervised learning approach to identify sleep topics directly from electroencephalography (EEG) and electrooculography (EOG). PSG data from control subjects were used to develop an EOG and an EEG topic model. The models were applied to PSG data from 23 control subjects, 25 patients with periodic leg movements (PLMs), 31 patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) and 36 patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The data were divided into training and validation datasets and features reflecting EEG and EOG characteristics based on topics were computed. The most discriminative feature subset for separating iRBD/PD and PLM/controls was estimated using a Lasso-regularized regression model. The features with highest discriminability were the number and stability of EEG topics linked to REM and N3, respectively. Validation of the model indicated a sensitivity of 91.4% and a specificity of 68.8% when classifying iRBD/PD patients. The topics showed visual accordance with the manually scored sleep stages, and the features revealed sleep characteristics containing information indicative of neurodegeneration. This study suggests that the amount of N3 and the ability to maintain NREM and REM sleep have potential as early PD biomarkers. Data-driven analysis of sleep may contribute to the evaluation of neurodegenerative patients. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A preliminary study of sleep ontogenesis in the ferret (Mustela putorius furo).

PubMed

Thurber, Allison; Jha, Sushil K; Coleman, Tammi; Frank, Marcos G

2008-05-16

We investigated sleep ontogenesis in the ferret-a placental mammal that is highly altricial compared to other mammalian species. Because altriciality is linked with elevated rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep amounts during infancy, it was expected that ferret kits would display very high levels of this state. Longitudinal polysomnographic measurements were made from 8 ferret kits from approximately eye-opening (postnatal day [P]30)-P50 using an experimental routine that minimized the effects of maternal separation. These data were compared to values from 8 adult ferrets (>3 months of age) and 6 neonatal cats (mean age: P31.7). We find that the polygraphic features of REM and non-REM (NREM) sleep are present by at least P30. Over the next 2 weeks, REM sleep amounts slightly declined while wakefulness and NREM sleep amounts increased. However, a comparison to published values from developing cats and rats showed that the ferret did not exhibit a disproportionate amount of REM sleep at similar postnatal ages or relative to a common developmental milestone (eye-opening).

Strain differences in the influence of open field exposure on sleep in mice.

PubMed

Tang, Xiangdong; Xiao, Jihua; Liu, Xianling; Sanford, Larry D

2004-09-23

The open field (OF) is thought to induce anxiety in rodents. It also allows an opportunity for exploration in a novel environment. Less activity in the OF is thought to indicate greater anxiety whereas more activity may reflect greater exploration, and possibly greater exploratory learning. Anxiety and learning have poorly understood relationships to sleep. In order to determine how anxiety and exploration in the OF could influence sleep, we recorded sleep in mouse strains (C57BL/6J (B6), BALB/cJ (C), DBA/2J (D2), and CB6F1/J (CB6)) with different levels of anxiety and exploration after 30 min in an OF. In all strains, OF exposure induced immediate decreases in rapid eye movement sleep (REM) followed by longer latency increases in REM. The time course and amount of REM decreases and increases varied among strains. Compared to less anxious B6, D2 and CB6 mice, C mice had greater and longer lasting immediate decreases in REM. C mice also displayed longer periods of decreases REM and a smaller, longer latency increase in REM. OF exploratory activity was positively correlated to percentage of REM increases from 6 to 10h after OF exposure. The results suggest that the anxiogenic component of the OF produced an immediate decrease in REM that was greater in more "anxious" mice. In contrast, exploration in the OF was associated with increased REM, with the increase greater in less anxious mice. The results are discussed with respect to the potential influences of anxiety and learning on sleep.

Phosphodiesterase 10A inhibition attenuates sleep deprivation-induced deficits in long-term fear memory.

PubMed

Guo, Lengqiu; Guo, Zhuangli; Luo, Xiaoqing; Liang, Rui; Yang, Shui; Ren, Haigang; Wang, Guanghui; Zhen, Xuechu

2016-12-02

Sleep, particularly rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, is implicated in the consolidation of emotional memories. In the present study, we investigated the protective effects of a phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) inhibitor MP-10 on deficits in long-term fear memory induced by REM sleep deprivation (REM-SD). REM-SD caused deficits in long-term fear memory, however, MP-10 administration ameliorated the deleterious effects of REM-SD on long term fear memory. Brain-derived neurotropic factor (BDNF) and phosphorylated cAMP response element-binding protein (pCREB) were altered in specific brain regions associated with learning and memory in REM-SD rats. Accordingly, REM-SD caused a significant decrease of pCREB in hippocampus and striatum and a significant decrease of BDNF in the hippocampus, striatum and amygdala, however, MP-10 reversed the effects of REM-SD in a dose-dependent manner. Our findings suggest that REM-SD disrupts the consolidation of long-term fear memory and that administration of MP-10 protects the REM-SD-induced deficits in fear memory, which may be due to the MP-10-induced expression of BDNF in the hippocampus, striatum and amygdala, and phosphorylation of CREB in the hippocampus and striatum. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Levels of Interference in Long and Short-Term Memory Differentially Modulate Non-REM and REM Sleep

PubMed Central

Fraize, Nicolas; Carponcy, Julien; Joseph, Mickaël Antoine; Comte, Jean-Christophe; Luppi, Pierre-Hervé; Libourel, Paul-Antoine; Salin, Paul-Antoine; Malleret, Gaël; Parmentier, Régis

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: It is commonly accepted that sleep is beneficial to memory processes, but it is still unclear if this benefit originates from improved memory consolidation or enhanced information processing. It has thus been proposed that sleep may also promote forgetting of undesirable and non-essential memories, a process required for optimization of cognitive resources. We tested the hypothesis that non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREMS) promotes forgetting of irrelevant information, more specifically when processing information in working memory (WM), while REM sleep (REMS) facilitates the consolidation of important information. Methods: We recorded sleep patterns of rats trained in a radial maze in three different tasks engaging either the long-term or short-term storage of information, as well as a gradual level of interference. Results: We observed a transient increase in REMS amount on the day the animal learned the rule of a long-term/reference memory task (RM), and, in contrast, a positive correlation between the performance of rats trained in a WM task involving an important processing of interference and the amount of NREMS or slow wave activity. Various oscillatory events were also differentially modulated by the type of training involved. Notably, NREMS spindles and REMS rapid theta increase with RM training, while sharp-wave ripples increase with all types of training. Conclusions: These results suggest that REMS, but also rapid oscillations occurring during NREMS would be specifically implicated in the long-term memory in RM, whereas NREMS and slow oscillations could be involved in the forgetting of irrelevant information required for WM. Citation: Fraize N, Carponcy J, Joseph MA, Comte JC, Luppi PH, Libourel PA, Salin PA, Malleret G, Parmentier R. Levels of interference in long and short-term memory differentially modulate non-REM and REM sleep. SLEEP 2016;39(12):2173–2188. PMID:27748246

Pedunculopontine Gamma Band Activity and Development.

PubMed

Garcia-Rill, Edgar; Luster, Brennon; Mahaffey, Susan; MacNicol, Melanie; Hyde, James R; D'Onofrio, Stasia M; Phillips, Cristy

2015-12-03

This review highlights the most important discovery in the reticular activating system in the last 10 years, the manifestation of gamma band activity in cells of the reticular activating system (RAS), especially in the pedunculopontine nucleus, which is in charge of waking and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The identification of different cell groups manifesting P/Q-type Ca(2+) channels that control waking vs. those that manifest N-type channels that control REM sleep provides novel avenues for the differential control of waking vs. REM sleep. Recent discoveries on the development of this system can help explain the developmental decrease in REM sleep and the basic rest-activity cycle.

Analysis of rapid eye movement periodicity in narcoleptics based on maximum entropy method.

PubMed

Honma, H; Ohtomo, N; Kohsaka, M; Fukuda, N; Kobayashi, R; Sakakibara, S; Nakamura, F; Koyama, T

1999-04-01

We examined REM sleep periodicity in typical narcoleptics and patients who had shown signs of a narcoleptic tetrad without HLA-DRB1*1501/DQB1*0602 or DR2 antigens, using spectral analysis based on the maximum entropy method. The REM sleep period of typical narcoleptics showed two peaks, one at 70-90 min and one at 110-130 min at night, and a single peak at around 70-90 min during the daytime. The nocturnal REM sleep period of typical narcoleptics may be composed of several different periods, one of which corresponds to that of their daytime REM sleep.

L-carnitine prevents memory impairment induced by chronic REM-sleep deprivation.

PubMed

Alzoubi, Karem H; Rababa'h, Abeer M; Owaisi, Amani; Khabour, Omar F

2017-05-01

Sleep deprivation (SD) negatively impacts memory, which was related to oxidative stress induced damage. L-carnitine is a naturally occurring compound, synthesized endogenously in mammalian species and known to possess antioxidant properties. In this study, the effect of L-carnitine on learning and memory impairment induced by rapid eye movement sleep (REM-sleep) deprivation was investigated. REM-sleep deprivation was induced using modified multiple platform model (8h/day, for 6 weeks). Simultaneously, L-carnitine was administered (300mg/kg/day) intraperitoneally for 6 weeks. Thereafter, the radial arm water maze (RAWM) was used to assess spatial learning and memory. Additionally, the hippocampus levels of antioxidant biomarkers/enzymes: reduced glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), GSH/GSSG ratio, glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase, and superoxide dismutase (SOD) and thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBARS) were assessed. The results showed that chronic REM-sleep deprivation impaired both short- and long-term memory (P<0.05), whereas L-carnitine treatment protected against this effect. Furthermore, L-carnitine normalized chronic REM-sleep deprivation induced reduction in the hippocampus ratio of GSH/GSSG, activity of catalase, GPx, and SOD. No change was observed in TBARS among tested groups (P>0.05). In conclusion, chronic REM-sleep deprivation induced memory impairment, and treatment with L-carnitine prevented this impairment through normalizing antioxidant mechanisms in the hippocampus. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

REM Sleep Enhancement of Probabilistic Classification Learning is Sensitive to Subsequent Interference

PubMed Central

Barsky, Murray M.; Tucker, Matthew A.; Stickgold, Robert

2015-01-01

During wakefulness the brain creates meaningful relationships between disparate stimuli in ways that escape conscious awareness. Processes active during sleep can strengthen these relationships, leading to more adaptive use of those stimuli when encountered during subsequent wake. Performance on the weather prediction task (WPT), a well-studied measure of implicit probabilistic learning, has been shown to improve significantly following a night of sleep, with stronger initial learning predicting more nocturnal REM sleep. We investigated this relationship further, studying the effect on WPT performance of a daytime nap containing REM sleep. We also added an interference condition after the nap/wake period as an additional probe of memory strength. Our results show that a nap significantly boosts WPT performance, and that this improvement is correlated with the amount of REM sleep obtained during the nap. When interference training is introduced following the nap, however, this REM-sleep benefit vanishes. In contrast, following an equal period of wake, performance is both unchanged from training and unaffected by interference training. Thus, while the true probabilistic relationships between WPT stimuli are strengthened by sleep, these changes are selectively susceptible to the destructive effects of retroactive interference, at least in the short term. PMID:25769506

Heart rate control in normal and aborted-SIDS infants.

PubMed

Pincus, S M; Cummins, T R; Haddad, G G

1993-03-01

Approximate entropy (ApEn), a mathematical formula quantifying regularity in data, was applied to heart rate data from normal and aborted-sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) infants. We distinguished quiet from rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep via the following three criteria, refining the notion of REM as more "variable": 1) REM sleep has greater overall variability (0.0374 +/- 0.0138 vs. 0.0205 +/- 0.0090 s, P < 0.005); 2) REM sleep is less stationary (StatAv = 0.742 +/- 0.110) than quiet sleep (StatAv = 0.599 +/- 0.159, P < 0.03); 3) after normalization to overall variability, REM sleep is more regular (ApEnsub = 1.224 +/- 0.092) than quiet sleep (ApEnsub = 1.448 +/- 0.071, P < 0.0001). Fifty percent of aborted-SIDS infants showed greater ApEn instability across quiet sleep than any normal infant exhibited, suggesting that autonomic regulation of heart rate occasionally becomes abnormal in a high-risk subject. There was an association between low ApEn values and aborted-SIDS events; 5 of 14 aborted-SIDS infants had at least one quiet sleep epoch with an ApEn value below the minimum of 45 normal-infant ApEn values.

Variation of electroencephalographic activity during non-rapid eye movement and rapid eye movement sleep with phase of circadian melatonin rhythm in humans.

PubMed Central

Dijk, D J; Shanahan, T L; Duffy, J F; Ronda, J M; Czeisler, C A

1997-01-01

1. The circadian pacemaker regulates the timing, structure and consolidation of human sleep. The extent to which this pacemaker affects electroencephalographic (EEG) activity during sleep remains unclear. 2. To investigate this, a total of 1.22 million power spectra were computed from EEGs recorded in seven men (total, 146 sleep episodes; 9 h 20 min each) who participated in a one-month-long protocol in which the sleep-wake cycle was desynchronized from the rhythm of plasma melatonin, which is driven by the circadian pacemaker. 3. In rapid eye movement (REM) sleep a small circadian variation in EEG activity was observed. The nadir of the circadian rhythm of alpha activity (8.25-10.5 Hz) coincided with the end of the interval during which plasma melatonin values were high, i.e. close to the crest of the REM sleep rhythm. 4. In non-REM sleep, variation in EEG activity between 0.25 and 11.5 Hz was primarily dependent on prior sleep time and only slightly affected by circadian phase, such that the lowest values coincided with the phase of melatonin secretion. 5. In the frequency range of sleep spindles, high-amplitude circadian rhythms with opposite phase positions relative to the melatonin rhythm were observed. Low-frequency sleep spindle activity (12.25-13.0 Hz) reached its crest and high-frequency sleep spindle activity (14.25-15.5 Hz) reached its nadir when sleep coincided with the phase of melatonin secretion. 6. These data indicate that the circadian pacemaker induces changes in EEG activity during REM and non-REM sleep. The changes in non-REM sleep EEG spectra are dissimilar from the spectral changes induced by sleep deprivation and exhibit a close temporal association with the melatonin rhythm and the endogenous circadian phase of sleep consolidation. PMID:9457658

Quantitative EEG of Rapid-Eye-Movement Sleep: A Marker of Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment.

PubMed

Brayet, Pauline; Petit, Dominique; Frauscher, Birgit; Gagnon, Jean-François; Gosselin, Nadia; Gagnon, Katia; Rouleau, Isabelle; Montplaisir, Jacques

2016-04-01

The basal forebrain cholinergic system, which is impaired in early Alzheimer's disease, is more crucial for the activation of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) than it is for wakefulness. Quantitative EEG from REM sleep might thus provide an earlier and more accurate marker of the development of Alzheimer's disease in subjects with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) subjects than that from wakefulness. To assess the superiority of the REM sleep EEG as a screening tool for preclinical Alzheimer's disease, 22 subjects with amnestic MCI (a-MCI; 63.9±7.7 years), 10 subjects with nonamnestic MCI (na-MCI; 64.1±4.5 years) and 32 controls (63.7±6.6 years) participated in the study. Spectral analyses of the waking EEG and REM sleep EEG were performed and the [(delta+theta)/(alpha+beta)] ratio was used to assess between-group differences in EEG slowing. The a-MCI subgroup showed EEG slowing in frontal lateral regions compared to both na-MCI and control groups. This EEG slowing was present in wakefulness (compared to controls) but was much more prominent in REM sleep. Moreover, the comparison between amnestic and nonamnestic subjects was found significant only for the REM sleep EEG. There was no difference in EEG power ratio between na-MCI and controls for any of the 7 cortical regions studied. These findings demonstrate the superiority of the REM sleep EEG in the discrimination between a-MCI and both na-MCI and control subjects. © EEG and Clinical Neuroscience Society (ECNS) 2015.

Memory Performance After Arousal from Different Sleep Stages

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Stones, M. J.

1977-01-01

Learning material was presented to independent groups of subjects either after arousal from non-Rapid Eye Movement (non-REM) sleep, after arousal from REM sleep, or under conditions of no prior sleep. Measures of immediate and subsequent free recall were taken. (Editor)

Association between sleep stages and hunger scores in 36 children.

PubMed

Arun, R; Pina, P; Rubin, D; Erichsen, D

2016-10-01

Childhood obesity is a growing health challenge. Recent studies show that children with late bedtime and late awakening are more obese independent of total sleep time. In adolescents and adults, a delayed sleep phase has been associated with higher caloric intake. Furthermore, an adult study showed a positive correlation between REM sleep and energy balance. This relationship has not been demonstrated in children. However, it may be important as a delayed sleep phase would increase the proportion of REM sleep. This study investigated the relationship between hunger score and sleep physiology in a paediatric population. Thirty-six patients referred for a polysomnogram for suspected obstructive sleep apnoea were enrolled in the study. Sleep stages were recorded as part of the polysomnogram. Hunger scores were obtained using a visual analogue scale. Mean age was 9.6 ± 3.5 years. Mean hunger scores were 2.07 ± 2.78. Hunger scores were positively correlated with percentage of total rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (r = 0.438, P < 0.01) and REM sleep duration in minutes (r = 0.471, P < 0.05). Percentage slow wave sleep (SWS) was negatively correlated with hunger score (r = -0.360, P < 0.05). There were no correlations between age, sex, body mass index percentiles, apnoea-hypopnoea index, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, sleep onset latency, stage 2 sleep duration and hunger scores. These findings suggest that delayed bedtime, which increases the proportion of REM sleep and decreases the proportion of SWS, results in higher hunger levels in children. © 2015 World Obesity.

An under-diagnosed geriatric syndrome: sleep disorders among older adults.

PubMed

Tufan, Asli; Ilhan, Birkan; Bahat, Gulistan; Karan, Mehmet Akif

2017-06-01

Sleep disorders are commonly under-diagnosed in the geriatric population. We aimed to determine the prevalence of sleep problems among older adults admitted to the geriatrics out-patient clinic. Two hundred and three patients (136 female) older than 75 years of age were included in the study. Patients underwent comprehensive geriatric assessment, including identification of sleep problems using the Sleep Disturbance Scale, Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) Single-Question Screen questionnaire (RBD1Q) and The Johns Hopkins Restless Leg Syndrome Severity Scale. Demographic and clinical data including age, sex, medications, comorbid diseases, body mass index and functional scores was noted. The mean age of the patients was 80.92±4.3 years. 35.5% of the patients had findings of REM-SBD and 32.5% of the patients had restless legs syndrome. Ninety-seven percent of the patients answered 'yes' to at least one of the sleep disturbance scale questions. There was no significant difference between male and female groups. We observed that sleep disorders were common among older adults. For this reason, the course and quality of sleep should be examined in all patients as a routine part of comprehensive geriatric assessment.

Flurbiprofen in rapid eye movement sleep deprivation induced hyperalgesia.

PubMed

Gürel, Elif Ezgi; Ural, Keremcan; Öztürk, Gülnur; Öztürk, Levent

2014-04-10

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep deprivation induces hyperalgesia in healthy rats. Here, we evaluated the effects of flurbiprofen, an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective agent, on the increased thermal responses observed in REM sleep deprived rats. Forty female rats were divided into four groups following 96-hour REM sleep deprivation: intraperitoneal injections of placebo, and flurbiprofen 5 mg/kg, 15 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg were made in CONT (n=10), FBP5, FBP15 and FBP40 groups respectively. Pain threshold measurements were performed three times at baseline (0.hour), at the end of REM sleep deprivation (96.hour) and at 1 h after injections (97.hour) by hot plate and tail-flick tests. REM sleep deprivation induced a significant decrease in pain thresholds of all rats (hotplate: 0.hour vs 96.hour, 9.75±2.85 vs 5.10±2.02, p<0.001; tail flick: 0.hour vs 96.hour, 11.92±4.62 vs 7.92±5.15, p<0.001). Flurbiprofen in 15 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg doses significantly improved pain tolerance measured by tail flick test (tail flick in FBP15 and FBP40 groups: 96.hour vs 97.hour, 7.01±4.97 vs 8.34±3.61 and 5.06±1.57 vs 7.04±2.49, p<0.05 for both). 96 h of REM sleep deprivation resulted in reduced pain thresholds in both hot plate and tail flick tests. Flurbiprofen was used for the first time in a rat model of REM sleep deprivation, and it provided anti-nociceptive effects in 15 mg/kg and 40 mg/kg doses. Flurbiprofen may have the potential for treatment of painful syndromes accompanying insomnia or sleep loss. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identification of Causal Genes, Networks, and Transcriptional Regulators of REM Sleep and Wake

PubMed Central

Millstein, Joshua; Winrow, Christopher J.; Kasarskis, Andrew; Owens, Joseph R.; Zhou, Lili; Summa, Keith C.; Fitzpatrick, Karrie; Zhang, Bin; Vitaterna, Martha H.; Schadt, Eric E.; Renger, John J.; Turek, Fred W.

2011-01-01

Study Objective: Sleep-wake traits are well-known to be under substantial genetic control, but the specific genes and gene networks underlying primary sleep-wake traits have largely eluded identification using conventional approaches, especially in mammals. Thus, the aim of this study was to use systems genetics and statistical approaches to uncover the genetic networks underlying 2 primary sleep traits in the mouse: 24-h duration of REM sleep and wake. Design: Genome-wide RNA expression data from 3 tissues (anterior cortex, hypothalamus, thalamus/midbrain) were used in conjunction with high-density genotyping to identify candidate causal genes and networks mediating the effects of 2 QTL regulating the 24-h duration of REM sleep and one regulating the 24-h duration of wake. Setting: Basic sleep research laboratory. Patients or Participants: Male [C57BL/6J × (BALB/cByJ × C57BL/6J*) F1] N2 mice (n = 283). Interventions: None. Measurements and Results: The genetic variation of a mouse N2 mapping cross was leveraged against sleep-state phenotypic variation as well as quantitative gene expression measurement in key brain regions using integrative genomics approaches to uncover multiple causal sleep-state regulatory genes, including several surprising novel candidates, which interact as components of networks that modulate REM sleep and wake. In particular, it was discovered that a core network module, consisting of 20 genes, involved in the regulation of REM sleep duration is conserved across the cortex, hypothalamus, and thalamus. A novel application of a formal causal inference test was also used to identify those genes directly regulating sleep via control of expression. Conclusion: Systems genetics approaches reveal novel candidate genes, complex networks and specific transcriptional regulators of REM sleep and wake duration in mammals. Citation: Millstein J; Winrow CJ; Kasarskis A; Owens JR; Zhou L; Summa KC; Fitzpatrick K; Zhang B; Vitaterna MH; Schadt EE; Renger JJ; Turek FW. Identification of causal genes, networks, and transcriptional regulators of REM sleep and wake. SLEEP 2011;34(11):1469-1477. PMID:22043117

Narcolepsy and the hypocretins.

PubMed

Wurtman, Richard J

2006-10-01

Narcolepsy is a chronic neurologic disease characterized by excessive daytime sleepiness and one or more of three additional symptoms (cataplexy, or sudden loss of muscle tone; vivid hallucinations; and brief periods of total paralysis) related to the occurrence of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep at inappropriate times. The daytime sleepiness typically presents as a sudden overwhelming urge to sleep, followed by periods of sleep that last for seconds or minutes, or even longer. During daytime sleep episodes, patients may exhibit "automatic behavior," performing conventionalized functions (eg, taking notes), but not remembering having done so once they are awake. About 10% of narcoleptics are members of familial clusters; however, genetic factors alone are apparently insufficient to cause the disease, inasmuch as the most common genetic disorder, a mutation in chromosome 6 controlling the HLA antigen immune complex, although seen in 90% to 100% of patients, also occurs in as many as 50% of people without narcolepsy. A dog model of narcolepsy exhibits a mutation on chromosome 12 that disrupts the processing of the peptide neurotransmitter hypocretin. No such mutation characterizes human narcolepsy; however, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) hypocretin levels are profoundly depressed in narcoleptic patients, and a specific reduction in hypocretin-containing neurons has been described. One hypothesis concerning the pathophysiology of narcolepsy proposes that the HLA subtype resulting from the mutation on chromosome 6 increases the susceptibility of hypocretin-containing brain neurons to immune attack. Because hypocretin may normally participate in the maintenance of wakefulness, the loss of neurons that release this peptide might allow REM sleep to occur at inappropriate times, ie, while the patient is awake, in contrast to its normal cyclic appearance after a period of slow-wave sleep. The cataplexy, hallucinations, and/or paralysis associated with REM episodes normally are unnoticed-or, at least, not remembered-when the transition to REM follows slow wave sleep, as is normally the case; however, they are remembered when, in people with narcolepsy, the REM episode starts during a period of wakefulness. The association of narcolepsy with a deficiency in a specific neurotransmitter, in this case, hypocretin, is reminiscent of the associations between Parkinson disease and dopamine, or early Alzheimer disease and acetylcholine.

Activity of dorsal raphe cells across the sleep–waking cycle and during cataplexy in narcoleptic dogs

PubMed Central

Wu, M-F; John, J; Boehmer, L N; Yau, D; Nguyen, G B; Siegel, J M

2004-01-01

Cataplexy, a symptom associated with narcolepsy, represents a unique dissociation of behavioural states. During cataplectic attacks, awareness of the environment is maintained, as in waking, but muscle tone is lost, as in REM sleep. We have previously reported that, in the narcoleptic dog, noradrenergic cells of the locus coeruleus cease discharge during cataplexy. In the current study, we report on the activity of serotonergic cells of the dorsal raphe nucleus. The discharge patterns of serotonergic dorsal raphe cells across sleep–waking states did not differ from those of dorsal raphe and locus coeruleus cells recorded in normal rats, cats and monkeys, with tonic discharge in waking, reduced activity in non-REM sleep and cessation of activity in REM sleep. However, in contrast with locus coeruleus cells, dorsal raphe REM sleep-off neurones did not cease discharge during cataplexy. Instead, discharge continued at a level significantly higher than that seen in REM sleep and comparable to that seen in non-REM sleep. We also identified several cells in the dorsal raphe whose pattern of activity was the opposite of that of the presumed serotonergic cells. These cells were maximally active in REM sleep and minimally active in waking and increased activity during cataplexy. The difference between noradrenergic and serotonergic cell discharge profiles in cataplexy suggests different roles for these cell groups in the normal regulation of environmental awareness and muscle tone and in the pathophysiology of narcolepsy. PMID:14678502

An Ambulatory Polysomnography Study of the Post-traumatic Nightmares of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder.

PubMed

Phelps, Andrea J; Kanaan, Richard A A; Worsnop, Christopher; Redston, Suzy; Ralph, Naomi; Forbes, David

2018-01-01

This study used ambulatory polysomnography (PSG) to investigate post-traumatic nightmares of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The key research question was whether post-traumatic nightmares occur in both rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM sleep, and if so, whether nightmares in each sleep stage differed in content, phenomenology, and heart rate response. Underlying sleep disorders were investigated in an exploratory way. Thirty-five treatment-seeking veterans, current serving military members, and emergency service personnel undertook full PSG using the Compumedics (Melbourne, Australia) SomtePSG V1 system, during an inpatient psychiatric admission. The PSG recording included an event button to be pressed when a nightmare occurred, allowing us to determine the stage of sleep, changes in heart rate, and associated sleep events. The content and phenomenological features of participants' nightmares were recorded. Of the 35 participants, 29 reported a nightmare during their sleep study, but only 21 pressed the event button and could recall the content of one or more nightmare. This yielded sleep and nightmare data for 24 nightmares. Of the 24, 10 nightmares arose from REM sleep and 14 from non-REM (stages N1 and N2). Seven were accurate trauma replays and 17 were non-replay or a mixture of replay and non-replay. Most nightmares were associated with respiratory or leg movement events and increase in heart rate on awakening. Post-traumatic nightmares of PTSD occur in both REM and non-REM sleep and are commonly associated with other sleep disturbances. These findings have important treatment implications. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

Faster REM sleep EEG and worse restedness in older insomniacs with HLA DQB1*0602

PubMed Central

Zeitzer, Jamie Marc; Fisicaro, Ryan Anthony; Grove, Megan Elizabeth; Mignot, Emmanuel; Yesavage, Jerome Albert; Friedman, Leah

2011-01-01

HLA DQB1*0602 is found in most individuals with hypocretin-deficient narcolepsy, a disorder characterized by a severe disruption of sleep and wake. Population studies indicate that DQB1*0602 may also be associated with normal phenotypic variation of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Disruption of REM sleep has been linked to specific symptoms of insomnia. We here examine the relationship of sleep and DQB1*0602 in older individuals (n=46) with primary insomnia, using objective (polysomnography, wrist actigraphy) and subjective (logs, scales) measures. DQB1*0602 positivity was similarly distributed in the older individuals with insomnia (24%) as in the general population (25%). Most sleep variables were statistically indistinguishable between DQB1*0602 positive and negative subjects except that those with the allele reported that they were significantly less well rested than those without it. When sleep efficiencies were lower than 70%, DQB1*0602 positive subjects reported being less well rested at the same sleep efficiency than those without the allele. Examination of EEG during REM sleep also revealed that DQB1*0602 positive subjects had EEG shifted towards faster frequencies compared with negative subjects. Thus, DQB1*0602 positivity is associated with both a shift in EEG power spectrum to faster frequencies during REM sleep and a diminution of restedness given the same sleep quantity. PMID:21292329

CONTROL OF SLEEP AND WAKEFULNESS

PubMed Central

Brown, Ritchie E.; Basheer, Radhika; McKenna, James T.; Strecker, Robert E.; McCarley, Robert W.

2013-01-01

This review summarizes the brain mechanisms controlling sleep and wakefulness. Wakefulness promoting systems cause low-voltage, fast activity in the electroencephalogram (EEG). Multiple interacting neurotransmitter systems in the brain stem, hypothalamus, and basal forebrain converge onto common effector systems in the thalamus and cortex. Sleep results from the inhibition of wake-promoting systems by homeostatic sleep factors such as adenosine and nitric oxide and GABAergic neurons in the preoptic area of the hypothalamus, resulting in large-amplitude, slow EEG oscillations. Local, activity-dependent factors modulate the amplitude and frequency of cortical slow oscillations. Non-rapid-eye-movement (NREM) sleep results in conservation of brain energy and facilitates memory consolidation through the modulation of synaptic weights. Rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep results from the interaction of brain stem cholinergic, aminergic, and GABAergic neurons which control the activity of glutamatergic reticular formation neurons leading to REM sleep phenomena such as muscle atonia, REMs, dreaming, and cortical activation. Strong activation of limbic regions during REM sleep suggests a role in regulation of emotion. Genetic studies suggest that brain mechanisms controlling waking and NREM sleep are strongly conserved throughout evolution, underscoring their enormous importance for brain function. Sleep disruption interferes with the normal restorative functions of NREM and REM sleep, resulting in disruptions of breathing and cardiovascular function, changes in emotional reactivity, and cognitive impairments in attention, memory, and decision making. PMID:22811426

Lewy Body Disease Treatment

MedlinePlus

... Symptoms: When to Consider Antipsychotic Medications" . REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) RBD can be quite responsive to ... Association, Inc. 912 Killian Hill Road S.W., Lilburn, GA 30047 © 2018 Lewy Body Dementia Association, Inc. Connect ...

From state dissociation to status dissociatus.

PubMed

Antelmi, Elena; Ferri, Raffaele; Iranzo, Alex; Arnulf, Isabelle; Dauvilliers, Yves; Bhatia, Kailash P; Liguori, Rocco; Schenck, Carlos H; Plazzi, Giuseppe

2016-08-01

The states of being are conventionally defined by the simultaneous occurrence of behavioral, neurophysiological and autonomic descriptors. State dissociation disorders are due to the intrusion of features typical of a different state into an ongoing state. Disorders related to these conditions are classified according to the ongoing main state and comprise: 1) Dissociation from prevailing wakefulness as seen in hypnagogic or hypnopompic hallucinations, automatic behaviors, sleep drunkenness, cataplexy and sleep paralysis 2) Dissociation from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep as seen in REM sleep behavior disorder and lucid dreaming and 3) Dissociation from NREM sleep as seen in the disorders of arousal. The extreme expression of states dissociation is characterized by the asynchronous occurrence of the various components of the different states that prevents the recognition of any state of being. This condition has been named status dissociatus. According to the underlying disorders/diseases and to their severity, among status dissociatus we may recognize disorders in which such an extreme dissociation occurs only at night time or intermittently (i.e., autoimmune encephalopathies, narcolepsy type 1 and IgLON5 parasomnia), and others in which it occurs nearly continuously with complete loss of any conventionally defined state of being, and of the circadian pattern (agrypnia excitata). Here, we render a comprehensive review of all diseases/disorders associated with state dissociation and status dissociatus and propose a critical classification of this complex scenario. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Do Circadian Preferences Influence the Sleep Patterns of Night Shift Drivers?

PubMed Central

Narciso, Fernanda V.; Esteves, Andrea M.; Oliveira e Silva, Luciana; Bittencourt, Lia R.A.; Silva, Rogerio S.; Pires, Maria Laura N.; Tufik, Sergio; de Mello, Marco Tulio

2013-01-01

Objective The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of individual circadian preferences of drivers with fixed night work schedules on sleep patterns. Subjects and Methods A total of 123 professional drivers, 32 indifferent preference drivers and 91 morning preference drivers of an intermunicipality and interstate bus transportation company were evaluated. All drivers underwent polysomnographic recordings after their shifts. Furthermore, they filled out a questionnaire that contained sociodemographic and health questions. The Horne and Östberg questionnaire was used to assess the subjects' morningness-eveningness preference. Results The mean age was 42.54 ± 6.98 years and 82 (66.66%) of the drivers had worked for ≥15 years. A significant effect on rapid eye movement (REM) was observed in the morning preference drivers. They showed an increased sleep latency and an REM sleep percentage of 5% of the total REM time. This reveals a significant effect on sleep architecture associated with work time. Conclusion The drivers reported that morning preference had a significant effect on their sleep pattern indicating less REM sleep and longer REM sleep latency in the morning preference group. Thus, it is important to evaluate interactions between individual aspects of health and other parameters, such as sleep quality and work organizational factors, to promote night shift workers' health and well-being. PMID:23988815

Do circadian preferences influence the sleep patterns of night shift drivers?

PubMed

Narciso, Fernanda V; Esteves, Andrea M; Oliveira e Silva, Luciana; Bittencourt, Lia R A; Silva, Rogerio S; Pires, Maria Laura N; Tufik, Sergio; de Mello, Marco Tulio

2013-01-01

The objective of this study was to analyze the effect of individual circadian preferences of drivers with fixed night work schedules on sleep patterns. A total of 123 professional drivers, 32 indifferent preference drivers and 91 morning preference drivers of an intermunicipality and interstate bus transportation company were evaluated. All drivers underwent polysomnographic recordings after their shifts. Furthermore, they filled out a questionnaire that contained sociodemographic and health questions. The Horne and Östberg questionnaire was used to assess the subjects' morningness-eveningness preference. The mean age was 42.54 ± 6.98 years and 82 (66.66%) of the drivers had worked for ≥15 years. A significant effect on rapid eye movement (REM) was observed in the morning preference drivers. They showed an increased sleep latency and an REM sleep percentage of 5% of the total REM time. This reveals a significant effect on sleep architecture associated with work time. The drivers reported that morning preference had a significant effect on their sleep pattern indicating less REM sleep and longer REM sleep latency in the morning preference group. Thus, it is important to evaluate interactions between individual aspects of health and other parameters, such as sleep quality and work organizational factors, to promote night shift workers' health and well-being. © 2013 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Sleep disturbances as the hallmark of PTSD: where are we now?

PubMed

Germain, Anne

2013-04-01

The hypothesis that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep disturbances are the hallmark of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), proposed by Ross and colleagues in 1989, has stimulated a wealth of clinical, preclinical, and animal studies on the role of sleep in the pathophysiology of PTSD. The present review revisits this influential hypothesis in light of clinical and experimental findings that have since accumulated. Polysomnographic studies conducted in adults with PTSD have yielded mixed findings regarding REM sleep disturbances, and they generally suggest modest and nonspecific sleep disruptions. Prospective and treatment studies have provided more robust evidence for the relationship between sleep disturbances and psychiatric outcomes and symptoms. Experimental animal and human studies that have probed the relationship between REM sleep and fear responses, as well as studies focused more broadly on sleep-dependent affective and memory processes, also provide strong support for the hypothesis that sleep plays an important role in PTSD-relevant processes. Overall, the literature suggests that disturbed REM or non-REM sleep can contribute to maladaptive stress and trauma responses and may constitute a modifiable risk factor for poor psychiatric outcomes. Clinicians need to consider that the chronic sleep disruption associated with nightmares may affect the efficacy of first-line PTSD treatments, but targeted sleep treatments may accelerate recovery from PTSD. The field is ripe for prospective and longitudinal studies in high-risk groups to clarify how changes in sleep physiology and neurobiology contribute to increased risk of poor psychiatric outcomes.

Lucid dreaming in narcolepsy.

PubMed

Dodet, Pauline; Chavez, Mario; Leu-Semenescu, Smaranda; Golmard, Jean-Louis; Arnulf, Isabelle

2015-03-01

To evaluate the frequency, determinants and sleep characteristics of lucid dreaming in narcolepsy. University hospital sleep disorder unit. Case-control study. Consecutive patients with narcolepsy and healthy controls. Participants were interviewed regarding the frequency and determinants of lucid dreaming. Twelve narcolepsy patients and 5 controls who self-identified as frequent lucid dreamers underwent nighttime and daytime sleep monitoring after being given instructions regarding how to give an eye signal when lucid. Compared to 53 healthy controls, the 53 narcolepsy patients reported more frequent dream recall, nightmares and recurrent dreams. Lucid dreaming was achieved by 77.4% of narcoleptic patients and 49.1% of controls (P < 0.05), with an average of 7.6±11 vs. 0.3±0.8 lucid dreams/ month (P < 0.0001). The frequency of cataplexy, hallucinations, sleep paralysis, dyssomnia, HLA positivity, and the severity of sleepiness were similar in narcolepsy with and without lucid dreaming. Seven of 12 narcoleptic (and 0 non-narcoleptic) lucid dreamers achieved lucid REM sleep across a total of 33 naps, including 14 episodes with eye signal. The delta power in the electrode average, in delta, theta, and alpha powers in C4, and coherences between frontal electrodes were lower in lucid than non-lucid REM sleep in spectral EEG analysis. The duration of REM sleep was longer, the REM sleep onset latency tended to be shorter, and the percentage of atonia tended to be higher in lucid vs. non-lucid REM sleep; the arousal index and REM density and amplitude were unchanged. Narcolepsy is a novel, easy model for studying lucid dreaming. © 2015 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Makino Preparation promotes sleep by increasing REM sleep.

PubMed

Lin, Sisi; Nie, Bo; Yao, Guihong; Yang, Hui; Ye, Ren; Yuan, Zhengzhong

2018-05-15

Pinellia ternata (Thunb.) Makino Preparation (PTP) is widely used to treat insomnia in traditional Chinese medicine; however, its specific role is not clear. In this study, PTP was prepared at three concentrations. For locomotor activity tests, mice were treated with PTP and evaluated for 14 days. For polygraph recordings, mice were treated for 14 days and recorded after treatment. The main chemical constituents in PTP were identified by Ultra performance liquid chromatography/quadrupole time spectrometry (UPLC/Q-TOF-MS). The results showed that 0.9 g/mL PTP significantly reduced locomotor activity. The effect was related to the time of treatment. PTP reduced wakefulness and increased sleep in mice. Furthermore, PTP promoted sleep by increasing the number of REM sleep episodes with a duration of 64-128s and increasing the number of transitions from NREM sleep to REM sleep and from REM sleep to wakefulness. A total of 17 compounds were identified.

Lucid Dreaming in Narcolepsy

PubMed Central

Dodet, Pauline; Chavez, Mario; Leu-Semenescu, Smaranda; Golmard, Jean-Louis; Arnulf, Isabelle

2015-01-01

Objective: To evaluate the frequency, determinants and sleep characteristics of lucid dreaming in narcolepsy Settings: University hospital sleep disorder unit Design: Case-control study Participants: Consecutive patients with narcolepsy and healthy controls Methods: Participants were interviewed regarding the frequency and determinants of lucid dreaming. Twelve narcolepsy patients and 5 controls who self-identified as frequent lucid dreamers underwent nighttime and daytime sleep monitoring after being given instructions regarding how to give an eye signal when lucid. Results: Compared to 53 healthy controls, the 53 narcolepsy patients reported more frequent dream recall, nightmares and recurrent dreams. Lucid dreaming was achieved by 77.4% of narcoleptic patients and 49.1% of controls (P < 0.05), with an average of 7.6 ± 11 vs. 0.3 ± 0.8 lucid dreams/month (P < 0.0001). The frequency of cataplexy, hallucinations, sleep paralysis, dyssomnia, HLA positivity, and the severity of sleepiness were similar in narcolepsy with and without lucid dreaming. Seven of 12 narcoleptic (and 0 non-narcoleptic) lucid dreamers achieved lucid REM sleep across a total of 33 naps, including 14 episodes with eye signal. The delta power in the electrode average, in delta, theta, and alpha powers in C4, and coherences between frontal electrodes were lower in lucid than non-lucid REM sleep in spectral EEG analysis. The duration of REM sleep was longer, the REM sleep onset latency tended to be shorter, and the percentage of atonia tended to be higher in lucid vs. non-lucid REM sleep; the arousal index and REM density and amplitude were unchanged. Conclusion: Narcoleptics have a high propensity for lucid dreaming without differing in REM sleep characteristics from people without narcolepsy. This suggests narcolepsy patients may provide useful information in future studies on the nature of lucid dreaming. Citation: Dodet P, Chavez M, Leu-Semenescu S, Golmard JL, Arnulf I. Lucid dreaming in narcolepsy. SLEEP 2015;38(3):487–497. PMID:25348131

Time delay between cardiac and brain activity during sleep transitions

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Long, Xi; Arends, Johan B.; Aarts, Ronald M.; Haakma, Reinder; Fonseca, Pedro; Rolink, Jérôme

2015-04-01

Human sleep consists of wake, rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, and non-REM (NREM) sleep that includes light and deep sleep stages. This work investigated the time delay between changes of cardiac and brain activity for sleep transitions. Here, the brain activity was quantified by electroencephalographic (EEG) mean frequency and the cardiac parameters included heart rate, standard deviation of heartbeat intervals, and their low- and high-frequency spectral powers. Using a cross-correlation analysis, we found that the cardiac variations during wake-sleep and NREM sleep transitions preceded the EEG changes by 1-3 min but this was not the case for REM sleep transitions. These important findings can be further used to predict the onset and ending of some sleep stages in an early manner.

Risk Factors for Neurodegeneration in Idiopathic REM sleep Behavior Disorder: A Multicenter Study

PubMed Central

Postuma, RB; Iranzo, A; Hogl, B; Arnulf, I; Ferini-Strambi, L; Manni, R; Miyamoto, T.; Oertel, W; Dauvilliers, Y; Ju, Y; Puligheddu, M; Sonka, K; Pelletier, A; Santamaria, J; Frauscher, B; Leu-Semenescu, S; Zucconi, M; Terzaghi, M; Miyamoto, M.; Unger, MM; Carlander, B; Fantini, ML; Montplaisir, JY

2018-01-01

Objective To assess whether risk factors for Parkinson’s disease and Dementia with Lewy bodies increase rate of defined neurodegenerative disease in idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder Methods 12 centers administered a detailed questionnaire assessing risk factors for neurodegenerative synucleinopathy to patients with idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder. Variables included demographics, lifestyle factors, pesticide exposures, occupation, co-morbid conditions, medication use, family history, and autonomic/motor symptoms. After 4-years follow-up, patients were assessed for dementia or parkinsonism. Disease risk was assessed with Kaplan-Meier analysis, and epidemiologic variables were compared between convertors and those still idiopathic using logistic regression. Results Of 305 patients, follow-up information was available for 279, of whom 93 (33.3%) developed defined neurodegenerative disease. Disease risk was 25% at 3 years, and 41% after 5 years. Patients who converted were older (difference=4.5 years, p<0.001), with similar sex distribution. Neither caffeine, smoking, nor alcohol exposure predicted conversion. Although occupation was similar between groups, those who converted had a lower likelihood of pesticide exposure (occupational insecticide=2.3% vs. 9.0%). Convertors were more likely to report family history of dementia (OR=2.09), without significant differences in Parkinson’s disease or sleep disorders. Medication exposures and medical history were similar between groups. Autonomic and motor symptoms were more common among those who converted. Risk factors for primary dementia and parkinsonism were generally similar, except for a notably higher clonazepam use in dementia convertors (OR=2.6). Interpretation Patients with idiopathic RBD are at very high risk of neurodegenerative synucleinopathy. Risk factor profiles between convertors and non-convertors have both important commonalities and differences. PMID:25767079

Rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder.

PubMed

Gugger, James J; Wagner, Mary L

2007-11-01

To describe the clinical features of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD), evaluate treatment options, and discuss management of patients with comorbid diseases. A MEDLINE search (1977-April 2007) using the terms REM sleep behavior disorder, narcolepsy, parkinsonian disorders, levodopa, dopamine agonists, clonazepam, benzodiazepines, and melatonin was used to retrieve relevant articles. The reference sections of all articles and texts were scanned for additional literature. All articles published in English were evaluated. There were no specific criteria for inclusion of articles in this review. RBD is characterized by enactment of dream content resulting from the loss of normal skeletal muscle atonia during REM sleep. RBD occurs mainly in geriatric patients and in patients with neurodegenerative diseases, especially parkinsonian diseases. The presence of idiopathic RBD may be a sign of an underlying parkinsonian syndrome. Development of RBD may be one of the first manifestations of Parkinson's disease or other parkinsonian syndromes. An acute form of RBD can be drug-induced or occur on drug withdrawal. The potential for injury to the patient and his or her bed partner is as high as 96%. Controlled trials are unavailable for most agents used in the treatment of RBD, although clonazepam is an effective first-line agent and can provide rapid and complete symptom remission based on evidence from 3 large case series. Patients who cannot tolerate clonazepam or who have a suboptimal response may benefit from melatonin alone or as an adjunct. Both drugs are generally well tolerated when taken at bedtime. Management of patients with RBD becomes complicated due to the high incidence of neurologic comorbidity. Clonazepam is the treatment of choice for patients with RBD. The drug is efficacious and has a low incidence of adverse effects. Melatonin is a viable second-line or adjunctive treatment.

Effects of an alkaloid-rich extract from Mitragyna speciosa leaves and fluoxetine on sleep profiles, EEG spectral frequency and ethanol withdrawal symptoms in rats.

PubMed

Cheaha, Dania; Keawpradub, Niwat; Sawangjaroen, Kitja; Phukpattaranont, Pimpimol; Kumarnsit, Ekkasit

2015-10-15

Many antidepressants are effective in alleviating ethanol withdrawal symptoms. However, most of them suppress rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Thus, development of antidepressants without undesirable side effects would be preferable. Previously, crude alkaloid extract from Mitragyna speciosa (MS) Korth was found to produce antidepressant activities. It was hypothesized that the alkaloid extract from MS may attenuate ethanol withdrawal without REM sleep disturbance. Adult male Wistar rats implanted with electrodes over the frontal and parietal cortices were used for two separated studies. For an acute study, 10 mg/kg fluoxetine or 60 mg/kg alkaloid extract from MS were administered intragastrically. Electroencephalographic (EEG) signals were recorded for 3 h to examine sleep profiles and EEG fingerprints. Another set of animal was used for an ethanol withdrawal study. They were rendered dependent on ethanol via a modified liquid diet (MLD) containing ethanol ad libitum for 28 days. On day 29, fluoxetine (10 mg/kg) or alkaloid extract from MS (60 mg/kg) were administered 15 min before the ethanol-containing MLD was replaced with an isocaloric ethanol-free MLD to induced ethanol withdrawal symptoms. The sleep analysis revealed that alkaloid extract from MS did not change any REM parameters which included average duration of each REM episode, total REM time, number of REM episode and REM latency whereas fluoxetine significantly suppressed all REM parameters and delayed REM latency. However, power spectral analysis revealed similar fingerprints for fluoxetine and alkaloid extract from MS characterized by decreasing powers in the slow frequency range in frontal and parietal cortical EEG. Neither treatment affected spontaneous motor activity. Finally, both alkaloid extract from MS and fluoxetine were found to significantly attenuate ethanol withdrawal-induced hyperexcitability (increases gamma activity) in both cortices and to reduce locomotor activity. The present study demonstrated that the alkaloid extract from MS alleviates ethanol withdrawal severity with no side effect on REM sleep. In addition, these data suggest that suppressive effects on slow frequency powers but not REM sleep may be hallmarks of effective antidepressants for ethanol withdrawal treatment. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Restricting Time in Bed in Early Adolescence Reduces Both NREM and REM Sleep but Does Not Increase Slow Wave EEG

PubMed Central

Campbell, Ian G.; Kraus, Amanda M.; Burright, Christopher S.; Feinberg, Irwin

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: School night total sleep time decreases across adolescence (9–18 years) by 10 min/year. This decline is comprised entirely of a selective decrease in NREM sleep; REM sleep actually increases slightly. Decreasing sleep duration across adolescence is often attributed to insufficient time in bed. Here we tested whether sleep restriction in early adolescence produces the same sleep stage changes observed on school nights across adolescence. Methods: All-night sleep EEG was recorded in 76 children ranging in age from 9.9 to 14.0 years. Each participant kept 3 different sleep schedules that consisted of 3 nights of 8.5 h in bed followed by 4 nights of either 7, 8.5, or 10 h in bed. Sleep stage durations and NREM delta EEG activity were compared across the 3 time in bed conditions. Results: Shortening time in bed from 10 to 7 hours reduced sleep duration by approximately 2 hours, roughly equal to the decrease in sleep duration we recorded longitudinally across adolescence. However, sleep restriction significantly reduced both NREM (by 83 min) and REM (by 47 min) sleep. Sleep restriction did not affect NREM delta EEG activity. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the selective NREM reduction and the small increase in REM we observed longitudinally across 9–18 years are not produced by sleep restriction. We hypothesize that the selective NREM decline reflects adolescent brain maturation (synaptic elimination) that reduces the need for the restorative processes of NREM sleep. Citation: Campbell IG, Kraus AM, Burright CS, Feinberg I. Restricting time in bed in early adolescence reduces both NREM and REM sleep but does not increase slow wave EEG. SLEEP 2016;39(9):1663–1670. PMID:27397569

REM sleep modulation by perifornical orexinergic inputs to the pedunculo-pontine tegmental neurons in rats.

PubMed

Khanday, M A; Mallick, B N

2015-11-12

Rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) is regulated by the interaction of the REM-ON and REM-OFF neurons located in the pedunculo-pontine-tegmentum (PPT) and the locus coeruleus (LC), respectively. Many other brain areas, particularly those controlling non-REMS (NREMS) and waking, modulate REMS by modulating these REMS-related neurons. Perifornical (PeF) orexin (Ox)-ergic neurons are reported to increase waking and reduce NREMS as well as REMS; dysfunction of the PeF neurons are related to REMS loss-associated disorders. Hence, we were interested in understanding the neural mechanism of PeF-induced REMS modulation. As a first step we have recently reported that PeF Ox-ergic neurons modulate REMS by influencing the LC neurons (site for REM-OFF neurons). Thereafter, in this in vivo study we have explored the role of PeF inputs on the PPT neurons (site for REM-ON neurons) for the regulation of REMS. Chronic male rats were surgically prepared with implanted bilateral cannulae in PeF and PPT and electrodes for recording sleep-waking patterns. After post-surgical recovery sleep-waking-REMS were recorded when bilateral PeF neurons were stimulated by glutamate and simultaneously bilateral PPT neurons were infused with either saline or orexin receptor1 (OX1R) antagonist. It was observed that PeF stimulation increased waking and decreased NREMS as well as REMS, which were prevented by OX1R antagonist into the PPT. We conclude that the PeF stimulation-induced reduction in REMS was likely to be due to inhibition of REM-ON neurons in the PPT. As waking and NREMS are inversely related, subject to confirmation, the reduction in NREMS could be due to increased waking or vice versa. Based on our findings from this and earlier studies we have proposed a model showing connections between PeF- and PPT-neurons for REMS regulation. Copyright © 2015 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

REM Restriction Persistently Alters Strategy Used to Solve a Spatial Task

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Bjorness, Theresa E.; Tysor, Michael K.; Poe, Gina R.; Riley, Brett T.

2005-01-01

We tested the hypothesis that rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is important for complex associative learning by restricting rats from entering REM sleep for 4 h either immediately after training on an eight-box spatial task (0-4 REMr) or 4 h following training (4-8 REMr). Both groups of REM-restricted rats eventually reached the same overall…

Sleep Disorders as a Risk to Language Learning and Use.

PubMed

McGregor, Karla K; Alper, Rebecca M

2015-05-01

Are people with sleep disorders at higher risk for language learning deficits than healthy sleepers? Scoping Review. PubMed, Google Scholar, Trip Database, ClinicalTrials.gov. sleep disorders AND language AND learning; sleep disorders language learning -deprivation -epilepsy; sleep disorders AND verbal learning. 36. Children and adults with sleep disorders were at a higher risk for language problems than healthy sleepers. The language problems typically co-occurred with problems of attention and executive function (in children and adults), behavior (in children), and visual-spatial processing (in adults). Effects were typically small. Language problems seldom rose to a level of clinical concern but there were exceptions involving phonological deficits in children with sleep-disordered breathing and verbal memory deficits among adults with sleep-disordered breathing or idiopathic REM sleep behavior disorder. Case history interviews should include questions about limited sleep, poor-quality sleep, snoring, and excessive daytime sleepiness. Medical referrals for clients with suspected sleep disorders are prudent.

Developmental Changes in Ultradian Sleep Cycles across Early Childhood.

PubMed

Lopp, Sean; Navidi, William; Achermann, Peter; LeBourgeois, Monique; Diniz Behn, Cecilia

2017-02-01

Nocturnal human sleep is composed of cycles between rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep. In adults, the structure of ultradian cycles between NREM and REM sleep is well characterized; however, less is known about the developmental trajectories of ultradian sleep cycles across early childhood. Cross-sectional studies indicate that the rapid ultradian cycling of active-quiet sleep in infancy shifts to a more adult-like pattern of NREM-REM sleep cycling by the school-age years, yet longitudinal studies elucidating the details of this transition are scarce. To address this gap, we examined ultradian cycling during nocturnal sleep following 13 h of prior wakefulness in 8 healthy children at 3 longitudinal points: 2Y (2.5-3.0 years of age), 3Y (3.5-4.0 years of age), and 5Y (5.5-6.0 years of age). We found that the length of ultradian cycles increased with age as a result of increased NREM sleep episode duration. In addition, we observed a significant decrease in the number of NREM sleep episodes as well as a nonsignificant trend for a decrease in the number of cycles with increasing age. Together, these findings suggest a concurrent change in which cycle duration increases and the number of cycles decreases across development. We also found that, consistent with data from adolescents and adults, the duration of NREM sleep episodes decreased with time since lights-off whereas the duration of REM sleep episodes increased over this time period. These results indicate the presence of circadian modulation of nocturnal sleep in preschool children. In addition to characterizing changes in ultradian cycling in healthy children ages 2 to 5 years, this work describes a developmental model that may provide insights into the emergence of normal adult REM sleep regulatory circuitry as well as potential trajectories of dysregulated ultradian cycles such as those associated with affective disorders.

Developmental Changes in Ultradian Sleep Cycles across Early Childhood: Preliminary Insights

PubMed Central

Lopp, Sean; Navidi, William; Achermann, Peter; LeBourgeois, Monique; Diniz Behn, Cecilia

2017-01-01

Nocturnal human sleep is composed of cycles between rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and non-REM (NREM) sleep. In adults, the structure of ultradian cycles between NREM and REM sleep is well characterized; however, less is known about the developmental trajectories of ultradian sleep cycles across early childhood. Cross-sectional studies indicate that the rapid ultradian cycling of active-quiet sleep in infancy shifts to a more adult-like pattern of NREM-REM sleep cycling by the school-age years, yet longitudinal studies elucidating the details of this transition are scarce. To address this gap, we examined ultradian cycling during nocturnal sleep following 13 h of prior wakefulness in 8 healthy children at 3 longitudinal points: 2Y (2.5-3.0 years of age), 3Y (3.5-4.0 years of age), and 5Y (5.5-6.0 years of age). We found that the length of ultradian cycles increased with age as a result of increased NREM sleep episode duration. In addition, we observed a significant decrease in the number of NREM sleep episodes as well as a nonsignificant trend for a decrease in the number of cycles with increasing age. Together, these findings suggest a concurrent change in which cycle duration increases and the number of cycles decreases across development. We also found that, consistent with data from adolescents and adults, the duration of NREM sleep episodes decreased with time since lights-off whereas the duration of REM sleep episodes increased over this time period. These results indicate the presence of circadian modulation of nocturnal sleep in preschool children. In addition to characterizing changes in ultradian cycling in healthy children ages 2 to 5 years, this work describes a developmental model that may provide insights into the emergence of normal adult REM sleep regulatory circuitry as well as potential trajectories of dysregulated ultradian cycles such as those associated with affective disorders. PMID:28088873

Estradiol and Progesterone Modulate Spontaneous Sleep Patterns and Recovery from Sleep Deprivation in Ovariectomized Rats

PubMed Central

Deurveilher, Samüel; Rusak, Benjamin; Semba, Kazue

2009-01-01

Study Objectives: Women undergo hormonal changes both naturally during their lives and as a result of sex hormone treatments. The objective of this study was to gain more knowledge about how these hormones affect sleep and responses to sleep loss. Design: Rats were ovariectomized and implanted subcutaneously with Silastic capsules containing oil vehicle, 17β-estradiol and/or progesterone. After 2 weeks, sleep/wake states were recorded during a 24-h baseline period, 6 h of total sleep deprivation induced by gentle handling during the light phase, and an 18-h recovery period. Measurements and Results: At baseline and particularly in the dark phase, ovariectomized rats treated with estradiol or estradiol plus progesterone spent more time awake at the expense of non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREMS) and/or REMS, whereas those given progesterone alone spent less time in REMS than ovariectomized rats receiving no hormones. Following sleep deprivation, all rats showed rebound increases in NREMS and REMS, but the relative increase in REMS was larger in females receiving hormones, especially high estradiol. In contrast, the normal increase in NREMS EEG delta power (an index of NREMS intensity) during recovery was attenuated by all hormone treatments. Conclusions: Estradiol promotes arousal in the active phase in sleep-satiated rats, but after sleep loss, both estradiol and progesterone selectively facilitate REMS rebound while reducing NREMS intensity. These results indicate that effects of ovarian hormones on recovery sleep differ from those on spontaneous sleep. The hormonal modulation of recovery sleep architecture may affect recovery of sleep related functions after sleep loss. Citation: Deurveilher S; Rusak B; Semba K. Estradiol and progesterone modulate spontaneous sleep patterns and recovery from sleep deprivation in ovariectomized rats. SLEEP 2009;32(7):865-877. PMID:19639749

RGS Proteins and Gαi2 Modulate Sleep, Wakefulness, and Disruption of Sleep/ Wake States after Isoflurane and Sevoflurane Anesthesia.

PubMed

Zhang, Hao; Wheat, Heather; Wang, Peter; Jiang, Sha; Baghdoyan, Helen A; Neubig, Richard R; Shi, X Y; Lydic, Ralph

2016-02-01

This study tested the hypothesis that Regulators of G protein Signaling (RGS) proteins contribute to the regulation of wakefulness, non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and to sleep disruption caused by volatile anesthetics. The three groups used in this study included wild-type (WT; n = 7) mice and knock-in mice that were heterozygous (+/GS; n = 7) or homozygous (GS/GS; n = 7) for an RGS-insensitive allele that causes prolonged Gαi2 signaling. Mice were implanted with electrodes for recording sleep and conditioned for 1 week or more to sleep in the laboratory. Using within and between groups designs, 24-h recordings of wakefulness, NREM sleep, and REM sleep were compared across three interventions: (1) baseline (control) and after 3 h of being anesthetized with (2) isoflurane or (3) sevoflurane. Baseline recordings during the light phase revealed that relative to WT mice, homozygous RGS-insensitive (GS/GS) mice exhibit significantly increased wakefulness and decreased NREM and REM sleep. During the dark phase, these state-specific differences remained significant but reversed direction of change. After cessation of isoflurane and sevoflurane anesthesia there was a long-lasting and significant disruption of sleep and wakefulness. The durations of average episodes of wakefulness, NREM sleep, and REM sleep were significantly altered as a function of genotype and isoflurane and sevoflurane anesthesia. RGS proteins and Gαi2 play a significant role in regulating states of wakefulness, NREM sleep, and REM sleep. Genotype-specific differences demonstrate that RGS proteins modulate sleep disruption caused by isoflurane and sevoflurane anesthesia. The results also support the conclusion that isoflurane and sevoflurane anesthesia do not satisfy the homeostatic drive for sleep. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

REM sleep rescues learning from interference

PubMed Central

McDevitt, Elizabeth A.; Duggan, Katherine A.; Mednick, Sara C.

2015-01-01

Classical human memory studies investigating the acquisition of temporally-linked events have found that the memories for two events will interfere with each other and cause forgetting (i.e., interference; Wixted, 2004). Importantly, sleep helps consolidate memories and protect them from subsequent interference (Ellenbogen, Hulbert, Stickgold, Dinges, & Thompson-Schill, 2006). We asked whether sleep can also repair memories that have already been damaged by interference. Using a perceptual learning paradigm, we induced interference either before or after a consolidation period. We varied brain states during consolidation by comparing active wake, quiet wake, and naps with either non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM), or both NREM and REM sleep. When interference occurred after consolidation, sleep and wake both produced learning. However, interference prior to consolidation impaired memory, with retroactive interference showing more disruption than proactive interference. Sleep rescued learning damaged by interference. Critically, only naps that contained REM sleep were able to rescue learning that was highly disrupted by retroactive interference. Furthermore, the magnitude of rescued learning was correlated with the amount of REM sleep. We demonstrate the first evidence of a process by which the brain can rescue and consolidate memories damaged by interference, and that this process requires REM sleep. We explain these results within a theoretical model that considers how interference during encoding interacts with consolidation processes to predict which memories are retained or lost. PMID:25498222

Multiple sleep latency measures in narcolepsy and behaviourally induced insufficient sleep syndrome.

PubMed

Marti, Isabelle; Valko, Philipp O; Khatami, Ramin; Bassetti, Claudio L; Baumann, Christian R

2009-12-01

Short mean latencies to the first epoch of non-rapid eye movement sleep stage 1 (NREM1) and the presence of >or= 2 sleep onset REM (SOREM) periods on multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) occur in both narcolepsy-cataplexy (NC) and behaviourally induced insufficient sleep syndrome (BIISS). It is not known whether specific MSLT findings help differentiate the two disorders. We analyzed MSLT data including sleep latencies to and between different sleep stages of 60 age-, gender- and body mass index (BMI)-matched subjects (hypocretin-deficient NC, actigraphy-confirmed BIISS, healthy controls: each 20). Mean latency (in minutes) to NREM1 sleep was significantly shorter in NC (1.8+/-1.5) than in BIISS (4.7+/-2.1, p<0.001) and controls (11.4+/-3.3, p<0.001). Mean latency to NREM2 sleep was similar in NC (8.6+/-4.7) and BIISS (8.1+/-2.7, p=0.64); latency to either NREM2 or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (i.e., the sum of the sleep latency to NREM1 and the duration of the first NREM1 sleep sequence), however, was shorter in NC (4.4+/-2.9) than in BIISS (7.9+/-3.5, p<0.001). Referring to all naps with SOREM periods, the sequence NREM1-REM-NREM2 was more common (71%) in NC than in BIISS (15%, p<0.001), reflecting the shorter latency from NREM1 to NREM2 in BIISS (3.7+/-2.5) than in NC (6.1+/-5.9, p<0.001). Our findings show that both sleepiness (as measured by NREM1 sleep latency) and REM sleep propensity are higher in NC than in BIISS. Furthermore, our finding of frequent REM sleep prior to NREM2 sleep in NC is in line with the recent assumption of an insufficient NREM sleep intensity in NC. Together with detailed clinical interviews, sleep logs, actigraphy, and nocturnal polysomnography, mean sleep latencies to NREM1

Distinct associations between energy balance and the sleep characteristics slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep.

PubMed

Rutters, F; Gonnissen, H K; Hursel, R; Lemmens, S G; Martens, E A; Westerterp-Plantenga, M S

2012-10-01

Epidemiologically, an inverse relationship between body mass index (BMI) and sleep duration is observed. Intra-individual variance in the amount of slow wave sleep (SWS) or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep has been related to variance of metabolic and endocrine parameters, which are risk factors for the disturbance of energy balance (EB). To investigate inter-individual relationships between EB (EB= energy intake-energy expenditure∣, MJ/24 h), SWS or REM sleep, and relevant parameters in normal-weight men during two 48 h stays in the controlled environment of a respiration chamber. A total of 16 men (age 23±3.7 years, BMI 23.9±1.9 kg m(-2)) stayed in the respiration chamber twice for 48 h to assure EB. Electroencephalography was used to monitor sleep (2330-0730 hrs). Hunger and fullness were scored by visual analog scales; mood was determined by State Trait Anxiety Index-state and food reward by liking and wanting. Baseline blood and salivary samples were collected before breakfast. Subjects were fed in EB, except for the last dinner, when energy intake was ad libitum. The subjects slept on average 441.8±49 min per night, and showed high within-subject reliability for the amount of SWS and REM sleep. Linear regression analyses showed that EB was inversely related to the amount of SWS (r=-0.43, P<0.03), and positively related to the amount of REM sleep (r=0.40, P<0.05). Relevant parameters such as hunger, reward, stress and orexigenic hormone concentrations were related to overeating, as well as to the amount of SWS and REM sleep, however, after inclusion of these parameters in a multiple regression, the amount of SWS and REM sleep did not add to the explained variance of EB, which suggests that due to their individual associations, these EB parameters are mediator variables. A positive EB due to overeating, was explained by a smaller amount of SWS and higher amount of REM sleep, mediated by hunger, fullness, State Trait Anxiety Index-state scores, glucose/insulin ratio, and ghrelin and cortisol concentrations.

Neocortical 40 Hz oscillations during carbachol-induced rapid eye movement sleep and cataplexy.

PubMed

Torterolo, Pablo; Castro-Zaballa, Santiago; Cavelli, Matías; Chase, Michael H; Falconi, Atilio

2016-02-01

Higher cognitive functions require the integration and coordination of large populations of neurons in cortical and subcortical regions. Oscillations in the gamma band (30-45 Hz) of the electroencephalogram (EEG) have been involved in these cognitive functions. In previous studies, we analysed the extent of functional connectivity between cortical areas employing the 'mean squared coherence' analysis of the EEG gamma band. We demonstrated that gamma coherence is maximal during alert wakefulness and is almost absent during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The nucleus pontis oralis (NPO) is critical for REM sleep generation. The NPO is considered to exert executive control over the initiation and maintenance of REM sleep. In the cat, depending on the previous state of the animal, a single microinjection of carbachol (a cholinergic agonist) into the NPO can produce either REM sleep [REM sleep induced by carbachol (REMc)] or a waking state with muscle atonia, i.e. cataplexy [cataplexy induced by carbachol (CA)]. In the present study, in cats that were implanted with electrodes in different cortical areas to record polysomnographic activity, we compared the degree of gamma (30-45 Hz) coherence during REMc, CA and naturally-occurring behavioural states. Gamma coherence was maximal during CA and alert wakefulness. In contrast, gamma coherence was almost absent during REMc as in naturally-occurring REM sleep. We conclude that, in spite of the presence of somatic muscle paralysis, there are remarkable differences in cortical activity between REMc and CA, which confirm that EEG gamma (≈40 Hz) coherence is a trait that differentiates wakefulness from REM sleep. © 2015 Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Disinhibition of perifornical hypothalamic neurones activates noradrenergic neurones and blocks pontine carbachol-induced REM sleep-like episodes in rats

PubMed Central

Lu, Jackie W; Fenik, Victor B; Branconi, Jennifer L; Mann, Graziella L; Rukhadze, Irma; Kubin, Leszek

2007-01-01

Studies in behaving animals suggest that neurones located in the perifornical (PF) region of the posterior hypothalamus promote wakefulness and suppress sleep. Among such cells are those that synthesize the excitatory peptides, orexins (ORX). Lack of ORX, or their receptors, is associated with narcolepsy/cataplexy, a disorder characterized by an increased pressure for rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We used anaesthetized rats in which pontine microinjections of a cholinergic agonist, carbachol, can repeatedly elicit REM sleep-like episodes to test whether activation of PF cells induced by antagonism of endogenous, GABAA receptor-mediated, inhibition suppresses the ability of the brainstem to generate REM sleep-like state. Microinjections of the GABAA receptor antagonist, bicuculline (20 nl, 1 mm), into the PF region elicited cortical and hippocampal activation, increased the respiratory rate and hypoglossal nerve activity, induced c-fos expression in ORX and other PF neurones, and increased c-fos expression in pontine A7 and other noradrenergic neurones. The ability of pontine carbachol to elicit any cortical, hippocampal or brainstem component of the REM sleep-like response was abolished during the period of bicuculline-induced activation. The activating and REM sleep-suppressing effect of PF bicuculline was not attenuated by systemic administration of the ORX type 1 receptor antagonist, SB334867. Thus, activation of PF neurones that are endogenously inhibited by GABAA receptors is sufficient to turn off the brainstem REM sleep-generating network; the effect is, at least in part, due to activation of pontine noradrenergic neurones, but is not mediated by ORX type 1 receptors. A malfunction of the pathway that originates in GABAA receptor-expressing PF neurones may cause narcolepsy/cataplexy. PMID:17495048

Epidemiology and management of insomnia in children with autistic spectrum disorders.

PubMed

Miano, Silvia; Ferri, Raffaele

2010-04-01

Insomnia is the predominant sleep concern in children with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD), and its nature is most likely multifactorial, with neurochemical (abnormalities in serotonergic transmission or melatonin levels), psychiatric (anxiety), and behavioral (poor sleep habits) etiological factors involved. Children with ASD experience sleep problems similar to those of typically developing children, although the prevalence is markedly higher, occurring in 44-83% of school-aged children with ASD. Caregivers usually report that insomnia is the most frequent sleep disorder, described as disorders of initiating and maintaining sleep, restless sleep, bedtime resistance, co-sleeping, alterations of sleep hygiene, and early awakenings in the morning. Many actigraphic studies have added information on sleep disorders, confirming the questionnaire findings in the majority of cases. There are relatively few polysomnographic data for ASD, compared with questionnaire studies, and most of these studies reported a reduction in total sleep time and more undifferentiated sleep in the youngest patients. These findings were associated with several sleep microstructure alterations during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and with non-REM (NREM) sleep microstructure changes that appeared to be related to cognitive impairment rather than to the autistic core. Moreover, few data about other less frequent sleep disorders, such as periodic limb movements disorder and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, bruxism, and the influence of epilepsy and EEG abnormalities, are available. Both pharmacologic and behavioral interventions have been suggested for the treatment of sleep problems in autistic children. The most common types of behavioral interventions are complete extinction (removing reinforcement to reduce a behavior) and various forms of graduated extinction. Melatonin has shown promising results in the treatment of insomnia in children with ASD. Although controlled studies are limited, there are more data demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of melatonin in ASD than for other sedative/hypnotic drugs. Finally, a dual treatment for insomnia in ASDs with melatonin and behavioral techniques has been suggested. A recent study using a combination of genetic and functional experimental techniques reported evidence that low melatonin concentration caused by a primary deficit in acetylserotonin methyltransferase activity is a risk factor for ASD. Sleep problems usually start at the same age as developmental regression, suggesting a higher vulnerability at this period of life. Further studies, beginning at younger ages, are necessary to better investigate these aspects and the role of melatonin in insomnia in children with ASD.

[Sleep psychiatry].

PubMed

Chiba, Shigeru

2013-01-01

Sleep disorders are serious issues in modern society. There has been marked scientific interest in sleep for a century, with the discoveries of the electrical activity of the brain (EEG), sleep-wake system, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and circadian rhythm system. Additionally, the advent of video-polysomnography in clinical research has revealed some of the consequences of disrupted sleep and sleep deprivation in psychiatric disorders. Decades of clinical research have demonstrated that sleep disorders are intimately tied to not only physical disease (e. g., lifestyle-related disease) but psychiatric illness. According to The International Classification of Sleep Disorders (2005), sleep disorders are classified into 8 major categories: 1) insomnia, 2) sleep-related breathing disorders, 3) hypersomnias of central origin, 4) circadian rhythm sleep disorders, 5) parasomnias, 6) sleep-related movement disorders, 7) isolated symptoms, and 8) other sleep disorders. Several sleep disorders, including obstructive sleep apnea syndrome, restless legs syndrome, periodic limb movement disorder, sleepwalking, REM sleep behavior disorder, and narcolepsy, may be comorbid or possibly mimic numerous psychiatric disorders, and can even occur due to psychiatric pharmacotherapy. Moreover, sleep disorders may exacerbate underlying psychiatric disorders when left untreated. Therefore, psychiatrists should pay attention to the intimate relationship between sleep disorders and psychiatric symptoms. Sleep psychiatry is an academic field focusing on interrelations between sleep medicine and psychiatry. This mini-review summarizes recent findings in sleep psychiatry. Future research on the bidirectional relation between sleep disturbance and psychiatric symptoms will shed light on the pathophysiological view of psychiatric disorders and sleep disorders.

Update of sleep alterations in depression

PubMed Central

Medina, Andrés Barrera; Lechuga, DeboraYoaly Arana; Escandón, Oscar Sánchez; Moctezuma, Javier Velázquez

2014-01-01

Sleep disturbances in depression are up to 70%. Patients frequently have difficulty in falling asleep, frequent awakenings during the night and non-restorative sleep. Sleep abnormalities in depression are mainly characterized by increased rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and reduced slow wave sleep. Among the mechanisms of sleep disturbances in depression are hyperactivation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, CLOCK gene polymorphism and primary sleep disorders. The habenula is a structure regulating the activities of monoaminergic neurons in the brain. The hyperactivation of the habenula has also been implicated, together with sleep disturbances, in depression. The presence of depression in primary sleep disorders is common. Sleep disturbances treatment include pharmacotherapy or Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. PMID:26483922

A study on fear memory retrieval and REM sleep in maternal separation and isolation stressed rats.

PubMed

Sampath, Dayalan; Sabitha, K R; Hegde, Preethi; Jayakrishnan, H R; Kutty, Bindu M; Chattarji, Sumantra; Rangarajan, Govindan; Laxmi, T R

2014-10-15

As rapid brain development occurs during the neonatal period, environmental manipulation during this period may have a significant impact on sleep and memory functions. Moreover, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep plays an important role in integrating new information with the previously stored emotional experience. Hence, the impact of early maternal separation and isolation stress (MS) during the stress hyporesponsive period (SHRP) on fear memory retention and sleep in rats were studied. The neonatal rats were subjected to maternal separation and isolation stress during postnatal days 5-7 (6h daily/3d). Polysomnographic recordings and differential fear conditioning was carried out in two different sets of rats aged 2 months. The neuronal replay during REM sleep was analyzed using different parameters. MS rats showed increased time in REM stage and total sleep period also increased. MS rats showed fear generalization with increased fear memory retention than normal control (NC). The detailed analysis of the local field potentials across different time periods of REM sleep showed increased theta oscillations in the hippocampus, amygdala and cortical circuits. Our findings suggest that stress during SHRP has sensitized the hippocampus-amygdala-cortical loops which could be due to increased release of corticosterone that generally occurs during REM sleep. These rats when subjected to fear conditioning exhibit increased fear memory and increased fear generalization. The development of helplessness, anxiety and sleep changes in human patients, thus, could be related to the reduced thermal, tactile and social stimulation during SHRP on brain plasticity and fear memory functions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Levels of Interference in Long and Short-Term Memory Differentially Modulate Non-REM and REM Sleep.

PubMed

Fraize, Nicolas; Carponcy, Julien; Joseph, Mickaël Antoine; Comte, Jean-Christophe; Luppi, Pierre-Hervé; Libourel, Paul-Antoine; Salin, Paul-Antoine; Malleret, Gaël; Parmentier, Régis

2016-12-01

It is commonly accepted that sleep is beneficial to memory processes, but it is still unclear if this benefit originates from improved memory consolidation or enhanced information processing. It has thus been proposed that sleep may also promote forgetting of undesirable and non-essential memories, a process required for optimization of cognitive resources. We tested the hypothesis that non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREMS) promotes forgetting of irrelevant information, more specifically when processing information in working memory (WM), while REM sleep (REMS) facilitates the consolidation of important information. We recorded sleep patterns of rats trained in a radial maze in three different tasks engaging either the long-term or short-term storage of information, as well as a gradual level of interference. We observed a transient increase in REMS amount on the day the animal learned the rule of a long-term/reference memory task (RM), and, in contrast, a positive correlation between the performance of rats trained in a WM task involving an important processing of interference and the amount of NREMS or slow wave activity. Various oscillatory events were also differentially modulated by the type of training involved. Notably, NREMS spindles and REMS rapid theta increase with RM training, while sharp-wave ripples increase with all types of training. These results suggest that REMS, but also rapid oscillations occurring during NREMS would be specifically implicated in the long-term memory in RM, whereas NREMS and slow oscillations could be involved in the forgetting of irrelevant information required for WM. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

[Dreams in normal and pathological aging].

PubMed

Guénolé, Fabian; Marcaggi, Geoffrey; Baleyte, Jean-Marc; Garma, Lucile

2010-06-01

Although most of scientific knowledge in dream research is based on young adult studies, this article provides a review of the effects of normal and pathological aging on dream psychology. It starts with preliminary comments about epistemological and methodological principles of dream research, its singularities in aged persons, and the modifications of sleep physiology with age. The whole literature agrees that dream recall progressively decreases from the beginning of adulthood - not in old age - and that dream reports become less intense, perceptually and emotionally. This evolution occurs faster in men than women, with gender differences in the content of dreams. The chronological modifications could be explained partly by changes in lifestyle and attitude towards dreams in early adulthood, but mainly by modifications of sleep physiology, particularly the decrease and qualitative changes of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Dreams have usually little subjective importance in the mental life of aged persons. However, working with dreams can be a valuable tool for psychotherapy in the aged. According to the few existing data, patients suffering degenerative dementia dream much less than healthy aged persons. In Alzheimer's disease, this could be linked to the decrease of REM sleep, and atrophy of associative sensory areas of the cerebral cortex. Most studied aspects of dreaming in degenerative cognitive disorders are REM sleep behavior disorders, and nightmares induced by cholinesterase inhibitors. More studies are needed to better characterize the evolution of dreams with age, particularly studies performed in sleep laboratory.

Waking and sleeping in the rat made obese through a high-fat hypercaloric diet.

PubMed

Luppi, Marco; Cerri, Matteo; Martelli, Davide; Tupone, Domenico; Del Vecchio, Flavia; Di Cristoforo, Alessia; Perez, Emanuele; Zamboni, Giovanni; Amici, Roberto

2014-01-01

Sleep restriction leads to metabolism dysregulation and to weight gain, which is apparently the consequence of an excessive caloric intake. On the other hand, obesity is associated with excessive daytime sleepiness in humans and promotes sleep in different rodent models of obesity. Since no consistent data on the wake-sleep (WS) pattern in diet-induced obesity rats are available, in the present study the effects on the WS cycle of the prolonged delivery of a high-fat hypercaloric (HC) diet leading to obesity were studied in Sprague-Dawley rats. The main findings are that animals kept under a HC diet for either four or eight weeks showed an overall decrease of time spent in wakefulness (Wake) and a clear Wake fragmentation when compared to animals kept under a normocaloric diet. The development of obesity was also accompanied with the occurrence of a larger daily amount of REM sleep (REMS). However, the capacity of HC animals to respond to a "Continuous darkness" exposure condition (obtained by extending the Dark period of the Light-Dark cycle to the following Light period) with an increase of Sequential REMS was dampened. The results of the present study indicate that if, on one hand, sleep curtailment promotes an excess of energy accumulation; on the other hand an over-exceeding energy accumulation depresses Wake. Thus, processes underlying energy homeostasis possibly interact with those underlying WS behavior, in order to optimize energy storage. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Blindfolding during wakefulness causes decrease in sleep slow wave activity.

PubMed

Korf, Eva Magdalena; Mölle, Matthias; Born, Jan; Ngo, Hong-Viet V

2017-04-01

Slow wave activity (SWA, 0.5-4 Hz) represents the predominant EEG oscillatory activity during slow wave sleep (SWS). Its amplitude is considered in part a reflection of synaptic potentiation in cortical networks due to encoding of information during prior waking, with higher amplitude indicating stronger potentiation. Previous studies showed that increasing and diminishing specific motor behaviors produced corresponding changes in SWA in the respective motor cortical areas during subsequent SWS Here, we tested whether this relationship can be generalized to the visual system, that is, whether diminishing encoding of visual information likewise leads to a localized decrease in SWA over the visual cortex. Experiments were performed in healthy men whose eyes on two different days were or were not covered for 10.5 h before bedtime. The subject's EEG was recorded during sleep and, after sleep, visual evoked potentials (VEPs) were recorded. SWA during nonrapid eye movement sleep (NonREM sleep) was lower after blindfolding than after eyes open ( P  < 0.01). The decrease in SWA that was most consistent during the first 20 min of NonREM sleep, did not remain restricted to visual cortex regions, with changes over frontal and parietal cortical regions being even more pronounced. In the morning after sleep, the N75-P100 peak-to-peak-amplitude of the VEP was significantly diminished in the blindfolded condition. Our findings confirm a link between reduced wake encoding and diminished SWA during ensuing NonREM sleep, although this link appears not to be restricted to sensory cortical areas. © 2017 The Authors. Physiological Reports published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of The Physiological Society and the American Physiological Society.

Temporal Organization of the Sleep-Wake Cycle under Food Entrainment in the Rat

PubMed Central

Castro-Faúndez, Javiera; Díaz, Javier; Ocampo-Garcés, Adrián

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: To analyze the temporal organization of the sleep-wake cycle under food entrainment in the rat. Methods: Eighteen male Sprague-Dawley rats were chronically implanted for polysomnographic recording. During the baseline (BL) protocol, rats were recorded under a 12:12 light-dark (LD) schedule in individual isolation chambers with food and water ad libitum. Food entrainment was performed by means of a 4-h food restriction (FR) protocol starting at photic zeitgeber time 5. Eight animals underwent a 3-h phase advance of the FR protocol (A-FR). We compared the mean curves and acrophases of wakefulness, NREM sleep, and REM sleep under photic and food entrainment and after a phase advance in scheduled food delivery. We further evaluated the dynamics of REM sleep homeostasis and the NREM sleep EEG delta wave profile. Results: A prominent food-anticipatory arousal interval was observed after nine or more days of FR, characterized by increased wakefulness and suppression of REM sleep propensity and dampening of NREM sleep EEG delta activity. REM sleep exhibited a robust nocturnal phase preference under FR that was not explained by a nocturnal REM sleep rebound. The mean curve of sleep-wake states and NREM sleep EEG delta activity remained phase-locked to the timing of meals during the A-FR protocol. Conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis that under food entrainment, the sleep-wake cycle is coupled to a food-entrainable oscillator (FEO). Our findings suggest an unexpected interaction between FEO output and NREM sleep EEG delta activity generators. Citation: Castro-Faúndez J, Díaz J, Ocampo-Garcés A. Temporal organization of the sleep-wake cycle under food entrainment in the rat. SLEEP 2016;39(7):1451–1465. PMID:27091526

Antidepressants and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: Isolated Side Effect or Neurodegenerative Signal?

PubMed Central

Postuma, Ronald B.; Gagnon, Jean-Francois; Tuineaig, Maria; Bertrand, Josie-Anne; Latreille, Veronique; Desjardins, Catherine; Montplaisir, Jacques Y.

2013-01-01

Objectives: Antidepressants, among the most commonly prescribed medications, trigger symptoms of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) in up to 6% of users. Idiopathic RBD is a very strong prodromal marker of Parkinson disease and other synuclein-mediated neurodegenerative syndromes. It is therefore critically important to understand whether antidepressant-associated RBD is an independent pharmacologic syndrome or a sign of possible prodromal neurodegeneration. Design: Prospective cohort study. Setting: Tertiary sleep disorders center. Participants: 100 patients with idiopathic RBD, all with diagnosis confirmed on polysomnography, stratified to baseline antidepressant use, with 45 matched controls. Measurements/Results: Of 100 patients, 27 were taking antidepressants. Compared to matched controls, RBD patients taking antidepressants demonstrated significant abnormalities of 12/14 neurodegenerative markers tested, including olfaction (P = 0.007), color vision (P = 0.004), Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale II and III (P < 0.001 and 0.007), timed up-and-go (P = 0.003), alternate tap test (P = 0.002), Purdue Pegboard (P = 0.007), systolic blood pressure drop (P = 0.029), erectile dysfunction (P = 0.002), constipation (P = 0.003), depression indices (P < 0.001), and prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (13% vs. 60%, P < 0.001). All these abnormalities were indistinguishable in severity from RBD patients not taking antidepressants. However, on prospective follow-up, RBD patients taking antidepressants had a lower risk of developing neurodegenerative disease than those without antidepressant use (5-year risk = 22% vs. 59%, RR = 0.22, 95%CI = 0.06, 0.74). Conclusions: Although patients with antidepressant-associated RBD have a lower risk of neurodegeneration than patients with “purely-idiopathic” RBD, markers of prodromal neurodegeneration are still clearly present. Development of RBD with antidepressants can be an early signal of an underlying neurodegenerative disease. Citation: Postuma RB; Gagnon JF; Tuineaig M; Bertrand JA; Latreille V; Desjardins C; Montplaisir JY. Antidepressants and REM sleep behavior disorder: isolated side effect or neurodegenerative signal? SLEEP 2013;36(11):1579-1585. PMID:24179289

Prodromal Parkinson's disease--using REM sleep behavior disorder as a window.

PubMed

Postuma, Ronald B

2014-01-01

REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is characterized by loss of REM atonia of sleep, such that patients act out the contents of their dreams. Perhaps the most important facet of idiopathic RBD is that it is a powerful prodromal marker of Parkinson's disease (PD) and other synucleinopathies. Several prospective studies have now established that patients with idiopathic RBD have up to an 80% risk of developing a defined neurodegenerative synucleinopathy. This has profound implications for understanding and treating early disease. First, the extremely high risk and long latency/time to intervene make RBD patients the ideal candidates for neuroprotective therapy against synucleinopathy. Second, RBD patients can be used as a 'test lab' to assess other potential prodromal predictors of PD, which could be applied to the general population in future large-scale screening programs. Third, assessing epidemiology of RBD allows us to study the epidemiology of PD and dementia with Lewy bodies 10-15 years earlier, reducing bias and opening new hypotheses as to the mechanism of action of selected risk factors. Finally, by prospectively observing RBD patients as they transition to full neurodegenerative synucleinopathy, one has an unprecedented window in which to directly observe evolution of PD from its prodromal stages. The evidence for RBD as a marker of prodromal PD and all these implications will be discussed. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Obstructive sleep apnea related to rapid-eye-movement or non-rapid-eye-movement sleep: comparison of demographic, anthropometric, and polysomnographic features

PubMed Central

Sunnetcioglu, Aysel; Sertogullarından, Bunyamin; Ozbay, Bulent; Gunbatar, Hulya; Ekin, Selami

2016-01-01

Objective : To determine whether there are significant differences between rapid-eye-movement (REM)-related obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and non-REM (NREM)-related OSA, in terms of the demographic, anthropometric, and polysomnographic characteristics of the subjects. Methods : This was a retrospective study of 110 patients (75 males) with either REM-related OSA (n = 58) or NREM-related OSA (n = 52). To define REM-related and NREM-related OSA, we used a previously established criterion, based on the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI): AHI-REM/AHI-NREM ratio > 2 and ≤ 2, respectively. Results : The mean age of the patients with REM-related OSA was 49.5 ± 11.9 years, whereas that of the patients with NREM-related OSA was 49.2 ± 12.6 years. The overall mean AHI (all sleep stages combined) was significantly higher in the NREM-related OSA group than in the REM-related OSA group (38.6 ± 28.2 vs. 14.8 ± 9.2; p < 0.05). The mean AHI in the supine position (s-AHI) was also significantly higher in the NREM-related OSA group than in the REM-related OSA group (49.0 ± 34.3 vs. 18.8 ± 14.9; p < 0.0001). In the NREM-related OSA group, the s-AHI was higher among the men. In both groups, oxygen desaturation was more severe among the women. We found that REM-related OSA was more common among the patients with mild-to-moderate OSA, whereas NREM-related OSA was more common among those with severe OSA. Conclusions : We found that the severity of NREM-related OSA was associated mainly with s-AHI. Our findings suggest that the s-AHI has a more significant effect on the severity of OSA than does the AHI-REM. When interpreting OSA severity and choosing among treatment modalities, physicians should take into consideration the sleep stage and the sleep posture. PMID:26982041

Dyssomnias, parasomnias, and sleep disorders associated with medical and psychiatric diseases.

PubMed

Barthlen, G M; Stacy, C

1994-03-01

Sleep disorders can be intrinsic, as are insomnia or narcolepsy, or can be accounted for by external factors, such as noise, altitude, drug or alcohol abuse, or shift work. The arousal disorders, common in children, are usually benign and disappear by puberty. Sleep-wake transition disorders such as sleep starts are benign as well, and may occur at any age. The parasomnias comprise different entities such as nightmares, REM-sleep behavior disorder, sleep enuresis, and bruxism. Diagnosis and treatment often require a multidisciplinary approach. Virtually every psychiatric, neurologic, or medical disease, when of sufficient severity, leaves its specific fingerprint on sleep; some disorders, such as peptic ulcer disease, gastroesophageal reflux, or epilepsy, tend to be exacerbated during sleep. Fortunately, most sleep disorders are amenable to therapy, which can include counseling, sleep hygiene, withholding of an offending agent, behavioral therapy, light therapy, or cautious drug therapy.

Sleeping brain, learning brain. The role of sleep for memory systems.

PubMed

Peigneux, P; Laureys, S; Delbeuck, X; Maquet, P

2001-12-21

The hypothesis that sleep participates in the consolidation of recent memory traces has been investigated using four main paradigms: (1) effects of post-training sleep deprivation on memory consolidation, (2) effects of learning on post-training sleep, (3) effects of within sleep stimulation on the sleep pattern and on overnight memories, and (4) re-expression of behavior-specific neural patterns during post-training sleep. These studies convincingly support the idea that sleep is deeply involved in memory functions in humans and animals. However, the available data still remain too scarce to confirm or reject unequivocally the recently upheld hypothesis that consolidations of non-declarative and declarative memories are respectively dependent upon REM and NREM sleep processes.

Sleep and Epilepsy: Strange Bedfellows No More.

PubMed

St Louis, Erik K

2011-09-01

Ancient philosophers and theologians believed that altered consciousness freed the mind to prophesy the future, equating sleep with seizures. Only recently has the bidirectional influences of epilepsy and sleep upon one another received more substantive analysis. This article reviews the complex and increasingly recognized interrelationships between sleep and epilepsy. NREM sleep differentially activates interictal epileptiform discharges during slow wave (N3) sleep, while ictal seizure events occur more frequently during light NREM stages N1 and N2. The most commonly encountered types of sleep-related epilepsies (those with preferential occurrence during sleep or following arousal) include frontal and temporal lobe partial epilepsies in adults, and benign epilepsy of childhood with centrotemporal spikes (benign rolandic epilepsy) and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy in children and adolescents. Comorbid sleep disorders are frequent in patients with epilepsy, particularly obstructive sleep apnea in refractory epilepsy patients which may aggravate seizure burden, while treatment with nasal continuous positive airway pressure often improves seizure frequency. Distinguishing nocturnal events such as NREM parasomnias (confusional arousals, sleep walking, and night terrors), REM parasomnias including REM sleep behavior disorder, and nocturnal seizures if frequently difficult and benefits from careful history taking and video-EEG-polysomnography in selected cases. Differentiating nocturnal seizures from primary sleep disorders is essential for determining appropriate therapy, and recognizing co-existent sleep disorders in patients with epilepsy may improve their seizure burden and quality of life.

Interhemispheric differences of the correlation dimension in a human sleep electroencephalogram.

PubMed

Kobayashi, Toshio; Madokoro, Shigeki; Misaki, Kiwamu; Murayama, Jyunichi; Nakagawa, Hiroki; Wada, Yuji

2002-06-01

The interhemispheric differences of the correlation dimension (D2) in the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) of eight healthy right-handed students was investigated. During slow wave sleep (SWS) the D2 of the central EEG and the temporal left hemisphere (LH) EEG were significantly higher than those in the right hemisphere (RH) EEG; but during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the D2 of the central EEG and the occipital RH EEG were significantly higher. The D2 of EEG in the left temporal site during REM sleep were significantly higher than in the right during the first and third sleep cycles, but these were significantly lower during the fourth and fifth sleep cycles. During REM sleep, temporal brain activity may shift from the LH to the RH as morning approaches.

Role of chemical drive in recruiting upper airway and inspiratory intercostal muscles in patients with obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed

Okabe, S; Chonan, T; Hida, W; Satoh, M; Kikuchi, Y; Takishima, T

1993-01-01

Upper airway dilating muscle activity increases during apneic episodes in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). To elucidate the relative contribution of chemical and nonchemical stimuli to augmentation of the upper airway dilating muscle, we measured the response of genioglossus muscle (GG) and inspiratory intercostal muscle (IIM) activities to obstructive apnea during non-REM sleep and compared them with the response to progressive hypoxia and hypercapnia during awake periods in seven male patients with OSA. GG EMG was measured with a wire electrode inserted percutaneously, and IIM EMG was measured with surface electrodes placed in the second intercostal space parasternally. Responses to hypoxia and to hypercapnia were assessed by rebreathing methods in the supine position while awake. Following these measurements, a sleep study was conducted with the EMG electrodes placed in the same locations. The relationship between GG and IIM activities during the cycle of apnea and postapneic ventilation in non-REM sleep was quasi-linear, and the slope of the regression line was significantly greater than those during progressive hypoxia and progressive hypercapnia. The amplitude of GG activity at 70% of maximum IIM activities in the hypoxic test was 140 +/- 20% (mean +/- SEM) during non-REM sleep, which was also significantly greater than that during hypoxia (51 +/- 10%) and that during hypercapnia (59 +/- 15%). These results suggest that nonchemical factors contribute considerably to augmentation of GG activity during obstructive apneic episodes. The nonchemical stimuli may arise from mechanoreceptors activated by upper airway obstruction and behavioral factors associated with change in sleep states.

HLA typing does not predict REM sleep behaviour disorder and hallucinations in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Onofrj, Marco; Luciano, Anna Lisa; Iacono, Diego; Thomas, Astrid; Stocchi, Fabrizio; Papola, Franco; Adorno, Domenico; Di Mascio, Rocco

2003-03-01

HLA-DR2 haplotype and DQ1 DNA alleles, characterizing 90 to 100% of all narcoleptic patients, were found to be equally distributed in 20 Parkinson's disease (PD) patients with early hallucinations, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep-related behaviour disturbances (RBD), and sleep onset in REM (SOREM), and in 20 PD patients without hallucinations, despite 10 to 15 years of treatment, and no RBD or SOREM.

Key sleep neurologic disorders

PubMed Central

St. Louis, Erik K.

2014-01-01

Summary Sleep disorders are frequent comorbidities in neurologic patients. This review focuses on clinical aspects and prognosis of 3 neurologic sleep disorders: narcolepsy, restless legs syndrome/Willis-Ekbom disease (RLS/WED), and REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD). Narcolepsy causes pervasive, enduring excessive daytime sleepiness, adversely affecting patients' daily functioning. RLS/WED is characterized by an uncomfortable urge to move the legs before sleep, often evolving toward augmentation and resulting in daylong bothersome symptoms. RBD causes potentially injurious dream enactment behaviors that often signify future evolution of overt synucleinopathy neurodegeneration in as many as 81% of patients. Timely recognition, referral for polysomnography, and longitudinal follow-up of narcolepsy, RLS/WED, and RBD patients are imperatives for neurologists in providing quality comprehensive patient care. PMID:24605270

Idiopathic REM Sleep Behavior Disorder in the development of Parkinson’s Disease

PubMed Central

Boeve, Bradley F.

2016-01-01

Summary Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder associated with Lewy body disease (LBD) pathology in central and peripheral nervous system structures. While the etiology of PD is not fully understood, recent clinicopathologic analyses by Braak and colleagues have led to the development of a staging system of LBD pathology in the evolution of prototypical PD. This system posits a relatively predictable topography of progression of LBD pathology in the central nervous system, from olfactory structures and the medulla, which then progresses rostrally from the medulla to the pons, then midbrain/substantia nigra, then limbic, and then neocortical structures. If this topography and temporal evolution of LBD pathology indeed occur, one could hypothesize that other manifestations of LBD which reflect degeneration of olfactory and pontomedullary structures may begin many years prior to the development of prominent nigral degeneration and the associated parkinsonian features of classic PD. One such manifestation of prodromal PD is rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD), which is a parasomnia manifested by vivid dreams associated with dream enactment behavior during REM sleep. Animal and human studies have implicated lesions or dysfunction in REM sleep and motor control circuitry in the pontomedullary structures cause RBD phenomenology, and degeneration of these structures could explain the presence of RBD years or decades prior to the onset of parkinsonism in those who develop PD. This review incorporates the rapidly growing literature on RBD and other prodromal features of PD as it pertains to the Braak staging system, and presents a framework from which many hypotheses can be (and already are being) tested. An important outcome of this framework will be to determine the natural history of RBD and associated features in the evolution to PD in the current era of no disease-modifying therapies – these natural history data will permit the development of clinical trail methodology with key measures and adequate power to detect if such therapies delay the onset or prevent the development of PD and associated morbidity. PMID:23578773

Differences in sleep architecture between left and right temporal lobe epilepsy.

PubMed

Nakamura, Miki; Jin, Kazutaka; Kato, Kazuhiro; Itabashi, Hisashi; Iwasaki, Masaki; Kakisaka, Yosuke; Nakasato, Nobukazu

2017-01-01

To investigate whether seizure lateralization affects sleep macrostructure in patients with left and right temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), as rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is shorter in patients with right hemispheric cerebral infarction than with left. We retrospectively analyzed data from 16 patients with TLE (6 men and 10 women aged 34.9 ± 11.4 years) who underwent polysomnography as well as long-term video electroencephalography. Ten patients were diagnosed with left TLE and six patients with right TLE. Sleep stages and respiratory events were scored based on the American Academy of Sleep Medicine criteria. Sleep and respiratory parameters were compared between the patient groups. Percentage of REM stage sleep was significantly (p < 0.05) lower in patients with left TLE (median 8.8 %, interquartile range 5.5-13.8 %) than in patients with right TLE (median 17.0 %, interquartile range 14.1-18.3 %). The other parameters showed no significant differences. Shorter REM sleep in patients with left TLE sharply contrasts with the previous report of shorter REM sleep in patients with right cerebral infarction. Laterality of the irritative epileptic focus versus destructive lesion may have different effects on the sleep macrostructures.

A Role for REM Sleep in Recalibrating the Sensitivity of the Human Brain to Specific Emotions

PubMed Central

Gujar, Ninad; McDonald, Steven Andrew; Nishida, Masaki

2011-01-01

Although the impact of sleep on cognitive function is increasingly well established, the role of sleep in modulating affective brain processes remains largely uncharacterized. Using a face recognition task, here we demonstrate an amplified reactivity to anger and fear emotions across the day, without sleep. However, an intervening nap blocked and even reversed this negative emotional reactivity to anger and fear while conversely enhancing ratings of positive (happy) expressions. Most interestingly, only those subjects who obtained rapid eye movement (REM) sleep displayed this remodulation of affective reactivity for the latter 2 emotion categories. Together, these results suggest that the evaluation of specific human emotions is not static across a daytime waking interval, showing a progressive reactivity toward threat-related negative expressions. However, an episode of sleep can reverse this predisposition, with REM sleep depotentiating negative reactivity toward fearful expressions while concomitantly facilitating recognition and ratings of reward-relevant positive expressions. These findings support the view that sleep, and specifically REM neurophysiology, may represent an important factor governing the optimal homeostasis of emotional brain regulation. PMID:20421251

Sleep Related Changes in Blood Pressure in Hypocretin-Deficient Narcoleptic Mice

PubMed Central

Bastianini, Stefano; Silvani, Alessandro; Berteotti, Chiara; Elghozi, Jean-Luc; Franzini, Carlo; Lenzi, Pierluigi; Lo, Martire Viviana; Zoccoli, Giovanna

2011-01-01

Study Objectives: Although blood pressure during sleep and the difference in blood pressure between sleep and wakefulness carry prognostic information, little is known on their central neural mechanisms. Hypothalamic neurons releasing hypocretin (orexin) peptides control wake-sleep behavior and autonomic functions and are lost in narcolepsy-cataplexy. We investigated whether chronic lack of hypocretin signaling alters blood pressure during sleep. Design: Comparison of blood pressure as a function of the wake-sleep behavior between 2 different hypocretin-deficient mouse models and control mice with the same genetic background. Setting: N/A. Subjects: Hypocretin-ataxin3 transgenic mice with genetic ablation of hypocretin neurons (TG, n = 12); hypocretin gene knock-out mice (KO, n = 8); congenic wild-type controls (WT, n = 10). Interventions: Instrumentation with electrodes for sleep recordings and a telemetric blood pressure transducer. Measurements and Results: Blood pressure was significantly higher in either TG or KO than in WT during non–rapid eye movement sleep (NREMS; 4 ± 2 and 7 ± 2 mm Hg, respectively) and rapid eye movement sleep (REMS; 11 ± 2 and 12 ± 3 mm Hg, respectively), whereas it did not differ significantly between groups during wakefulness. Accordingly, the decrease in blood pressure between either NREMS or REMS and wakefulness was significantly blunted in TG and KO with respect to WT. Conclusions: Chronic lack of hypocretin signaling may entail consequences on blood pressure that are potentially adverse and that vary widely among wake-sleep states. Citation: Bastianini S; Silvani A; Berteotti C; Elghozi JL; Franzini C; Lenzi P; Lo Martire V; Zoccoli G. Sleep related changes in blood pressure in hypocretin-deficient narcoleptic mice. SLEEP 2011;34(2):213-218. PMID:21286242

Postmenopausal estrogen therapy modulates nocturnal nonlinear heart rate dynamics.

PubMed

Virtanen, Irina; Ekholm, Eeva; Polo-Kantola, Päivi; Hiekkanen, Heikki; Huikuri, Heikki

2008-01-01

To study the effects of postmenopausal estrogen therapy (ET) on nocturnal nonlinear heart rate variability (HRV). In this prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study, 71 healthy hysterectomized postmenopausal women received either transdermal estradiol or placebo for 3 months. After a washout period of 1 month, the treatments were reversed. Sleep studies were performed after both treatment periods. One steady-state epoch per night of the awake state, stage 2 (light) non-rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, stage 3-4 (deep) non-REM sleep, also known as slow-wave sleep, and REM sleep was extracted. From the electrocardiogram, nonlinear HRV was analyzed as the fractal scaling exponents alpha1 and alpha2, approximate entropy (ApEn), and the Poincaré plot variability coefficients SD1 and SD2. These were correlated to ET use in both different sleep stages and averaged across all sleep stages. During ET, the nocturnal ApEn decreased from 0.80 +/- 0.01 to 0.74 +/- 0.02 (P < 0.05), the most marked reduction occurring during slow-wave sleep (from 0.77 +/- 0.05 to 0.63 +/- 0.06, P < 0.05). In addition, SD2 decreased in slow-wave sleep and REM sleep during ET (P < 0.05 for both). In light non-REM sleep, alpha1 slightly increased during ET (P < 0.05). ET has a slightly but distinctively attenuating effect on some nocturnal nonlinear measures of HRV, especially on complexity of heart rate dynamics. This implies that ET may have potentially deleterious effects on cardiovascular health during sleep.

Proton Pump Inhibition Increases Rapid Eye Movement Sleep in the Rat

PubMed Central

Jha, Sushil K.

2014-01-01

Increased bodily CO2 concentration alters cellular pH as well as sleep. The proton pump, which plays an important role in the homeostatic regulation of cellular pH, therefore, may modulate sleep. We investigated the effects of the proton pump inhibitor “lansoprazole” on sleep-wakefulness. Male Wistar rats were surgically prepared for chronic polysomnographic recordings. Two different doses of lansoprazole (low: 1 mg/kg; high: 10 mg/kg) were injected intraperitoneally in the same animal (n = 7) and sleep-wakefulness was recorded for 6 hrs. The changes in sleep-wakefulness were compared statistically. Percent REM sleep amount in the vehicle and lansoprazole low dose groups was 9.26 ± 1.03 and 9.09 ± 0.54, respectively, which increased significantly in the lansoprazole high dose group by 31.75% (from vehicle) and 34.21% (from low dose). Also, REM sleep episode numbers significantly increased in lansoprazole high dose group. Further, the sodium-hydrogen exchanger blocker “amiloride” (10 mg/kg; i.p.) (n = 5) did not alter sleep-wake architecture. Our results suggest that the proton pump plays an important role in REM sleep modulation and supports our view that REM sleep might act as a sentinel to help maintain normal CO2 level for unperturbed sleep. PMID:24701564

Cognitive Neuroscience of Sleep

PubMed Central

Poe, Gina R.; Walsh, Christine M.; Bjorness, Theresa E.

2014-01-01

Mechanism is at the heart of understanding, and this chapter addresses underlying brain mechanisms and pathways of cognition and the impact of sleep on these processes, especially those serving learning and memory. This chapter reviews the current understanding of the relationship between sleep/waking states and cognition from the perspective afforded by basic neurophysiological investigations. The extensive overlap between sleep mechanisms and the neurophysiology of learning and memory processes provide a foundation for theories of a functional link between the sleep and learning systems. Each of the sleep states, with its attendant alterations in neurophysiology, is associated with facilitation of important functional learning and memory processes. For rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, salient features such as PGO waves, theta synchrony, increased acetylcholine, reduced levels of monoamines and, within the neuron, increased transcription of plasticity-related genes, cumulatively allow for freely occurring bidirectional plasticity (long-term potentiation (LTP) and its reversal, depotentiation). Thus, REM sleep provides a novel neural environment in which the synaptic remodeling essential to learning and cognition can occur, at least within the hippocampal complex. During nonREM sleep Stage 2 spindles, the cessation and subsequent strong bursting of noradrenergic cells and coincident reactivation of hippocampal and cortical targets would also increase synaptic plasticity, allowing targeted bidirectional plasticity in the neocortex as well. In delta nonREM sleep, orderly neuronal reactivation events in phase with slow wave delta activity, together with high protein synthesis levels, would facilitate the events that convert early LTP to long lasting LTP. Conversely, delta sleep does not activate immediate early genes associated with de novo LTP. This nonREM sleep-unique genetic environment combined with low acetylcholine levels may serve to reduce the strength of cortical circuits that activate in the ~50% of delta-coincident reactivation events that do not appear in their waking firing sequence. The chapter reviews the results of manipulation studies, typically total sleep or REM sleep deprivation, that serve to underscore the functional significance of the phenomenological associations. Finally, the implications of sleep neurophysiology for learning and memory will be considered from a larger perspective in which the association of specific sleep states with both potentiation or depotentiation is integrated into mechanistic models of cognition. PMID:21075230

Role of sleep for encoding of emotional memory.

PubMed

Kaida, Kosuke; Niki, Kazuhisa; Born, Jan

2015-05-01

Total sleep deprivation (TSD) has been consistently found to impair encoding of information during ensuing wakefulness, probably through suppressing NonREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep. However, a possible contribution of missing REM sleep to this encoding impairment after TSD has so far not been systematically examined in humans, although such contribution might be suspected in particular for emotional information. Here, in two separate experiments in young healthy men, we compared effects of TSD and of selective REM sleep deprivation (REMD), relative to respective control conditions of undisturbed sleep, on the subsequent encoding of neutral and emotional pictures. The pictures were presented in conjunction with colored frames to also assess related source memory. REMD was achieved by tones presented contingently upon initial signs of REM sleep. Encoding capabilities were examined in the evening (18:00h) after the experimental nights, by a picture recognition test right after encoding. TSD significantly decreased both the rate of correctly recognized pictures and of recalled frames associated with the pictures. The TSD effect was robust and translated into an impaired long term memory formation, as it was likewise observed on a second recognition testing one week after the encoding phase. Contrary to our expectation, REMD did not affect encoding in general, or particularly of emotional pictures. Also, REMD did not affect valence ratings of the encoded pictures. However, like TSD, REMD distinctly impaired vigilance at the time of encoding. Altogether, these findings indicate an importance of NonREM rather than REM sleep for the encoding of information that is independent of the emotionality of the materials. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

A novel GABAergic afferent input to the pontine reticular formation: the mesopontine GABAergic column.

PubMed

Liang, Chang-Lin; Marks, Gerald A

2009-11-10

Pharmacological manipulations of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmission in the nucleus pontis oralis (PnO) of the rat brainstem produce alterations in sleep/wake behavior. Local applications of GABA(A) receptor antagonists and agonists increase REM sleep and wake, respectively. These findings support a role for GABAergic mechanisms of the PnO in the control of arousal state. We have been investigating sources of GABA innervation of the PnO that may interact with local GABA(A) receptors in the control of state. Utilizing a retrograde tracer, cholera toxin-B subunit (CTb), injected into the PnO and dual-label immunohistochemistry with an antibody against glutamic acid decarboxalase-67 (GAD67), we report on a previously unidentified GABAergic neuronal population projecting to the contralateral PnO appearing as a column of cells, with long-axis in the sagittal plane, extending through the midbrain and pons. We refer to these neurons as the mesopontine GABAergic column (MPGC). The contiguous, columnar, anatomical distribution suggests operation as a functional neural system, which may influence expression of REM sleep, wake and other behaviors subserved by the PnO.

Obstructive sleep apnea alters sleep stage transition dynamics.

PubMed

Bianchi, Matt T; Cash, Sydney S; Mietus, Joseph; Peng, Chung-Kang; Thomas, Robert

2010-06-28

Enhanced characterization of sleep architecture, compared with routine polysomnographic metrics such as stage percentages and sleep efficiency, may improve the predictive phenotyping of fragmented sleep. One approach involves using stage transition analysis to characterize sleep continuity. We analyzed hypnograms from Sleep Heart Health Study (SHHS) participants using the following stage designations: wake after sleep onset (WASO), non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, and REM sleep. We show that individual patient hypnograms contain insufficient number of bouts to adequately describe the transition kinetics, necessitating pooling of data. We compared a control group of individuals free of medications, obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), medical co-morbidities, or sleepiness (n = 374) with mild (n = 496) or severe OSA (n = 338). WASO, REM sleep, and NREM sleep bout durations exhibited multi-exponential temporal dynamics. The presence of OSA accelerated the "decay" rate of NREM and REM sleep bouts, resulting in instability manifesting as shorter bouts and increased number of stage transitions. For WASO bouts, previously attributed to a power law process, a multi-exponential decay described the data well. Simulations demonstrated that a multi-exponential process can mimic a power law distribution. OSA alters sleep architecture dynamics by decreasing the temporal stability of NREM and REM sleep bouts. Multi-exponential fitting is superior to routine mono-exponential fitting, and may thus provide improved predictive metrics of sleep continuity. However, because a single night of sleep contains insufficient transitions to characterize these dynamics, extended monitoring of sleep, probably at home, would be necessary for individualized clinical application.

REM-Enriched Naps Are Associated with Memory Consolidation for Sad Stories and Enhance Mood-Related Reactivity.

PubMed

Gilson, Médhi; Deliens, Gaétane; Leproult, Rachel; Bodart, Alice; Nonclercq, Antoine; Ercek, Rudy; Peigneux, Philippe

2015-12-29

Emerging evidence suggests that emotion and affect modulate the relation between sleep and cognition. In the present study, we investigated the role of rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep in mood regulation and memory consolidation for sad stories. In a counterbalanced design, participants (n = 24) listened to either a neutral or a sad story during two sessions, spaced one week apart. After listening to the story, half of the participants had a short (45 min) morning nap. The other half had a long (90 min) morning nap, richer in REM and N2 sleep. Story recall, mood evolution and changes in emotional response to the re-exposure to the story were assessed after the nap. Although recall performance was similar for sad and neutral stories irrespective of nap duration, sleep measures were correlated with recall performance in the sad story condition only. After the long nap, REM sleep density positively correlated with retrieval performance, while re-exposure to the sad story led to diminished mood and increased skin conductance levels. Our results suggest that REM sleep may not only be associated with the consolidation of intrinsically sad material, but also enhances mood reactivity, at least on the short term.

The dream-lag effect: Selective processing of personally significant events during Rapid Eye Movement sleep, but not during Slow Wave Sleep.

PubMed

van Rijn, E; Eichenlaub, J-B; Lewis, P A; Walker, M P; Gaskell, M G; Malinowski, J E; Blagrove, M

2015-07-01

Incorporation of details from waking life events into Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep dreams has been found to be highest on the night after, and then 5-7 nights after events (termed, respectively, the day-residue and dream-lag effects). In experiment 1, 44 participants kept a daily log for 10 days, reporting major daily activities (MDAs), personally significant events (PSEs), and major concerns (MCs). Dream reports were collected from REM and Slow Wave Sleep (SWS) in the laboratory, or from REM sleep at home. The dream-lag effect was found for the incorporation of PSEs into REM dreams collected at home, but not for MDAs or MCs. No dream-lag effect was found for SWS dreams, or for REM dreams collected in the lab after SWS awakenings earlier in the night. In experiment 2, the 44 participants recorded reports of their spontaneously recalled home dreams over the 10 nights following the instrumental awakenings night, which thus acted as a controlled stimulus with two salience levels, high (sleep lab) and low (home awakenings). The dream-lag effect was found for the incorporation into home dreams of references to the experience of being in the sleep laboratory, but only for participants who had reported concerns beforehand about being in the sleep laboratory. The delayed incorporation of events from daily life into dreams has been proposed to reflect REM sleep-dependent memory consolidation. However, an alternative emotion processing or emotional impact of events account, distinct from memory consolidation, is supported by the finding that SWS dreams do not evidence the dream-lag effect. Copyright © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Emotional facial expressions during REM sleep dreams.

PubMed

Rivera-García, Ana P; López Ruiz, Irma E; Ramírez-Salado, Ignacio; González-Olvera, Jorge J; Ayala-Guerrero, Fructuoso; Jiménez-Anguiano, Anabel

2018-06-04

Although motor activity is actively inhibited during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, specific activations of the facial mimetic musculature have been observed during this stage, which may be associated with greater emotional dream mentation. Nevertheless, no specific biomarker of emotional valence or arousal related to dream content has been identified to date. In order to explore the electromyographic (EMG) activity (voltage, number, density and duration) of the corrugator and zygomaticus major muscles during REM sleep and its association with emotional dream mentation, this study performed a series of experimental awakenings after observing EMG facial activations during REM sleep. The study was performed with 12 healthy female participants using an 8-hr nighttime sleep recording. Emotional tone was evaluated by five blinded judges and final valence and intensity scores were obtained. Emotions were mentioned in 80.4% of dream reports. The voltage, number, density and duration of facial muscle contractions were greater for the corrugator muscle than for the zygomaticus muscle, whereas high positive emotions predicted the number (R 2 0.601, p = 0.0001) and voltage (R 2 0.332, p = 0.005) of the zygomaticus. Our findings suggest that zygomaticus events were predictive of the experience of positive affect during REM sleep in healthy women. © 2018 European Sleep Research Society.

Enhancing Slow Wave Sleep with Sodium Oxybate Reduces the Behavioral and Physiological Impact of Sleep Loss

PubMed Central

Walsh, James K.; Hall-Porter, Janine M.; Griffin, Kara S.; Dodson, Ehren R.; Forst, Elizabeth H.; Curry, Denise T.; Eisenstein, Rhody D.; Schweitzer, Paula K.

2010-01-01

Study Objectives: To investigate whether enhancement of slow wave sleep (SWS) with sodium oxybate reduces the impact of sleep deprivation. Design: Double-blind, parallel group, placebo-controlled design Setting: Sleep research laboratory Participants: Fifty-eight healthy adults (28 placebo, 30 sodium oxybate), ages 18-50 years. Interventions: A 5-day protocol included 2 screening/baseline nights and days, 2 sleep deprivation nights, each followed by a 3-h daytime (08:00-11:00) sleep opportunity and a recovery night. Sodium oxybate or placebo was administered prior to each daytime sleep period. Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT), psychomotor vigilance test (PVT), Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS), and Profile of Mood States were administered during waking hours. Measurements and Results: During daytime sleep, the sodium oxybate group had more SWS, more EEG spectral power in the 1-9 Hz range, and less REM. Mean MSLT latency was longer for the sodium oxybate group on the night following the first daytime sleep period and on the day following the second day sleep period. Median PVT reaction time was faster in the sodium oxybate group following the second day sleep period. The change from baseline in SWS was positively correlated with the change in MSLT and KSS. During recovery sleep the sodium oxybate group had less TST, SWS, REM, and slow wave activity (SWA) than the placebo group. Conclusions: Pharmacological enhancement of SWS with sodium oxybate resulted in a reduced response to sleep loss on measures of alertness and attention. In addition, SWS enhancement during sleep restriction appears to result in a reduced homeostatic response to sleep loss. Citation: Walsh JK; Hall-Porter JM; Griffin KS; Dodson ER; Forst EH; Curry DT; Eisenstein RD; Schweitzer PK. Enhancing slow wave sleep with sodium oxybate reduces the behavioral and physiological impact of sleep loss. SLEEP 2010;33(9):1217-1225. PMID:20857869

Quantitative EEG during REM and NREM sleep in combat-exposed veterans with and without Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

PubMed Central

Cohen, Daniel J.; Begley, Amy; Alman, Jennie J.; Cashmere, J. David; Pietrone, Regina N.; Seres, Robert J.; Germain, Anne

2012-01-01

Summary Sleep disturbances are a hallmark feature of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and associated with poor clinical outcomes. Few studies have examined sleep quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG), a technique able to detect subtle differences polysomnography does not capture. We hypothesized greater high-frequency qEEG would reflect “hyperarousal” in in combat veterans with PTSD (n=16) compared to veterans without PTSD (n=13). EEG power in traditional EEG frequency bands was computed for artifact-free sleep epochs across an entire night. Correlations were performed between qEEG and ratings of PTSD symptoms and combat exposure. The groups did not differ significantly in whole night qEEG measures for either REM or NREM. Non-significant medium effect sizes suggest less REM beta (opposite to our hypothesis), less REM and NREM sigma, and more NREM gamma in combat veterans with PTSD. Positive correlations were found between combat exposure and NREM beta (PTSD group only), and REM and NREM sigma (non-PTSD group only). Results did not support global hyperarousal in PTSD as indexed by increased beta qEEG activity. The correlation of sigma activity with combat exposure in those without PTSD, and the non-significant trend towards less sigma activity during both REM and NREM sleep in combat veterans with PTSD suggests that differential information processing during sleep may characterize combat-exposed military veterans with and without PTSD. PMID:22845675

Intrahippocampal administration of anandamide increases REM sleep.

PubMed

Rueda-Orozco, Pavel Ernesto; Soria-Gómez, Edgar; Montes-Rodríguez, Corinne Jennifer; Pérez-Morales, Marcel; Prospéro-García, Oscar

2010-04-05

A nascent literature has postulated endocannabinoids (eCBs) as strong sleep-inducing lipids, particularly rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMs), nevertheless the exact mechanisms behind this effect remain to be determined. Anandamide and 2-arachidonyl glycerol, two of the most important eCBS, are synthesized in the hippocampus. This structure also expresses a high concentration of cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1). Recent extensive literature supports eCBs as important regulators of hippocampal activity. It has also been shown that these molecules vary their expression on the hippocampus depending on the light-dark cycle. In this context we decided to analyze the effect of intrahippocampal administration of the eCB anandamide (ANA) on the sleep-waking cycle at two points of the light-dark cycle. Our data indicate that the administration of ANA directly into the hippocampus increases REMs in a dose dependent manner during the dark but not during the light phase of the cycle. The increase of REMs was blocked by the CB1 antagonist AM251. This effect was specific for the hippocampus since ANA administrations in the surrounding cortex did not elicit any change in REMs. These results support the idea of a direct relationship between hippocampal activity and sleep mechanisms by means of eCBs. The data presented here show, for the first time that eCBs administered into the hippocampus trigger REMs and support previous studies where chemical stimulation of limbic areas triggered sleep.

Sleep-dependent memory consolidation in healthy aging and mild cognitive impairment.

PubMed

Pace-Schott, Edward F; Spencer, Rebecca M C

2015-01-01

Sleep quality and architecture as well as sleep's homeostatic and circadian controls change with healthy aging. Changes include reductions in slow-wave sleep's (SWS) percent and spectral power in the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG), number and amplitude of sleep spindles, rapid eye movement (REM) density and the amplitude of circadian rhythms, as well as a phase advance (moved earlier in time) of the brain's circadian clock. With mild cognitive impairment (MCI) there are further reductions of sleep quality, SWS, spindles, and percent REM, all of which further diminish, along with a profound disruption of circadian rhythmicity, with the conversion to Alzheimer's disease (AD). Sleep disorders may represent risk factors for dementias (e.g., REM Behavior Disorder presages Parkinson's disease) and sleep disorders are themselves extremely prevalent in neurodegenerative diseases. Working memory , formation of new episodic memories, and processing speed all decline with healthy aging whereas semantic, recognition, and emotional declarative memory are spared. In MCI, episodic and working memory further decline along with declines in semantic memory. In young adults, sleep-dependent memory consolidation (SDC) is widely observed for both declarative and procedural memory tasks. However, with healthy aging, although SDC for declarative memory is preserved, certain procedural tasks, such as motor-sequence learning, do not show SDC. In younger adults, fragmentation of sleep can reduce SDC, and a normative increase in sleep fragmentation may account for reduced SDC with healthy aging. Whereas sleep disorders such as insomnia, obstructive sleep apnea, and narcolepsy can impair SDC in the absence of neurodegenerative changes, the incidence of sleep disorders increases both with normal aging and, further, with neurodegenerative disease. Specific features of sleep architecture, such as sleep spindles and SWS are strongly linked to SDC. Diminution of these features with healthy aging and their further decline with MCI may account for concomitant declines in SDC. Notably these same sleep features further markedly decline, in concert with declining cognitive function, with the progression to AD. Therefore, progressive changes in sleep quality, architecture, and neural regulation may constitute a contributing factor to cognitive decline that is seen both with healthy aging and, to a much greater extent, with neurodegenerative disease.

Multifractal Analysis of Human Heartbeat in Sleep

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ding, Liang-Jing; Peng, Hu; Cai, Shi-Min; Zhou, Pei-Ling

2007-07-01

We study the dynamical properties of heart rate variability (HRV) in sleep by analysing the scaling behaviour with the multifractal detrended fluctuation analysis method. It is well known that heart rate is regulated by the interaction of two branches of the autonomic nervous system: the parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems. By investigating the multifractal properties of light, deep, rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep and wake stages, we firstly find an increasing multifractal behaviour during REM sleep which may be caused by augmented sympathetic activities relative to non-REM sleep. In addition, the investigation of long-range correlations of HRV in sleep with second order detrended fluctuation analysis presents irregular phenomena. These findings may be helpful to understand the underlying regulating mechanism of heart rate by autonomic nervous system during wake-sleep transitions.

Genetic inactivation of glutamate neurons in the rat sublaterodorsal tegmental nucleus recapitulates REM sleep behaviour disorder.

PubMed

Valencia Garcia, Sara; Libourel, Paul-Antoine; Lazarus, Michael; Grassi, Daniela; Luppi, Pierre-Hervé; Fort, Patrice

2017-02-01

SEE SCHENCK AND MAHOWALD DOI101093/AWW329 FOR A SCIENTIFIC COMMENTARY ON THIS ARTICLE: Idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder is characterized by the enactment of violent dreams during paradoxical (REM) sleep in the absence of normal muscle atonia. Accumulating clinical and experimental data suggest that REM sleep behaviour disorder might be due to the neurodegeneration of glutamate neurons involved in paradoxical sleep and located within the pontine sublaterodorsal tegmental nucleus. The purpose of the present work was thus to functionally determine first, the role of glutamate sublaterodorsal tegmental nucleus neurons in paradoxical sleep and second, whether their genetic inactivation is sufficient for recapitulating REM sleep behaviour disorder in rats. For this goal, we first injected two retrograde tracers in the intralaminar thalamus and ventral medulla to disentangle neuronal circuits in which sublaterodorsal tegmental nucleus is involved; second we infused bilaterally in sublaterodorsal tegmental nucleus adeno-associated viruses carrying short hairpin RNAs targeting Slc17a6 mRNA [which encodes vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (vGluT2)] to chronically impair glutamate synaptic transmission in sublaterodorsal tegmental nucleus neurons. At the neuroanatomical level, sublaterodorsal tegmental nucleus neurons specifically activated during paradoxical sleep hypersomnia send descending efferents to glycine/GABA neurons within the ventral medulla, but not ascending projections to the intralaminar thalamus. These data suggest a crucial role of sublaterodorsal tegmental nucleus neurons rather in muscle atonia than in paradoxical sleep generation. In line with this hypothesis, 30 days after adeno-associated virus injections into sublaterodorsal tegmental nucleus rats display a decrease of 30% of paradoxical sleep daily quantities, and a significant increase of muscle tone during paradoxical sleep concomitant to a tremendous increase of abnormal motor dream-enacting behaviours. These animals display symptoms and behaviours during paradoxical sleep that closely mimic human REM sleep behaviour disorder. Altogether, our data demonstrate that glutamate sublaterodorsal tegmental nucleus neurons generate muscle atonia during paradoxical sleep likely through descending projections to glycine/GABA premotor neurons in the ventral medulla. Although playing a role in paradoxical sleep regulation, they are, however, not necessary for inducing the state itself. The present work further validates a potent new preclinical REM sleep behaviour disorder model that opens avenues for studying and treating this disabling sleep disorder, and advances potential regions implicated in prodromal stages of synucleinopathies such as Parkinson's disease. © The Author (2016). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Electronic Sleep Stage Classifiers: A Survey and VLSI Design Methodology.

PubMed

Kassiri, Hossein; Chemparathy, Aditi; Salam, M Tariqus; Boyce, Richard; Adamantidis, Antoine; Genov, Roman

2017-02-01

First, existing sleep stage classifier sensors and algorithms are reviewed and compared in terms of classification accuracy, level of automation, implementation complexity, invasiveness, and targeted application. Next, the implementation of a miniature microsystem for low-latency automatic sleep stage classification in rodents is presented. The classification algorithm uses one EMG (electromyogram) and two EEG (electroencephalogram) signals as inputs in order to detect REM (rapid eye movement) sleep, and is optimized for low complexity and low power consumption. It is implemented in an on-board low-power FPGA connected to a multi-channel neural recording IC, to achieve low-latency (order of 1 ms or less) classification. Off-line experimental results using pre-recorded signals from nine mice show REM detection sensitivity and specificity of 81.69% and 93.86%, respectively, with the maximum latency of 39 [Formula: see text]. The device is designed to be used in a non-disruptive closed-loop REM sleep suppression microsystem, for future studies of the effects of REM sleep deprivation on memory consolidation.

Hypnotic activities of chamomile and passiflora extracts in sleep-disturbed rats.

PubMed

Shinomiya, Kazuaki; Inoue, Toshio; Utsu, Yoshiaki; Tokunaga, Shin; Masuoka, Takayoshi; Ohmori, Asae; Kamei, Chiaki

2005-05-01

In the present study, we investigated hypnotic activities of chamomile and passiflora extracts using sleep-disturbed model rats. A significant decrease in sleep latency was observed with chamomile extract at a dose of 300 mg/kg, while passiflora extract showed no effects on sleep latency even at a dose of 3000 mg/kg. No significant effects were observed with both herbal extracts on total times of wakefulness, non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep and REM sleep. Flumazenil, a benzodiazepine receptor antagonist, at a dose of 3 mg/kg showed a significant antagonistic effect on the shortening in sleep latency induced by chamomile extract. No significant effects were observed with chamomile and passiflora extracts on delta activity during non-REM sleep. In conclusion, chamomile extract is a herb having benzodiazepine-like hypnotic activity.

Pontine cholinergic reticular mechanisms cause state-dependent changes in the discharge of parabrachial neurons.

PubMed

Gilbert, K A; Lydic, R

1994-01-01

The present study examined the hypothesis that cholinoceptive reticular mechanisms in the gigantocellular tegmental field (FTG) of the medial pontine reticular formation cause state-dependent changes in the discharge of parabrachial neurons. In chronically implanted, unanesthetized cats, extracellular recordings were made from nonrespiratory and respiratory neurons in the parabrachial nuclear complex (PBNC) during the natural sleep-wake cycle and during the rapid eye movement (REM) sleeplike state caused by FTG microinjection of carbachol or neostigmine. PBNC cells that increased discharge during natural REM sleep (REM-on cells) revealed similar increased discharge during the carbachol-induced REM sleeplike state (DCarb). Cells that decreased discharge in natural REM sleep (REM-off cells) displayed decreased discharge during both DCarb and the neostigmine-induced REM sleeplike states. The limited sample of parabrachial respiratory neurons revealed significantly diminished discharge during the cholinergically induced REM sleeplike state. Thus cholinoceptive mechanisms localized to specific regions of the pontine reticular formation can cause state-dependent changes in the firing rates of respiratory and nonrespiratory neurons in the PBNC.

Noninvasive Dissection of Mouse Sleep Using a Piezoelectric Motion Sensor

PubMed Central

Yaghouby, Farid; Donohue, Kevin D.; O’Hara, Bruce F.; Sunderam, Sridhar

2015-01-01

Background Changes in autonomic control cause regular breathing during NREM sleep to fluctuate during REM. Piezoelectric cage-floor sensors have been used to successfully discriminate sleep and wake states in mice based on signal features related to respiration and other movements. This study presents a classifier for noninvasively classifying REM and NREM using a piezoelectric sensor. New Method Vigilance state was scored manually in 4-second epochs for 24-hour EEG/EMG recordings in twenty mice. An unsupervised classifier clustered piezoelectric signal features quantifying movement and respiration into three states: one active; and two inactive with regular and irregular breathing respectively. These states were hypothesized to correspond to Wake, NREM, and REM respectively. States predicted by the classifier were compared against manual EEG/EMG scores to test this hypothesis. Results Using only piezoelectric signal features, an unsupervised classifier distinguished Wake with high (89% sensitivity, 96% specificity) and REM with moderate (73% sensitivity, 75% specificity) accuracy, but NREM with poor sensitivity (51%) and high specificity (96%). The classifier sometimes confused light NREM sleep—characterized by irregular breathing and moderate delta EEG power—with REM. A supervised classifier improved sensitivities to 90, 81, and 67% and all specificities to over 90% for Wake, NREM, and REM respectively. Comparison with Existing Methods Unlike most actigraphic techniques, which only differentiate sleep from wake, the proposed piezoelectric method further dissects sleep based on breathing regularity into states strongly correlated with REM and NREM. Conclusions This approach could facilitate large-sample screening for genes influencing different sleep traits, besides drug studies or other manipulations. PMID:26582569

Ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity and rapid eye movement sleep are associated with subsequent fear expression in human subjects.

PubMed

Spoormaker, V I; Gvozdanovic, G A; Sämann, P G; Czisch, M

2014-05-01

In humans, activity patterns in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) have been found to be predictive of subsequent fear memory consolidation. Pioneering work in rodents has further shown that vmPFC-amygdala theta synchronization is correlated with fear memory consolidation. We aimed to evaluate whether vmPFC activity during fear conditioning is (1) correlated with fear expression the subsequent day and whether (2) this relationship is mediated by rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We analyzed data from 17 young healthy subjects undergoing a fear conditioning task, followed by a fear extinction task 24 h later, both recorded with simultaneous skin conductance response (SCR) and functional magnetic resonance imaging measurements, with a polysomnographically recorded night sleep in between. Our results showed a correlation between vmPFC activity during fear conditioning and subsequent REM sleep amount, as well as between REM sleep amount and SCR to the conditioned stimulus 24 h later. Moreover, we observed a significant correlation between vmPFC activity during fear conditioning and SCR responses during extinction, which was no longer significant after controlling for REM sleep amount. vmPFC activity during fear conditioning was further correlated with sleep latency. Interestingly, hippocampus activity during fear conditioning was correlated with stage 2 and stage 4 sleep amount. Our results provide preliminary evidence that the relationship between REM sleep and fear conditioning and extinction observed in rodents can be modeled in healthy human subjects, highlighting an interrelated set of potentially relevant trait markers.

Detection of the Sleep Stages Throughout Non-Obtrusive Measures of Inter-Beat Fluctuations and Motion: Night and Day Sleep of Female Shift Workers

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Mendez, Martin O.; Palacios-Hernandez, Elvia R.; Alba, Alfonso; Kortelainen, Juha M.; Tenhunen, Mirja L.; Bianchi, Anna M.

Automatic sleep staging based on inter-beat fluctuations and motion signals recorded through a pressure bed sensor during sleep is presented. The analysis of the sleep was based on the three major divisions of the sleep time: Wake, non-rapid eye movement (nREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stages. Twelve sleep recordings, from six females working alternate shift, with their respective annotations were used in the study. Six recordings were acquired during the night and six during the day after a night shift. A Time-Variant Autoregressive Model was used to extract features from inter-beat fluctuations which later were fed to a Support Vector Machine classifier. Accuracy, Kappa index, and percentage in wake, REM and nREM were used as performance measures. Comparison between the automatic sleep staging detection and the standard clinical annotations, shows mean values of 87% for accuracy 0.58 for kappa index, and mean errors of 5% for sleep stages. The performance measures were similar for night and day sleep recordings. In this sample of recordings, the results suggest that inter-beat fluctuations and motions acquired in non-obtrusive way carried valuable information related to the sleep macrostructure and could be used to support to the experts in extensive evaluation and monitoring of sleep.

Narcolepsy: Fact Sheet

MedlinePlus

... go limp or unable to move (cataplexy), vivid dream-like images or hallucinations, and total paralysis just ... REM) sleep after about 60 to 90 minutes. Dreams occur during REM sleep, and the brain keeps ...

Dissociating the contributions of slow-wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep to emotional item and source memory.

PubMed

Groch, S; Zinke, K; Wilhelm, I; Born, J

2015-07-01

Sleep benefits the consolidation of emotional memories, and this influence is commonly attributed to the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep. However, the contributions of sleep stages to memory for an emotional episode may differ for the event per se (i.e., item memory), and the context in which it occurred (source memory). Here, we examined the effects of slow wave sleep (SWS) and REM sleep on the consolidation of emotionally negative and neutral item (picture recognition) and source memory (recall of picture-location and picture-frame color association) in humans. In Study 1, the participants (n=18) learned 48 negative and 48 neutral pictures which were presented at specific locations and preceded by colored frames that had to be associated with the picture. In a within-subject design, learning was either followed by a 3-h early-night SWS-rich or by a late-night REM sleep-rich retention interval, then retrieval was tested. Only after REM-rich sleep, and not after SWS-rich sleep, was there a significant emotional enhancement, i.e., a significantly superior retention of emotional over neutral pictures. On the other hand, after SWS-rich sleep the retention of picture-frame color associations was better than after REM-rich sleep. However, this benefit was observed only for neutral pictures; and it was completely absent for the emotional pictures. To examine whether this absent benefit reflected a suppressive effect of emotionality on associations of minor task relevance, in Study 2 we manipulated the relevance of the picture-frame color association by combining it with information about monetary reward, following otherwise comparable procedures. Here, rewarded picture-frame color associations were equally well retained over SWS-rich early sleep no matter if the frames were associated with emotional or neutral pictures. Results are consistent with the view that REM sleep favors the emotional enhancement of item memory whereas SWS appears to contribute primarily to the consolidation of context-color information associated with the item. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Auditory Responses and Stimulus-Specific Adaptation in Rat Auditory Cortex are Preserved Across NREM and REM Sleep

PubMed Central

Nir, Yuval; Vyazovskiy, Vladyslav V.; Cirelli, Chiara; Banks, Matthew I.; Tononi, Giulio

2015-01-01

Sleep entails a disconnection from the external environment. By and large, sensory stimuli do not trigger behavioral responses and are not consciously perceived as they usually are in wakefulness. Traditionally, sleep disconnection was ascribed to a thalamic “gate,” which would prevent signal propagation along ascending sensory pathways to primary cortical areas. Here, we compared single-unit and LFP responses in core auditory cortex as freely moving rats spontaneously switched between wakefulness and sleep states. Despite robust differences in baseline neuronal activity, both the selectivity and the magnitude of auditory-evoked responses were comparable across wakefulness, Nonrapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (pairwise differences <8% between states). The processing of deviant tones was also compared in sleep and wakefulness using an oddball paradigm. Robust stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA) was observed following the onset of repetitive tones, and the strength of SSA effects (13–20%) was comparable across vigilance states. Thus, responses in core auditory cortex are preserved across sleep states, suggesting that evoked activity in primary sensory cortices is driven by external physical stimuli with little modulation by vigilance state. We suggest that sensory disconnection during sleep occurs at a stage later than primary sensory areas. PMID:24323498

Coming to grips with a "new" state of consciousness: the study of rapid-eye-movement sleep in the 1960s.

PubMed

Morrison, Adrian R

2013-01-01

The recognition of rapid-eye-movement sleep (REM) and its association with dreaming in 1953 by Aserinsky and Kleitman opened a new world to explore in the brain. Discussions at two major symposia in the early 1960s reveal that a state with characteristics resembling both wakefulness and sleep was overturning accepted views of the regulation of the two states. Participants grappled with the idea that cortical activation could occur during sleep. They struggled with picking a name that would capture the essence of REM without focusing on just one aspect of the state. Questioning whether REM in cats could be homologous with that of humans suggested an anthropocentric focus on human dreaming as the essence of the state. The need for biochemical studies was evident given that deprivation of REM caused a rebound in the amount of subsequent REM, which indicated that simple synaptic activity could not support this phenomenon.

Disrupted nighttime sleep in narcolepsy.

PubMed

Roth, Thomas; Dauvilliers, Yves; Mignot, Emmanuel; Montplaisir, Jacques; Paul, Josh; Swick, Todd; Zee, Phyllis

2013-09-15

Characterize disrupted nighttime sleep (DNS) in narcolepsy, an important symptom of narcolepsy. A panel of international narcolepsy experts was convened in 2011 to build a consensus characterization of DNS in patients with narcolepsy. A literature search of the Medline (1965 to date), Medline In-Process (latest weeks), Embase (1974 to date), Embase Alert (latest 8 weeks), and Biosis (1965 to date) databases was conducted using the following search terms: narcolepsy and disrupted nighttime sleep, disturbed nighttime sleep, fragmented sleep, consolidated sleep, sleep disruption, and narcolepsy questionnaire. The purpose of the literature search was to identify publications characterizing the nighttime sleep of patients with narcolepsy. The panel reviewed the literature. Nocturnal sleep can also be disturbed by REM sleep abnormalities such as vivid dreaming and REM sleep behavior disorder; however, these were not reviewed in the current paper, as we were evaluating for idiopathic sleep disturbances. The literature reviewed provide a consistent characterization of nighttime sleep in patients with narcolepsy as fragmented, with reports of frequent, brief nightly awakenings with difficulties returning to sleep and associated reports of poor sleep quality. Polysomnographic studies consistently report frequent awakenings/arousals after sleep onset, more stage 1 (S1) sleep, and more frequent shifts to S1 sleep or wake from deeper stages of sleep. The consensus of the International Experts' Panel on Narcolepsy was that DNS can be distressing for patients with narcolepsy and that treatment of DNS warrants consideration. Clinicians involved in the management of patients with narcolepsy should investigate patients' quality of nighttime sleep, give weight and consideration to patient reports of nighttime sleep experience, and consider DNS a target for treatment.

Symptoms of Lewy Body Dementia

MedlinePlus

... rest. Recurrent visual hallucinations of people, insects and animals may appear early in LBD. Delusions (i.e., fixed false beliefs), apathy (i.e., lack of initiative), agitation and depression are also common. REM sleep behavior disorder (i.e., vivid dreams with verbal or ...

Regional cerebral glucose metabolic rate in human sleep assessed by positron emission tomography

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Buchsbaum, M.S.; Wu, J.; Hazlett, E.

The cerebral metabolic rate of glucose was measured during nighttime sleep in 36 normal volunteers using positron emission tomography and fluorine-18-labeled 2-deoxyglucose (FDG). In comparison to waking controls, subjects given FDG during non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep showed about a 23% reduction in metabolic rate across the entire brain. This decrease was greater for the frontal than temporal or occipital lobes, and greater for basal ganglia and thalamus than cortex. Subjects in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep tended to have higher cortical metabolic rates than walking subjects. The cingulate gyrus was the only cortical structure to show a significant increasemore » in glucose metabolic rate in REM sleep in comparison to waking. The basal ganglia were relatively more active on the right in REM sleep and symmetrical in NREM sleep.« less

Non-thermal continuous and modulated electromagnetic radiation fields effects on sleep EEG of rats☆

PubMed Central

Mohammed, Haitham S.; Fahmy, Heba M.; Radwan, Nasr M.; Elsayed, Anwar A.

2012-01-01

In the present study, the alteration in the sleep EEG in rats due to chronic exposure to low-level non-thermal electromagnetic radiation was investigated. Two types of radiation fields were used; 900 MHz unmodulated wave and 900 MHz modulated at 8 and 16 Hz waves. Animals has exposed to radiation fields for 1 month (1 h/day). EEG power spectral analyses of exposed and control animals during slow wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM sleep) revealed that the REM sleep is more susceptible to modulated radiofrequency radiation fields (RFR) than the SWS. The latency of REM sleep increased due to radiation exposure indicating a change in the ultradian rhythm of normal sleep cycles. The cumulative and irreversible effect of radiation exposure was proposed and the interaction of the extremely low frequency radiation with the similar EEG frequencies was suggested. PMID:25685416

Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Abnormalities in Children with Pediatric Acute-Onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome (PANS)

PubMed Central

Gaughan, Thomas; Buckley, Ashura; Hommer, Rebecca; Grant, Paul; Williams, Kyle; Leckman, James F.; Swedo, Susan E.

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: Polysomnographic investigation of sleep architecture in children presenting with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). Methods: Fifteen consecutive subjects meeting criteria for PANS (mean age = 7.2 y; range 3–10 y) underwent single-night full polysomnography (PSG) read by a pediatric neurologist. Results: Thirteen of 15 subjects (87%) had abnormalities detected with PSG. Twelve of 15 had evidence of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep motor disinhibition, as characterized by excessive movement, laughing, hand stereotypies, moaning, or the continuation of periodic limb movements during sleep (PLMS) into REM sleep. Conclusions: This study shows various forms of REM sleep motor disinhibition present in a population of children with PANS. Citation: Gaughan T, Buckley A, Hommer R, Grant P; Williams K, Leckman JF, Swedo SE. Rapid eye movement sleep abnormalities in children with pediatric acute-onset neuropsychiatric syndrome (PANS). J Clin Sleep Med 2016;12(7):1027–1032. PMID:27166296

The neural correlates of dreaming

PubMed Central

Siclari, F.; Baird, B.; Perogamvros, L.; Bernardi, G.; LaRocque, J. J.; Riedner, B.; Boly, M.; Postle, B. R.; Tononi, G.

2017-01-01

Consciousness never fades during wake. However, if awakened from sleep, sometimes we report dreams and sometimes no experiences. Traditionally, dreaming has been identified with REM sleep, characterized by a wake-like, globally ‘activated’, high-frequency EEG. However, dreaming also occurs in NREM sleep, characterized by prominent low-frequency activity. This challenges our understanding of the neural correlates of conscious experiences in sleep. Using high-density EEG, we contrasted the presence and absence of dreaming within NREM and REM sleep. In both NREM and REM sleep, reports of dream experience were associated with a local decrease in low-frequency activity in posterior cortical regions. High-frequency activity within these regions correlated with specific dream contents. Monitoring this posterior ‘hot zone’ predicted whether an individual reported dreaming or the absence of experiences during NREM sleep in real time, suggesting that it may constitute a core correlate of conscious experiences in sleep. PMID:28394322

Cognitive and emotional processes during dreaming: a neuroimaging view.

PubMed

Desseilles, Martin; Dang-Vu, Thien Thanh; Sterpenich, Virginie; Schwartz, Sophie

2011-12-01

Dream is a state of consciousness characterized by internally-generated sensory, cognitive and emotional experiences occurring during sleep. Dream reports tend to be particularly abundant, with complex, emotional, and perceptually vivid experiences after awakenings from rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. This is why our current knowledge of the cerebral correlates of dreaming, mainly derives from studies of REM sleep. Neuroimaging results show that REM sleep is characterized by a specific pattern of regional brain activity. We demonstrate that this heterogeneous distribution of brain activity during sleep explains many typical features in dreams. Reciprocally, specific dream characteristics suggest the activation of selective brain regions during sleep. Such an integration of neuroimaging data of human sleep, mental imagery, and the content of dreams is critical for current models of dreaming; it also provides neurobiological support for an implication of sleep and dreaming in some important functions such as emotional regulation. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Sleep disorders and epilepsy].

PubMed

Aoki, Ryo; Ito, Hiroshi

2014-05-01

It has been reported that patients with epilepsy often have insomnia and/or daytime sleepiness; the symptomatologic features differ in seizure types. Not only the administration of anti-epileptics, but also inappropriate sleep hygiene cause daytime sleepiness. In subjective assessment of sleepiness, we need to pay attention if it can correctly assess or not. The prevalence of obstructive sleep apnea in patients with epilepsy is approximately 10-30%. Sleep apnea deteriorates the seizure control because of worsen sleep condition by sleep apnea, especially in elderly patients. Some researchers report that continuous positive airway pressure was effective for seizure control. Patients with epilepsy occasionally have REM sleep behavior disorder as comorbidity. Examination using polysomnography is required for differential diagnosis.

Significance of the zero sum principle for circadian, homeostatic and allostatic regulation of sleep-wake state in the rat.

PubMed

Stephenson, Richard; Caron, Aimee M; Famina, Svetlana

2016-12-01

Sleep-wake behavior exhibits diurnal rhythmicity, rebound responses to acute total sleep deprivation (TSD), and attenuated rebounds following chronic sleep restriction (CSR). We investigated how these long-term patterns of behavior emerge from stochastic short-term dynamics of state transition. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to TSD (1day×24h, N=9), or CSR (10days×18h TSD, N=7) using a rodent walking-wheel apparatus. One baseline day and one recovery day following TSD and CSR were analyzed. The implications of the zero sum principle were evaluated using a Markov model of sleep-wake state transition. Wake bout duration (a combined function of the probability of wake maintenance and proportional representations of brief and long wake) was a key variable mediating the baseline diurnal rhythms and post-TSD responses of all three states, and the attenuation of the post-CSR rebounds. Post-NREM state transition trajectory was an important factor in REM rebounds. The zero sum constraint ensures that a change in any transition probability always affects bout frequency and cumulative time of at least two, and usually all three, of wakefulness, NREM and REM. Neural mechanisms controlling wake maintenance may play a pivotal role in regulation and dysregulation of all three states. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Ethnic differences in electroencephalographic sleep patterns in adolescents

PubMed Central

Rao, Uma; Hammen, Constance L.; Poland, Russell E.

2009-01-01

The purpose of the study was to evaluate ethnic differences in polysomnography measures in adolescents. Ninety-six volunteers from four ethnic groups (13 African-American, 18 Asian-American, 19 Mexican-American, and 46 Non-Hispanic White) were recruited. The subjects were in good physical and psychological health, and were asymptomatic with respect to sleep/wake complaints or sleep disorders. Polysomnography measures were collected on three consecutive nights. African-Americans manifested lower sleep efficiency, spent proportionately more time in stage 2 sleep, and had less stage 4 sleep compared to the other ethnic groups. In contrast to this, Mexican-Americans had more rapid eye movement (REM) sleep than their counterparts. The observed sleep patterns in the different ethnic groups persisted after controlling for specific demographic, clinical and psychosocial variables that are known to influence sleep measures. Gender had a differential effect on sleep patterns in the various ethnic groups. For instance, differences in non-REM sleep were more evident in African-American males, whereas increased REM sleep was most notable in Mexican-American females. At present, the clinical implications of the observed cross-ethnic differences in sleep physiology among adolescents are not clear. In previous studies, reduced sleep efficiency and stage 4 sleep, as well as increased REM sleep, were associated with psychopathology. It is not known whether the traditionally described sleep profiles, based largely on Non-Hispanic White populations, will generalize to other racial or ethnic groups. In addition to a systematic investigation of this issue, future research should attempt to identify the underlying causes for cross-ethnic variations in sleep physiology. PMID:19960099

Restricting Time in Bed in Early Adolescence Reduces Both NREM and REM Sleep but Does Not Increase Slow Wave EEG.

PubMed

Campbell, Ian G; Kraus, Amanda M; Burright, Christopher S; Feinberg, Irwin

2016-09-01

School night total sleep time decreases across adolescence (9-18 years) by 10 min/year. This decline is comprised entirely of a selective decrease in NREM sleep; REM sleep actually increases slightly. Decreasing sleep duration across adolescence is often attributed to insufficient time in bed. Here we tested whether sleep restriction in early adolescence produces the same sleep stage changes observed on school nights across adolescence. All-night sleep EEG was recorded in 76 children ranging in age from 9.9 to 14.0 years. Each participant kept 3 different sleep schedules that consisted of 3 nights of 8.5 h in bed followed by 4 nights of either 7, 8.5, or 10 h in bed. Sleep stage durations and NREM delta EEG activity were compared across the 3 time in bed conditions. Shortening time in bed from 10 to 7 hours reduced sleep duration by approximately 2 hours, roughly equal to the decrease in sleep duration we recorded longitudinally across adolescence. However, sleep restriction significantly reduced both NREM (by 83 min) and REM (by 47 min) sleep. Sleep restriction did not affect NREM delta EEG activity. Our findings suggest that the selective NREM reduction and the small increase in REM we observed longitudinally across 9-18 years are not produced by sleep restriction. We hypothesize that the selective NREM decline reflects adolescent brain maturation (synaptic elimination) that reduces the need for the restorative processes of NREM sleep. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Visual short-term memory deficits in REM sleep behaviour disorder mirror those in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Rolinski, Michal; Zokaei, Nahid; Baig, Fahd; Giehl, Kathrin; Quinnell, Timothy; Zaiwalla, Zenobia; Mackay, Clare E; Husain, Masud; Hu, Michele T M

2016-01-01

Individuals with REM sleep behaviour disorder are at significantly higher risk of developing Parkinson's disease. Here we examined visual short-term memory deficits--long associated with Parkinson's disease--in patients with REM sleep behaviour disorder without Parkinson's disease using a novel task that measures recall precision. Visual short-term memory for sequentially presented coloured bars of different orientation was assessed in 21 patients with polysomnography-proven idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder, 26 cases with early Parkinson's disease and 26 healthy controls. Three tasks using the same stimuli controlled for attentional filtering ability, sensorimotor and temporal decay factors. Both patients with REM sleep behaviour disorder and Parkinson's disease demonstrated a deficit in visual short-term memory, with recall precision significantly worse than in healthy controls with no deficit observed in any of the control tasks. Importantly, the pattern of memory deficit in both patient groups was specifically explained by an increase in random responses. These results demonstrate that it is possible to detect the signature of memory impairment associated with Parkinson's disease in individuals with REM sleep behaviour disorder, a condition associated with a high risk of developing Parkinson's disease. The pattern of visual short-term memory deficit potentially provides a cognitive marker of 'prodromal' Parkinson's disease that might be useful in tracking disease progression and for disease-modifying intervention trials. © The Author (2015). Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Guarantors of Brain.

Carbachol excites sublaterodorsal nucleus neurons projecting to the spinal cord

PubMed Central

Weng, F J; Williams, R H; Hawryluk, J M; Lu, J; Scammell, T E; Saper, C B; Arrigoni, E

2014-01-01

Considerable electrophysiological and pharmacological evidence has long suggested an important role for acetylcholine in the regulation of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. For example, injection of the cholinergic agonist carbachol into the dorsomedial pons produces an REM sleep-like state with muscle atonia and cortical activation, both of which are cardinal features of REM sleep. Located within this region of the pons is the sublaterodorsal nucleus (SLD), a structure thought to be both necessary and sufficient for generating REM sleep muscle atonia. Subsets of glutamatergic SLD neurons potently contribute to motor inhibition during REM sleep through descending projections to motor-related glycinergic/GABAergic neurons in the spinal cord and ventromedial medulla. Prior electrophysiological and pharmacological studies examining the effects of acetylcholine on SLD neurons have, however, produced conflicting results. In the present study, we sought to clarify how acetylcholine influences the activity of spinally projecting SLD (SLDsp) neurons. We used retrograde tracing in combination with patch-clamp recordings and recorded pre-and postsynaptic effects of carbachol on SLDsp neurons. Carbachol acted presynaptically by increasing the frequency of glutamatergic miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents. We also found that carbachol directly excited SLDsp neurons by activating an Na+–Ca2+ exchanger. Both pre-and postsynaptic effects were mediated by co-activation of M1 and M3 muscarinic receptors. These observations suggest that acetylcholine produces synergistic, excitatory pre-and postsynaptic responses on SLDsp neurons that, in turn, probably serve to promote muscle atonia during REM sleep. PMID:24344163

Carbachol excites sublaterodorsal nucleus neurons projecting to the spinal cord.

PubMed

Weng, F J; Williams, R H; Hawryluk, J M; Lu, J; Scammell, T E; Saper, C B; Arrigoni, E

2014-04-01

Considerable electrophysiological and pharmacological evidence has long suggested an important role for acetylcholine in the regulation of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. For example, injection of the cholinergic agonist carbachol into the dorsomedial pons produces an REM sleep-like state with muscle atonia and cortical activation, both of which are cardinal features of REM sleep. Located within this region of the pons is the sublaterodorsal nucleus (SLD), a structure thought to be both necessary and sufficient for generating REM sleep muscle atonia. Subsets of glutamatergic SLD neurons potently contribute to motor inhibition during REM sleep through descending projections to motor-related glycinergic/GABAergic neurons in the spinal cord and ventromedial medulla. Prior electrophysiological and pharmacological studies examining the effects of acetylcholine on SLD neurons have, however, produced conflicting results. In the present study, we sought to clarify how acetylcholine influences the activity of spinally projecting SLD (SLDsp) neurons. We used retrograde tracing in combination with patch-clamp recordings and recorded pre- and postsynaptic effects of carbachol on SLDsp neurons. Carbachol acted presynaptically by increasing the frequency of glutamatergic miniature excitatory postsynaptic currents. We also found that carbachol directly excited SLDsp neurons by activating an Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger. Both pre- and postsynaptic effects were mediated by co-activation of M1 and M3 muscarinic receptors. These observations suggest that acetylcholine produces synergistic, excitatory pre- and postsynaptic responses on SLDsp neurons that, in turn, probably serve to promote muscle atonia during REM sleep.

Selective Coupling between Theta Phase and Neocortical Fast Gamma Oscillations during REM-Sleep in Mice

PubMed Central

Scheffzük, Claudia; Kukushka, Valeriy I.; Vyssotski, Alexei L.; Draguhn, Andreas

2011-01-01

Background The mammalian brain expresses a wide range of state-dependent network oscillations which vary in frequency and spatial extension. Such rhythms can entrain multiple neurons into coherent patterns of activity, consistent with a role in behaviour, cognition and memory formation. Recent evidence suggests that locally generated fast network oscillations can be systematically aligned to long-range slow oscillations. It is likely that such cross-frequency coupling supports specific tasks including behavioural choice and working memory. Principal Findings We analyzed temporal coupling between high-frequency oscillations and EEG theta activity (4–12 Hz) in recordings from mouse parietal neocortex. Theta was exclusively present during active wakefulness and REM-sleep. Fast oscillations occurred in two separate frequency bands: gamma (40–100 Hz) and fast gamma (120–160 Hz). Theta, gamma and fast gamma were more prominent during active wakefulness as compared to REM-sleep. Coupling between theta and the two types of fast oscillations, however, was more pronounced during REM-sleep. This state-dependent cross-frequency coupling was particularly strong for theta-fast gamma interaction which increased 9-fold during REM as compared to active wakefulness. Theta-gamma coupling increased only by 1.5-fold. Significance State-dependent cross-frequency-coupling provides a new functional characteristic of REM-sleep and establishes a unique property of neocortical fast gamma oscillations. Interactions between defined patterns of slow and fast network oscillations may serve selective functions in sleep-dependent information processing. PMID:22163023

Hallucinations and REM sleep behaviour disorder in Parkinson's disease: dream imagery intrusions and other hypotheses.

PubMed

Manni, Raffaele; Terzaghi, Michele; Ratti, Pietro-Luca; Repetto, Alessandra; Zangaglia, Roberta; Pacchetti, Claudio

2011-12-01

REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is a REM sleep-related parasomnia which may be considered a "dissociated state of wakefulness and sleep", given that conflicting elements of REM sleep (dreaming) and of wakefulness (sustained muscle tone and movements) coexist during the episodes, leading to motor and behavioural manifestations reminiscent of an enacted dream. RBD has been reported in association with α-synucleinopathies: around a third of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) have full-blown RBD. Recent data indicate that PD patients with RBD are more prone to hallucinations than PD patients without this parasomnia. However it is still not clear why RBD in PD is associated with an increased prevalence of VHs. Data exist which suggest that visual hallucinations in PD may be the result of untimely intrusions of REM visual imagery into wakefulness. RBD, which is characterised by a REM sleep dissociation pattern, might be a condition that particularly favours such intrusions. However, other hypotheses may be advanced. In fact, deficits in attentional, executive, visuoperceptual and visuospatial abilities have been documented in RBD and found to occur far more frequently in PD with RBD than in PD without RBD. Neuropsychological deficits involving visual perception and attentional processes are thought to play an important role in the pathophysiology of VHs. On this basis, RBD in PD could be viewed as a contributory risk factor for VHs. Copyright © 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Sleep and dreaming are for important matters

PubMed Central

Perogamvros, L.; Dang-Vu, T. T.; Desseilles, M.; Schwartz, S.

2013-01-01

Recent studies in sleep and dreaming have described an activation of emotional and reward systems, as well as the processing of internal information during these states. Specifically, increased activity in the amygdala and across mesolimbic dopaminergic regions during REM sleep is likely to promote the consolidation of memory traces with high emotional/motivational value. Moreover, coordinated hippocampal-striatal replay during NREM sleep may contribute to the selective strengthening of memories for important events. In this review, we suggest that, via the activation of emotional/motivational circuits, sleep and dreaming may offer a neurobehavioral substrate for the offline reprocessing of emotions, associative learning, and exploratory behaviors, resulting in improved memory organization, waking emotion regulation, social skills, and creativity. Dysregulation of such motivational/emotional processes due to sleep disturbances (e.g., insomnia, sleep deprivation) would predispose to reward-related disorders, such as mood disorders, increased risk-taking and compulsive behaviors, and may have major health implications, especially in vulnerable populations. PMID:23898315

Coordinated infraslow neural and cardiac oscillations mark fragility and offline periods in mammalian sleep

PubMed Central

Lecci, Sandro; Fernandez, Laura M. J.; Weber, Frederik D.; Cardis, Romain; Chatton, Jean-Yves; Born, Jan; Lüthi, Anita

2017-01-01

Rodents sleep in bouts lasting minutes; humans sleep for hours. What are the universal needs served by sleep given such variability? In sleeping mice and humans, through monitoring neural and cardiac activity (combined with assessment of arousability and overnight memory consolidation, respectively), we find a previously unrecognized hallmark of sleep that balances two fundamental yet opposing needs: to maintain sensory reactivity to the environment while promoting recovery and memory consolidation. Coordinated 0.02-Hz oscillations of the sleep spindle band, hippocampal ripple activity, and heart rate sequentially divide non–rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep into offline phases and phases of high susceptibility to external stimulation. A noise stimulus chosen such that sleeping mice woke up or slept through at comparable rates revealed that offline periods correspond to raising, whereas fragility periods correspond to declining portions of the 0.02-Hz oscillation in spindle activity. Oscillations were present throughout non-REM sleep in mice, yet confined to light non-REM sleep (stage 2) in humans. In both species, the 0.02-Hz oscillation predominated over posterior cortex. The strength of the 0.02-Hz oscillation predicted superior memory recall after sleep in a declarative memory task in humans. These oscillations point to a conserved function of mammalian non-REM sleep that cycles between environmental alertness and internal memory processing in 20- to 25-s intervals. Perturbed 0.02-Hz oscillations may cause memory impairment and ill-timed arousals in sleep disorders. PMID:28246641

Sleep and Sex: What Can Go Wrong? A Review of the Literature on Sleep Related Disorders and Abnormal Sexual Behaviors and Experiences

PubMed Central

Schenck, Carlos H.; Arnulf, Isabelle; Mahowald, Mark W.

2007-01-01

Study Objectives: To formulate the first classification of sleep related disorders and abnormal sexual behaviors and experiences. Design: A computerized literature search was conducted, and other sources, such as textbooks, were searched. Results: Many categories of sleep related disorders were represented in the classification: parasomnias (confusional arousals/sleepwalking, with or without obstructive sleep apnea; REM sleep behavior disorder); sleep related seizures; Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS); severe chronic insomnia; restless legs syndrome; narcolepsy; sleep exacerbation of persistent sexual arousal syndrome; sleep related painful erections; sleep related dissociative disorders; nocturnal psychotic disorders; miscellaneous states. Kleine-Levin syndrome (78 cases) and parasomnias (31 cases) were most frequently reported. Parasomnias and sleep related seizures had overlapping and divergent clinical features. Thirty-one cases of parasomnias (25 males; mean age, 32 years) and 7 cases of sleep related seizures (4 males; mean age, 38 years) were identified. A full range of sleep related sexual behaviors with self and/or bed partners or others were reported, including masturbation, sexual vocalizations, fondling, sexual intercourse with climax, sexual assault/rape, ictal sexual hyperarousal, ictal orgasm, and ictal automatism. Adverse physical and/or psychosocial effects from the sleepsex were present in all parasomnia and sleep related seizure cases, but pleasurable effects were reported by 5 bed partners and by 3 patients with sleep related seizures. Forensic consequences were common, occurring in 35.5% (11/31) of parasomnia cases, with most (9/11) involving minors. All parasomnias cases reported amnesia for the sleepsex, in contrast to 28.6% (2/7) of sleep related seizure cases. Polysomnography (without penile tumescence monitoring), performed in 26 of 31 parasomnia cases, documented sexual moaning from slow wave sleep in 3 cases and sexual intercourse during stage 1 sleep/wakefulness in one case (with sex provoked by the bed partner). Confusional arousals (CAs) were diagnosed as the cause of “sleepsex” (“sexsomnia”) in 26 cases (with obstructive sleep apnea [OSA] comorbidity in 4 cases), and sleepwalking in 2 cases, totaling 90.3% (28/31) of cases being NREM sleep parasomnias. REM behavior disorder was the presumed cause in the other 3 cases. Bedtime clonazepam therapy was effective in 90% (9/10) of treated parasomnia cases; nasal continuous positive airway pressure therapy was effective in controlling comorbid OSA and CAs in both treated cases. All five treated patients with sleep related sexual seizures responded to anticonvulsant therapy. The hypersexuality in KLS, which was twice as common in males compared to females, had no reported effective therapy. Conclusions: A broad range of sleep related disorders associated with abnormal sexual behaviors and experiences exists, with major clinical and forensic consequences. Citation: Schenck CH; Arnulf I; Mahowald MW et al. Sleep and sex: what can go wrong? A review of the literature on sleep related disorders and abnormal sexual behaviors and experiences. SLEEP 2007;30(6):683-702. PMID:17580590

NREM2 and Sleep Spindles Are Instrumental to the Consolidation of Motor Sequence Memories

PubMed Central

Laventure, Samuel; Fogel, Stuart; Lungu, Ovidiu; Albouy, Geneviève; Sévigny-Dupont, Pénélope; Vien, Catherine; Sayour, Chadi; Carrier, Julie; Benali, Habib; Doyon, Julien

2016-01-01

Although numerous studies have convincingly demonstrated that sleep plays a critical role in motor sequence learning (MSL) consolidation, the specific contribution of the different sleep stages in this type of memory consolidation is still contentious. To probe the role of stage 2 non-REM sleep (NREM2) in this process, we used a conditioning protocol in three different groups of participants who either received an odor during initial training on a motor sequence learning task and were re-exposed to this odor during different sleep stages of the post-training night (i.e., NREM2 sleep [Cond-NREM2], REM sleep [Cond-REM], or were not conditioned during learning but exposed to the odor during NREM2 [NoCond]). Results show that the Cond-NREM2 group had significantly higher gains in performance at retest than both the Cond-REM and NoCond groups. Also, only the Cond-NREM2 group yielded significant changes in sleep spindle characteristics during cueing. Finally, we found that a change in frequency of sleep spindles during cued-memory reactivation mediated the relationship between the experimental groups and gains in performance the next day. These findings strongly suggest that cued-memory reactivation during NREM2 sleep triggers an increase in sleep spindle activity that is then related to the consolidation of motor sequence memories. PMID:27032084

Determining the relationship between sleep architecture, seizure variables and memory in patients with focal epilepsy.

PubMed

Miller, Laurie A; Ricci, Monica; van Schalkwijk, Frank J; Mohamed, Armin; van der Werf, Ysbrand D

2016-06-01

Sleep has been shown to be important to memory. Both sleep and memory have been found to be abnormal in patients with epilepsy. In this study, we explored the effects that nocturnal epileptiform discharges and the presence of a hippocampal lesion have on sleep patterns and memory. Twenty-five patients with focal epilepsy who underwent a 24-hr ambulatory EEG also completed the Everyday Memory Questionnaire (EMQ). The EEG record was scored for length of time spent in the various sleep stages, time spent awake after sleep onset, and rapid eye movement (REM) latency. Of these sleep variables, only REM latency differed when the epilepsy patients were divided on the bases of either presence/absence of nocturnal discharges or presence/absence of a hippocampal lesion. In both cases, presence of the abnormality was associated with longer latency. Furthermore, longer REM latency was found to be a better predictor of EMQ score than either number of discharges or presence of a hippocampal lesion. Longer REM latency was associated with a smaller percentage of time spent in slow-wave sleep in the early part of the night and may serve as a particularly sensitive marker to disturbances in sleep architecture. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Cold exposure impairs dark-pulse capacity to induce REM sleep in the albino rat.

PubMed

Baracchi, Francesca; Zamboni, Giovanni; Cerri, Matteo; Del Sindaco, Elide; Dentico, Daniela; Jones, Christine Ann; Luppi, Marco; Perez, Emanuele; Amici, Roberto

2008-06-01

In the albino rat, a REM sleep (REMS) onset can be induced with a high probability and a short latency when the light is suddenly turned off (dark pulse, DP) during non-REM sleep (NREMS). The aim of this study was to investigate to what extent DP delivery could overcome the integrative thermoregulatory mechanisms that depress REMS occurrence during exposure to low ambient temperature (Ta). To this aim, the efficiency of a non-rhythmical repetitive DP (3 min each) delivery during the first 6-h light period of a 12 h:12 h light-dark cycle in inducing REMS was studied in the rat, through the analysis of electroencephalogram, electrocardiogram, hypothalamic temperature and motor activity at different Tas. The results showed that DP delivery triggers a transition from NREMS to REMS comparable to that which occurs spontaneously. However, the efficiency of DP delivery in inducing REMS was reduced during cold exposure to an extent comparable with that observed in spontaneous REMS occurrence. Such impairment was associated with low Delta activity and high sympathetic tone when DPs were delivered. Repetitive DP administration increased REMS amount during the delivery period and a subsequent negative REMS rebound was observed. In conclusion, DP delivery did not overcome the integrative thermoregulatory mechanisms that depress REMS in the cold. These results underline the crucial physiological meaning of the mutual exclusion of thermoregulatory activation and REMS occurrence, and support the hypothesis that the suspension of the central control of body temperature is a prerequisite for REMS occurrence.

Does the arousal system contribute to near death experience?

PubMed

Nelson, Kevin R; Mattingly, Michelle; Lee, Sherman A; Schmitt, Frederick A

2006-04-11

The neurophysiologic basis of near death experience (NDE) is unknown. Clinical observations suggest that REM state intrusion contributes to NDE. Support for the hypothesis follows five lines of evidence: REM intrusion during wakefulness is a frequent normal occurrence, REM intrusion underlies other clinical conditions, NDE elements can be explained by REM intrusion, cardiorespiratory afferents evoke REM intrusion, and persons with an NDE may have an arousal system predisposing to REM intrusion. To investigate a predisposition to REM intrusion, the life-time prevalence of REM intrusion was studied in 55 NDE subjects and compared with that in age/gender-matched control subjects. Sleep paralysis as well as sleep-related visual and auditory hallucinations were substantially more common in subjects with an NDE. These findings anticipate that under circumstances of peril, an NDE is more likely in those with previous REM intrusion. REM intrusion could promote subjective aspects of NDE and often associated syncope. Suppression of an activated locus ceruleus could be central to an arousal system predisposed to REM intrusion and NDE.

Preserved cardiac autonomic dynamics during sleep in subjects with spinal cord injuries.

PubMed

Tobaldini, Eleonora; Proserpio, Paola; Sambusida, Katrina; Lanza, Andrea; Redaelli, Tiziana; Frigerio, Pamela; Fratticci, Lara; Rosa, Silvia; Casali, Karina R; Somers, Virend K; Nobili, Lino; Montano, Nicola

2015-06-01

Spinal cord injuries (SCI) are associated with altered cardiovascular autonomic control (CAC). Sleep is characterized by modifications of autonomic control across sleep stages; however, no data are available in SCI subjects on CAC during sleep. We aim to assess cardiac autonomic modulation during sleep in subjects with SCI. 27 participants with a neurological and radiological diagnosis of cervical (Cerv, n = 12, ie, tetraplegic) and thoracic SCI (Thor, n = 15, ie, paraplegic) and healthy subjects (Controls) were enrolled. Overnight polysomnographic (PSG) recordings were obtained in all participants. Electrocardiography and respiration were extracted from PSG, divided into sleep stages [wakefulness (W), non-REM sleep (NREM) and REM] for assessment of CAC, using symbolic analysis (SA) and corrected conditional entropy (CCE). SA identified indices of sympathetic and parasympathetic modulation and CCE evaluated the degree of complexity of the heart period time series. SA revealed a reduction of sympathetic and predominant parasympathetic control during NREM compared to W and REM in SCI patients, independent of the level of the lesion, similar to the Controls. In all three groups, complexity of autonomic regulation was higher in NREM compared to W and REM. In subjects with SCI, cardiac autonomic control changed across sleep stages, with a reduction of sympathetic and an increase of parasympathetic modulation during NREM compared to W and REM, and a parallel increase of complexity during NREM, which was similar to the Controls. Cardiac autonomic dynamics during sleep are maintained in SCI, independent of the level of the lesion. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A Placebo-Controlled Augmentation Trial of Prazosin for Combat Trauma PTSD

DTIC Science & Technology

2013-08-01

sleep disturbance, and other hyperarousal symptoms typical of PTSD (11). Specific stimulation of CNS alpha-1 adreno- receptors disrupts REM sleep (36...result from excessive brain responsiveness to released norepinephrine disrupting rapid eye movement ( REM ) and other sleep stages (Mellman, Kumar, Kulick...in 2006, sought help for distressing combat trauma night- mares, sleep disruption, and daytime intrusive ruminations about previous combat events. He

The Memory Function of Noradrenergic Activity in Non-REM Sleep

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gais, Steffen; Rasch, Bjorn; Dahmen, Johannes C.; Sara, Susan; Born, Jan

2011-01-01

There is a long-standing assumption that low noradrenergic activity during sleep reflects mainly the low arousal during this brain state. Nevertheless, recent research has demonstrated that the locus coeruleus, which is the main source of cortical noradrenaline, displays discrete periods of intense firing during non-REM sleep, without any signs of…

The role of the substantia nigra pars compacta in regulating sleep patterns in rats.

PubMed

Lima, Marcelo M S; Andersen, Monica L; Reksidler, Angela B; Vital, Maria A B F; Tufik, Sergio

2007-06-06

As of late, dopaminergic neurotransmission has been recognized to be involved in the generation of sleep disturbances. Increasing evidence shows that sleep disturbances in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients are mostly related to the disease itself, rather than being a secondary phenomenon. Evidence contained in the literature lends support to the hypothesis that the dopaminergic nigrostriatal pathway is closely involved in the regulation of sleep patterns. To test this hypothesis we examined the electrophysiological activity along the sleep-wake cycle of rats submitted to a surgically induced lesion of the SNpc by 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP). We demonstrated that a 50% lesion of the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNpc) suffices to produce disruptions of several parameters in the sleep-wake pattern of rats. A robust and constant decrease in the latency to the onset of slow wave sleep (SWS) was detected throughout the five days of recording in both light [F((22.16)) = 72.46, p<0.0001] and dark [F((22.16)) = 75.0, p<0.0001] periods. Also found was a pronounced increase in the percentage of sleep efficiency during the first four days of recording [F((21.15)) = 21.48, p<0.0001], in comparison to the sham group. Additionally, the reduction in the SNpc dopaminergic neurons provoked an ablation in the percentage of rapid eye movement sleep (REM) during three days of the sleep-wake recording period with a strong correlation (r = 0.91; p<0.0001) between the number of dopaminergic neurons lost and the percentage decrease of REM sleep on the first day of recording. On day 4, the percentage of REM sleep during the light and dark periods was increased, [F((22.16)) = 2.46, p<0.0007], a phenomenon consistent with REM rebound. We propose that dopaminergic neurons present in the SNpc possess a fundamental function in the regulation of sleep processes, particularly in promoting REM sleep.

Narcolepsy

PubMed Central

Mitler, Merrill M.; Hajdukovic, Roza; Erman, Milton; Koziol, James A.

2008-01-01

Summary Narcolepsy is a neurological condition with a prevalence of up to 1 per 1,000 that is characterized by irresistible bouts of sleep. Associated features include the pathological manifestations of rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep: cataplexy, sleep paralysis, hypnagogic hallucinations, and abnormal sleep-onset REM periods and disturbed nocturnal sleep. The condition is strongly associated with the HLA-DR2 and DQw1 phenotype. The phenomenology of narcolepsy is discussed, and diagnostic procedures are reviewed. Treatment modalities involving central nervous system stimulants for somnolence and tricyclic drugs for REM-sleep abnormalities are discussed. Sleep laboratory studies on the treatment efficacy of methylphenidate, pemoline, dextroamphetamine, protriptyline, and viloxazine are presented. Data suggest that: (1) methylphenidate and dextro-amphetamine objectively improve somnolence; (2) pemoline, at doses up to 112.5 mg, is less effective in controlling somnolence but may improve certain aspects of performance; and (3) protriptyline and viloxazine are effective anticataplectic agents that produce little improvement in somnolence. PMID:1968069

Sleep Disturbances as a Risk Factor for Stroke

PubMed Central

Koo, Dae Lim; Nam, Hyunwoo; Thomas, Robert J.; Yun, Chang-Ho

2018-01-01

Sleep, a vital process of human being, is carefully orchestrated by the brain and consists of cyclic transitions between rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep. Autonomic tranquility during NREM sleep is characterized by vagal dominance and stable breathing, providing an opportunity for the cardiovascular-neural axis to restore homeostasis, in response to use, distress or fatigue inflicted during wakefulness. Abrupt irregular swings in sympathovagal balance during REM sleep act as phasic loads on the resting cardiovascular system. Any causes of sleep curtailment or fragmentation such as sleep restriction, sleep apnea, insomnia, periodic limb movements during sleep, and shift work, not only impair cardiovascular restoration but also impose a stress on the cardiovascular system. Sleep disturbances have been reported to play a role in the development of stroke and other cardiovascular disorders. This review aims to provide updated information on the role of abnormal sleep in the development of stroke, to discuss the implications of recent research findings, and to help both stroke clinicians and researchers understand the importance of identification and management of sleep pathology for stroke prevention and care. PMID:29402071

Sleep-laughing--hypnogely.

PubMed

Trajanovic, Nikola N; Shapiro, Colin M; Milovanovic, Srdjan

2013-07-01

To explain relatively common phenomenon of laughing during sleep and help to better define criteria for differentiating between physiological and pathological sleep-laughing. Observational study of patients who underwent a sleep assessment in a referential tertiary health facility. A total of ten patients exhibited sleep laughing, nine of whom had episodes associated with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Also, in one of the patients sleep-laughing was one of the symptoms of REM sleep Behaviour Disorder, and in another patient sleep-laughing was associated with NREM sleep arousal parasomnia. The collected data and review of literature suggests that hypnogely in majority of the cases presents as a benign physiological phenomenon related to dreaming and REM sleep. Typically, these dreams are odd, bizarre or even unfunny for a person when awake. Nevertheless, they bring a sense of mirth and a genuine behavioural response. In a minority of cases, sleep-laughing appears to be a symptom of neurological disorders affecting the central nervous system. In these patients the behavioural substrate differs when compared to physiological laughing, and the sense of mirth is usually absent.

Circadian variation of EEG power spectra in NREM and REM sleep in humans: dissociation from body temperature

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Dijk, D. J.

1999-01-01

In humans, EEG power spectra in REM and NREM sleep, as well as characteristics of sleep spindles such as their duration, amplitude, frequency and incidence, vary with circadian phase. Recently it has been hypothesized that circadian variations in EEG spectra in humans are caused by variations in brain or body temperature and may not represent phenomena relevant to sleep regulatory processes. To test this directly, a further analysis of EEG power spectra - collected in a forced desynchrony protocol in which sleep episodes were scheduled to a 28-h period while the rhythms of body temperature and plasma melatonin were oscillating at their near 24-h period - was carried out. EEG power spectra were computed for NREM and REM sleep occurring between 90-120 and 270-300 degrees of the circadian melatonin rhythm, i.e. just after the clearance of melatonin from plasma in the 'morning' and just after the 'evening' increase in melatonin secretion. Average body temperatures during scheduled sleep at these two circadian phases were identical (36.72 degrees C). Despite identical body temperatures, the power spectra in NREM sleep were very different at these two circadian phases. EEG activity in the low frequency spindle range was significantly and markedly enhanced after the evening increase in plasma melatonin as compared to the morning phase. For REM sleep, significant differences in power spectra during these two circadian phases, in particular in the alpha range, were also observed. The results confirm that EEG power spectra in NREM and REM sleep vary with circadian phase, suggesting that the direct contribution of temperature to the circadian variation in EEG power spectra is absent or only minor, and are at variance with the hypothesis that circadian variations in EEG power spectra are caused by variations in temperature.

Role of REM Sleep, Melanin Concentrating Hormone and Orexin/Hypocretin Systems in the Sleep Deprivation Pre-Ischemia

PubMed Central

Pace, Marta; Adamantidis, Antoine; Facchin, Laura; Bassetti, Claudio

2017-01-01

Study Objectives Sleep reduction after stroke is linked to poor recovery in patients. Conversely, a neuroprotective effect is observed in animals subjected to acute sleep deprivation (SD) before ischemia. This neuroprotection is associated with an increase of the sleep, melanin concentrating hormone (MCH) and orexin/hypocretin (OX) systems. This study aims to 1) assess the relationship between sleep and recovery; 2) test the association between MCH and OX systems with the pathological mechanisms of stroke. Methods Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to four experimental groups: (i) SD_IS: SD performed before ischemia; (ii) IS: ischemia; (iii) SD_Sham: SD performed before sham surgery; (iv) Sham: sham surgery. EEG and EMG were recorded. The time-course of the MCH and OX gene expression was measured at 4, 12, 24 hours and 3, 4, 7 days following ischemic surgery by qRT-PCR. Results A reduction of infarct volume was observed in the SD_IS group, which correlated with an increase of REM sleep observed during the acute phase of stroke. Conversely, the IS group showed a reduction of REM sleep. Furthermore, ischemia induces an increase of MCH and OX systems during the acute phase of stroke, although, both systems were still increased for a long period of time only in the SD_IS group. Conclusions Our data indicates that REM sleep may be involved in the neuroprotective effect of SD pre-ischemia, and that both MCH and OX systems were increased during the acute phase of stroke. Future studies should assess the role of REM sleep as a prognostic marker, and test MCH and OXA agonists as new treatment options in the acute phase of stroke. PMID:28061506

Sleep-Wake Cycle and Daytime Sleepiness in the Myotonic Dystrophies

PubMed Central

Romigi, A.; Albanese, M.; Liguori, C.; Placidi, F.; Marciani, M. G.; Massa, R.

2013-01-01

Myotonic dystrophy is the most common type of muscular dystrophy in adults and is characterized by progressive myopathy, myotonia, and multiorgan involvement. Two genetically distinct entities have been identified, myotonic dystrophy type 1 (DM1 or Steinert's Disease) and myotonic dystrophy type 2 (DM2). Myotonic dystrophies are strongly associated with sleep dysfunction. Sleep disturbances in DM1 are common and include sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), periodic limb movements (PLMS), central hypersomnia, and REM sleep dysregulation (high REM density and narcoleptic-like phenotype). Interestingly, drowsiness in DM1 seems to be due to a central dysfunction of sleep-wake regulation more than SDB. To date, little is known regarding the occurrence of sleep disorders in DM2. SDB (obstructive and central apnoea), REM sleep without atonia, and restless legs syndrome have been described. Further polysomnographic, controlled studies are strongly needed, particularly in DM2, in order to clarify the role of sleep disorders in the myotonic dystrophies. PMID:26316996

The dream between neuroscience and psychoanalysis.

PubMed

Mancia, M

2004-07-01

The dream is tackled sometimes from the neurobiological viewpoint, sometimes from the neuropsychological angle, or from the positions of experimental and psychoanalytical psychology. Interest in dreams started with psychoanalysis in 1900, and 53 years later the discovery of REM sleep by Aserinski and Kleitman, and subsequent psychophysiological findings took the dream into the realm of biology. The dichotomous model of REM and non-REM sleep is described, as a basis for thought-like activity (non-REM sleep) and dreaming (REM sleep). This led to Hobson and McCarley's theory of activation-synthesis, suggesting that the mind while dreaming is simply the brain self-activated in REM sleep. Psychophysiological research has shown that people dream in all phases of sleep, from falling asleep to waking, but that the characteristics of the dreams may differ in the different phases. Bio-imaging studies indicate that during REM sleep there is activation of the pons, the amygdala bilaterally, and the anterior cingulate cortex, and disactivation of the posterior cingulate cortex and the prefrontal cortex. The images suggest there is a neuroanatomical frame within which dreams can be generated and then forgotten. Psychoanalysis studies the dream from a completely different angle. Freud believed it was the expression of hallucinatory satisfaction of repressed desires. Today it is interpreted as the expression of a representation of the transference in the hic et nunc of the session. At the same time it also has symbol-generating functions which provide an outlet by which affective experiences and fantasies and defences stored as parts of an unrepressed unconscious in the implicit memory can be represented in pictorial terms, then thought and rendered verbally. From the psychoanalytical point of view, the dream transcends neurobiological knowledge, and looks like a process of internal activation that is only apparently chaotic, but is actually rich in meanings, arising from the person's affective and emotional history.

The Sleep Disorder in Anti-lgLON5 Disease.

PubMed

Gaig, Carles; Iranzo, Alex; Santamaria, Joan; Graus, Francesc

2018-05-23

To review the clinical and polysomnographic features of the sleep disorder occurring in the recently described anti-IgLON5 disease. The hallmark of the disease is the presence of antibodies against IgLON5, a neural cell adhesion molecule of unknown function. The disease presents a robust HLA association, and the neuropathological examination shows a novel neuronal tauopathy with predominant hypothalamic and brainstem involvement. Most patients (> 80%) present sleep-related vocalizations with movements and behaviors and sleep-disordered breathing. Polysomnographic studies show (1) a complex NREM sleep parasomnia at sleep initiation characterized by undifferentiated NREM or poorly structured N2 sleep with sleep-talking or mumbling, and simple or finalistic movements followed by normal periods of N3 or N2 NREM sleep, (2) REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), and (3) obstructive sleep apnea with stridor. The last two features appear mainly in periods where NREM sleep normalizes. Identification of the anti-IgLON5 sleep disorder is important to suspect the disease. The combination of abnormal NREM sleep initiation, followed by normal periods of NREM sleep and RBD, represents a novel parasomnia.

Sleep and stress in man: an approach through exercise and exposure to extreme environments.

PubMed

Buguet, A; Cespuglio, R; Radomski, M W

1998-05-01

In this paper, the effects of exercise on human sleep (in temperate, cold, and hot climates) are compared with those of exposure to extreme environments (tropical, polar climates). Exercise has two effect: (i) when the exercise load is too heavy or if the subject is not trained to the exercise conditions, the hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical axis (HPA) is strongly activated (somatic stress reaction), and a diachronic (delayed) decrease in total sleep time and slow-wave sleep (SWS) occurs with a synchronic (concomitant) sleep disruption (such as a decrease in REM sleep); (ii) a diachronic enhancement of SWS and (or) REM sleep occurs during moderate training and in athletes, with a moderate HPA activation (neurogenic stress reaction). Heat acclimatization (neurogenic stress response) results in a diachronic increase in SWS, contrary to acute heat exposure (somatic stress) which leads to a diachronic decrease in SWS. Nocturnal cold exposure (somatic and (or) neurogenic stress) provokes a synchronic decrease in REM sleep with an activation of stress hormones, which are reduced by previous acclimation (neurogenic pathway); SWS remains undisturbed in the cold, as it occurs at the beginning of the night before body cooling. In conclusion, when the brain can deal with the stressor (neurogenic stress), diachronic increases in SWS and (or) REM sleep occur. When these "central" mechanisms are overloaded, the classical "somatic" stress reaction occurs with diachronic and synchronic disruptions of the sleep structure.

Time-of-night variations in the story-like organization of dream experience developed during rapid eye movement sleep.

PubMed

Cipolli, Carlo; Guazzelli, Mario; Bellucci, Claudia; Mazzetti, Michela; Palagini, Laura; Rosenlicht, Nicholas; Feinberg, Irwin

2015-04-01

This study aimed to investigate the cycles (2nd/4th) and duration-related (5/10 min) variations in the story-like organization of dream experience elaborated during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Dream reports were analysed using story grammar rules. Reports were provided by those subjects (14 of 22) capable of reporting a dream after each of the four awakenings provoked in 2 consecutive nights during REM sleep of the 2nd and 4th cycles, after periods of either 5 or 10 min, counterbalanced across the nights. Two researchers who were blind as to the sleep condition scored the dream reports independently. The values of the indicators of report length (measured as value of total word count) and of story-like organization of dream reports were matched taking time-of-night (2nd and 4th cycles) and REM duration (5 versus 10 min) as factors. Two-way analyses of variance showed that report length increased significantly in 4th-cycle REM sleep and nearly significantly for longer REM duration, whereas the number of dream-stories per report did not vary. The indices of sequential (number of statements describing the event structure developed in the story) and hierarchical (number of episodes per story) organization increased significantly only in dream-stories reported after 10 min of 4th-cycle REM sleep. These findings indicate that the characteristics of structural organization of dream-stories vary along with time of night, and suggest that the elaboration of a long and complex dream-story requires a fairly long time and the availability of a great amount of cognitive resources to maintain its continuity and coherence. © 2014 European Sleep Research Society.

Acute Kynurenine Challenge Disrupts Sleep-Wake Architecture and Impairs Contextual Memory in Adult Rats.

PubMed

Pocivavsek, Ana; Baratta, Annalisa M; Mong, Jessica A; Viechweg, Shaun S

2017-11-01

Tryptophan metabolism via the kynurenine pathway may represent a key molecular link between sleep loss and cognitive dysfunction. Modest increases in the kynurenine pathway metabolite kynurenic acid (KYNA), which acts as an antagonist at N-methyl-d-aspartate and α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the brain, result in cognitive impairments. As glutamatergic and cholinergic neurotransmissions are critically involved in modulation of sleep, our current experiments tested the hypothesis that elevated KYNA adversely impacts sleep quality. Adult male Wistar rats were treated with vehicle (saline) and kynurenine (25, 50, 100, and 250 mg/kg), the direct bioprecursor of KYNA, intraperitoneally at zeitgeber time (ZT) 0 to rapidly increase brain KYNA. Levels of KYNA in the brainstem, cortex, and hippocampus were determined at ZT 0, ZT 2, and ZT 4, respectively. Analyses of vigilance state-related parameters categorized as wake, rapid eye movement (REM), and non-REM (NREM) as well as spectra power analysis during NREM and REM were assessed during the light phase. Separate animals were tested in the passive avoidance paradigm, testing contextual memory. When KYNA levels were elevated in the brain, total REM duration was reduced and total wake duration was increased. REM and wake architecture, assessed as number of vigilance state bouts and average duration of each bout, and theta power during REM were significantly impacted. Kynurenine challenge impaired performance in the hippocampal-dependent contextual memory task. Our results introduce kynurenine pathway metabolism and formation of KYNA as a novel molecular target contributing to sleep disruptions and cognitive impairments. © Sleep Research Society 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

The sleep architecture of Saudi Arabian patients with Kleine-Levin syndrome

PubMed Central

Al Shareef, Saad M.; Almeneessier, Aljohara S.; Hammad, Omeima; Smith, Richard M.; BaHammam, Ahmed S.

2018-01-01

Objectives: To establish baseline sleep architecture during an acute attack of Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS) in a cohort of Saudi Arabian KLS patients and compare these characteristics with other published cohorts. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study of the polysomnographic characteristics of 10 typical symptomatic Saudi Arabian KLS patients attending the University Sleep Disorders Center, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia between 2002 and 2015. Data were captured by nocturnal polysomnography during an acute attack of hypersomnia and compared with other published cohorts identified via a systematic literature search. Results: Self-reported time asleep during episodes (11.1±6.7 hours) and recorded total sleep time (TST) (322.5±108.7 minutes) were generally shorter than other published cohorts. Sleep efficiency was poor at 75.0%±25.1%, with low relative amounts of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (16.5±5.9% of TST) and deep non-REM sleep (stage N3; 10.5±6.0% of TST) and high relative amounts of non-REM sleep (stage N1; 7.0±4.3% of TST). The sleep architecture of Saudi Arabian KLS patients was similar to other published cohorts. Conclusions: Sleep architecture of our cohort was relatively normal and broadly similar to other published studies, the main features being low sleep efficiency and low relative amounts of REM and stage N3 sleep. Time-course polysomnography studies with functional imaging may be useful to further establish the exact pathophysiology of this disease. PMID:29332107

Differential Effects of a Dual Orexin Receptor Antagonist (SB-649868) and Zolpidem on Sleep Initiation and Consolidation, SWS, REM Sleep, and EEG Power Spectra in a Model of Situational Insomnia

PubMed Central

Bettica, Paolo; Squassante, Lisa; Groeger, John A; Gennery, Brian; Winsky-Sommerer, Raphaelle; Dijk, Derk-Jan

2012-01-01

Orexins have a role in sleep regulation, and orexin receptor antagonists are under development for the treatment of insomnia. We conducted a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, four-period crossover study to investigate the effect of single doses of the dual orexin receptor antagonist SB-649868 (10 or 30 mg) and a positive control zolpidem (10 mg), an allosteric modulator of GABAA receptors. Objective and subjective sleep parameters and next-day performance were assessed in 51 healthy male volunteers in a traffic noise model of situational insomnia. Compared with placebo, SB-649868 10 and 30 mg increased total sleep time (TST) by 17 and 31 min (p<0.001), whereas after zolpidem TST was increased by 11.0 min (p=0.012). Wake after sleep onset was reduced significantly by 14.7 min for the SB–6489698 30 mg dose (p<0.001). Latency to persistent sleep was significantly reduced after both doses of SB–6489698 (p=0.003), but not after zolpidem. Slow wave sleep (SWS) and electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectra in non-REM sleep were not affected by either dose of SB-640868, whereas SWS (p< 0.001) and low delta activity (<=1.0 Hz) were increased, and 2.25–11.0 Hz activity decreased after zolpidem. REM sleep duration was increased after SB-649868 30 mg (p=0.002) and reduced after zolpidem (p=0.049). Latency to REM sleep was reduced by 20.1 (p=0.034) and 34.0 min (p<0.001) after 10 and 30 mg of SB-649868. Sleep-onset REM episodes were observed. SB-649868 was well tolerated. This dual orexin receptor antagonist exerts hypnotic activity, with effects on sleep structure and the EEG that are different from those of zolpidem. PMID:22237311

Orexin Receptor Antagonism Improves Sleep and Reduces Seizures in Kcna1-null Mice.

PubMed

Roundtree, Harrison M; Simeone, Timothy A; Johnson, Chaz; Matthews, Stephanie A; Samson, Kaeli K; Simeone, Kristina A

2016-02-01

Comorbid sleep disorders occur in approximately one-third of people with epilepsy. Seizures and sleep disorders have an interdependent relationship where the occurrence of one can exacerbate the other. Orexin, a wake-promoting neuropeptide, is associated with sleep disorder symptoms. Here, we tested the hypothesis that orexin dysregulation plays a role in the comorbid sleep disorder symptoms in the Kcna1-null mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy. Rest-activity was assessed using infrared beam actigraphy. Sleep architecture and seizures were assessed using continuous video-electroencephalography-electromyography recordings in Kcna1-null mice treated with vehicle or the dual orexin receptor antagonist, almorexant (100 mg/kg, intraperitoneally). Orexin levels in the lateral hypothalamus/perifornical region (LH/P) and hypothalamic pathology were assessed with immunohistochemistry and oxygen polarography. Kcna1-null mice have increased latency to rapid eye movement (REM) sleep onset, sleep fragmentation, and number of wake epochs. The numbers of REM and non-REM (NREM) sleep epochs are significantly reduced in Kcna1-null mice. Severe seizures propagate to the wake-promoting LH/P where injury is apparent (indicated by astrogliosis, blood-brain barrier permeability, and impaired mitochondrial function). The number of orexin-positive neurons is increased in the LH/P compared to wild-type LH/P. Treatment with a dual orexin receptor antagonist significantly increases the number and duration of NREM sleep epochs and reduces the latency to REM sleep onset. Further, almorexant treatment reduces the incidence of severe seizures and overall seizure burden. Interestingly, we report a significant positive correlation between latency to REM onset and seizure burden in Kcna1-null mice. Dual orexin receptor antagonists may be an effective sleeping aid in epilepsy, and warrants further study on their somnogenic and ant-seizure effects in other epilepsy models. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

A Change of Possible Neurological and Psychological Significance Within the First Week of Neonate Life: Sleeping REM Rate.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Minard, James; And Others

The percentage of rapid eye movement (REM) during sleep is substantially greater in neonates (infants in first month after birth) than in other children or adults. It was hypothesized that REM rate may decline as rates of many response sequences do when repeatedly elicited. Electrical recordings of eye movements were obtained from a 3-day-old male…

Polysomnographic measures of sleep in cocaine dependence and alcohol dependence: Implications for age‐related loss of slow wave, stage 3 sleep

PubMed Central

Bjurstrom, Martin F.; Olmstead, Richard

2016-01-01

Abstract Background and aims Sleep disturbance is a prominent complaint in cocaine and alcohol dependence. This controlled study evaluated differences of polysomnographic (PSG) sleep in cocaine‐ and alcohol‐dependent subjects, and examined whether substance dependence interacts with age to alter slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Design Cross‐sectional comparison. Setting Los Angeles and San Diego, CA, USA. Participants Abstinent cocaine‐dependent subjects (n = 32), abstinent alcohol‐dependent subjects (n = 73) and controls (n = 108); mean age 40.3 years recruited 2005–12. Measurements PSG measures of sleep continuity and sleep architecture primary outcomes of Stage 3 sleep and REM sleep. Covariates included age, ethnicity, education, smoking, body mass index and depressive symptoms. Findings Compared with controls, both groups of substance dependent subjects showed loss of Stage 3 sleep (P < 0.001). A substance dependence × age interaction was found in which both cocaine‐ and alcohol‐dependent groups showed loss of Stage 3 sleep at an earlier age than controls (P < 0.05 for all), and cocaine‐dependent subjects showed loss of Stage 3 sleep at an earlier age than alcoholics (P < 0.05). Compared with controls, REM sleep was increased in both substance‐dependent groups (P < 0.001), and cocaine and alcohol dependence were associated with earlier age‐related increase in REM sleep (P < 0.05 for all). Conclusions Cocaine and alcohol dependence appear to be associated with marked disturbances of sleep architecture, including increased rapid eye movement sleep and accelerated age‐related loss of slow wave, Stage 3 sleep. PMID:26749502

[Somnambulism: clinical and eletrophysiological aspects].

PubMed

Szúcs, Anna; Halász, Péter

2005-06-05

The authors review the literature on the epidemiology, the clinical and electrophysiological symptoms of somnambulism. The disorder specified as "nREM parasomnia with awakening disorder" belongs to the nREM sleep (awakening) parasomnias. In most of the cases its occurence is familial with the highest prevalence at age 12 year. Above age 12 year most cases recover whereas 6% of prevalence is reported in adults. It is probable that most patients seek medical help only in severe cases associated with injuries, accidents or violence. Its etiology is unknown; in essence it is a sleep regulation disorder characterised by a dissociated state of partial awakening from nREM sleep: the motor system becomes awake while consciousness remains clouded. There are several medicines inducing somnambulism in patients otherwise free from this disorder. In somnambule patients the most important provoking factors are sleep deprivation as well as pathological states and circumstances evoking sleep loss. Somnambulism should be differentiated from complex partial epileptic seizures and REM behaviour disorder. As there is no specific treatment at the moment it is important to assure safe sleeping circumstances - ground flour, closed windows, and no fragile furniture. Clonazepam and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors prove sometimes effective, but the most effective methods in decreasing the frequency of somnambule episodes are the regular sleep-wakefulness schedule and the avoidance of sleep deprivation.

Two preliminary studies on sleep and psychotherapy.

PubMed

Karle, W; Hopper, M; Corriere, R; Hart, J; Switzer, A

1977-09-01

Two preliminary studies were conducted to assess the effects of an intensive outpatient psychotherapy, Feeling Therapy, on sleep. This therapy was chosen because of its demonstrated ability to affect its patients' dreams. In the first study a newly entering female patient was recorded across the first three weeks of intensive daily therapy. In contrast to two control subjects recorded across a similar time period, she demonstrated low REM times and short REM latencies on the average, and considerably greater variability in nearly every parameter. In the second study, two patients were recorded across three days (the middle of which was the day of a therapy session) first when new in therapy and then again after two and one-half years of therapy. It was found that when new in therapy both subjects spent nights of significantly altered sleep the day of the therapy session. One subject showed no REM sleep whatsoever while the other showed a 10 min REM latency and low REM time. The significance of these findings and the direction of future research is discussed.

Microinjections into the pedunculopontine tegmentum: effects of the GABAA antagonist, bicuculline, on sleep, PGO waves and behavior.

PubMed

Sanford, L D; Hunt, W K; Ross, R J; Morrison, A R; Pack, A I

1998-07-01

Neurons in the peribrachial region (PB) at the pontine border are implicated in the generation of ponto-geniculo-occipital (PGO) waves, which appear spontaneously during rapid eye movement sleep (REM) and in association with alerting behaviors during waking, as well as in the regulation of REM itself. It has been hypothesized that PGO-related bursting in a subpopulation of these neurons results from low threshold spikes triggered by phasic hyperpolarizations or by excitatory inputs reaching a steadily hyperpolarized neuron. The hyperpolarization necessary for triggering the low threshold spikes may come from local GABA neurons or from GABAergic input into PB. To test the hypothesis that antagonizing GABA would alter PGO wave generation and/or behavioral state, we microinfused, in cats, the GABAA antagonist, bicuculline, locally into PB and monitored behavior, behavioral state and PGO waves recorded in the lateral geniculate bodies. Bicuculline produced no significant alteration in PGO wave activity. In 3 cats, bicuculline produced behaviors ranging from spontaneous orienting and startle (4 cats) to flight behaviors (2 cats) and aggressiveness (2 cats), an effect probably due to diffusion into the central gray region. Thus, the results do not support a GABAA-ergic role in PB in the generation of PGO waves.

REM desensitization as a new therapeutic method for post-traumatic stress disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Ahmadi, Khodabakhsh; Hazrati, Majid; Ahmadizadeh, Mohammadjavad; Noohi, Sima

2015-04-01

to evaluate potential efficacy of a new therapeutic approach in posttraumatic stress disorder in comparison with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), a standard treatment approach and controls. the study was designed using a randomized controlled trial methodology. Participants were recruited from military servicemen aged between 25 to 50 years who were admitting hospitals of Bushehr, Iran, with the final diagnosis of PTSD. Finally 33 male patients were devided into three subgroups: G1: EMDR; G2: REM Desensitization; and group 3: controls who received no therapy. Mississippi Scale for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and a 37 item death anxiety questionnaire were used for measures. multiple comparisons showed that intrusive thoughts were significantly more likely to improve with REM Desensitization versus EMDR (P=0.03), while depression was more responsive to EMDR (p=0.03). Among the Pittsburgh scale for the quality of sleep items, sleep quality (p=0.02), sleep duration (p=0.001), and total sleep quality score (p=0.002) were significantly more likely to improve in the REM Desensitization group. Change in the absolute death anxiety scores was not different between subgroups excepting EMDR versus control group (p=0.05). REM, desensitization, the new therapeutic approach to PTSD is a highly effective strategy, even more than EMDR, the standard treatment, in most of the evaluated subjects, with special emphasis on sleep symptoms, and also in the management of intrusive thoughts. Depression is the only factor in which, REM Desensitization was significantly less likely to represent a superior therapeutic effect than EMDR.

SLEEP AND MENTAL DISORDERS: A META-ANALYSIS OF POLYSOMNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH

PubMed Central

Baglioni, Chiara; Nanovska, Svetoslava; Regen, Wolfram; Spiegelhalder, Kai; Feige, Bernd; Nissen, Christoph; Reynolds, Charles F.; Riemann, Dieter

2016-01-01

Investigating sleep in mental disorders has the potential to reveal both disorder-specific and transdiagnostic psychophysiological mechanisms. This meta-analysis aimed at determining the polysomnographic (PSG) characteristics of several mental disorders. Relevant studies were searched through standard strategies. Controlled PSG studies evaluating sleep in affective, anxiety, eating, pervasive developmental, borderline and antisocial personality disorders, ADHD, and schizophrenia were included. PSG variables of sleep continuity, depth, and architecture, as well as rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep were considered. Calculations were performed with the “Comprehensive Meta-Analysis” and “R” softwares. Using random effects modeling, for each disorder and each variable, a separate meta-analysis was conducted if at least 3 studies were available for calculation of effect sizes as standardized means (Hedges’g). Sources of variability, i.e., sex, age, and mental disorders comorbidity, were evaluated in subgroup analyses. Sleep alterations were evidenced in all disorders, with the exception of ADHD and seasonal affective disorders. Sleep continuity problems were observed in most mental disorders. Sleep depth and REM pressure alterations were associated with affective, anxiety, autism and schizophrenia disorders. Comorbidity was associated with enhanced REM sleep pressure and more inhibition of sleep depth. No sleep parameter was exclusively altered in one condition; however, no two conditions shared the same PSG profile. Sleep continuity disturbances imply a transdiagnostic imbalance in the arousal system likely representing a basic dimension of mental health. Sleep depth and REM variables might play a key role in psychiatric comorbidity processes. Constellations of sleep alterations may define distinct disorders better than alterations in one single variable. PMID:27416139

Allergic rhinitis affects the duration of rapid eye movement sleep in children with sleep-disordered breathing without sleep apnea.

PubMed

Di Francesco, Renata C; Alvarez, Jessica

2016-05-01

Our goals were to assess whether allergic rhinitis (AR) is an aggravating factor that affects the severity of sleep apnea in children with tonsils/adenoid hypertrophy (T&A) and to compare polysomnographic data from children with and without AR. This prospective study included 135 children (age range, 3 to 14 years) with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) resulting from T&A. Children with lung, neurological, or craniofacial problems; septal deviations; previous pharyngeal surgeries; or orthodontic treatments were excluded. All children underwent a clinical evaluation, nasopharyngoscopy or lateral X-ray imaging, sleep study, and hypersensitivity skin-prick test. The mean patient age was 6.44 ± 2.55 years (83 males). AR was present in 42.2% of the children; 40% presented with sleep apnea; and 17.04% had sleep apnea and AR. The percentage of time spent in the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stage was lower among children with AR without sleep apnea (p = 0.028); however, the percentage of REM sleep was not significantly different among children with apnea (p = 0.2922). No difference in the apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) was observed between the children with (AHI = 2.79 events/hour) and without AR (3.75 events/hour, p = 0.4427). A multivariate analysis showed that nasal congestion was an important factor that can affect the duration of the REM sleep stage. AR affects REM sleep in children with SDB without sleep apnea, and AR is not an aggravating factor regarding the severity of AHI. © 2016 ARS-AAOA, LLC.

Gamma Band Activity in the RAS-intracellular mechanisms

PubMed Central

Garcia-Rill, E.; Kezunovic, N.; D’Onofrio, S.; Luster, B.; Hyde, J.; Bisagno, V.; Urbano, F.J.

2014-01-01

Gamma band activity participates in sensory perception, problem solving, and memory. This review considers recent evidence showing that cells in the reticular activating system (RAS) exhibit gamma band activity, and describes the intrinsic membrane properties behind such manifestation. Specifically, we discuss how cells in the mesopontine pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN), intralaminar parafascicular nucleus (Pf), and pontine Subcoeruleus nucleus dorsalis (SubCD) all fire in the gamma band range when maximally activated, but no higher. The mechanisms involve high threshold, voltage-dependent P/Q-type calcium channels or sodium-dependent subthreshold oscillations. Rather than participating in the temporal binding of sensory events as in the cortex, gamma band activity in the RAS may participate in the processes of preconscious awareness, and provide the essential stream of information for the formulation of many of our actions. We address three necessary next steps resulting from these discoveries, an intracellular mechanism responsible for maintaining gamma band activity based on persistent G-protein activation, separate intracellular pathways that differentiate between gamma band activity during waking vs during REM sleep, and an intracellular mechanism responsible for the dysregulation in gamma band activity in schizophrenia. These findings open several promising research avenues that have not been thoroughly explored. What are the effects of sleep or REM sleep deprivation on these RAS mechanisms? Are these mechanisms involved in memory processing during waking and/or during REM sleep? Does gamma band processing differ during waking vs REM sleep after sleep or REM sleep deprivation? PMID:24309750

Gamma band activity in the RAS-intracellular mechanisms.

PubMed

Garcia-Rill, E; Kezunovic, N; D'Onofrio, S; Luster, B; Hyde, J; Bisagno, V; Urbano, F J

2014-05-01

Gamma band activity participates in sensory perception, problem solving, and memory. This review considers recent evidence showing that cells in the reticular activating system (RAS) exhibit gamma band activity, and describes the intrinsic membrane properties behind such manifestation. Specifically, we discuss how cells in the mesopontine pedunculopontine nucleus, intralaminar parafascicular nucleus, and pontine SubCoeruleus nucleus dorsalis all fire in the gamma band range when maximally activated, but no higher. The mechanisms involve high-threshold, voltage-dependent P/Q-type calcium channels, or sodium-dependent subthreshold oscillations. Rather than participating in the temporal binding of sensory events as in the cortex, gamma band activity in the RAS may participate in the processes of preconscious awareness and provide the essential stream of information for the formulation of many of our actions. We address three necessary next steps resulting from these discoveries: an intracellular mechanism responsible for maintaining gamma band activity based on persistent G-protein activation, separate intracellular pathways that differentiate between gamma band activity during waking versus during REM sleep, and an intracellular mechanism responsible for the dysregulation in gamma band activity in schizophrenia. These findings open several promising research avenues that have not been thoroughly explored. What are the effects of sleep or REM sleep deprivation on these RAS mechanisms? Are these mechanisms involved in memory processing during waking and/or during REM sleep? Does gamma band processing differ during waking versus REM sleep after sleep or REM sleep deprivation?

Nesfatin-1/NUCB2 as a potential new element of sleep regulation in rats.

PubMed

Vas, Szilvia; Ádori, Csaba; Könczöl, Katalin; Kátai, Zita; Pap, Dorottya; Papp, Rege S; Bagdy, György; Palkovits, Miklós; Tóth, Zsuzsanna E

2013-01-01

Millions suffer from sleep disorders that often accompany severe illnesses such as major depression; a leading psychiatric disorder characterized by appetite and rapid eye movement sleep (REMS) abnormalities. Melanin-concentrating hormone (MCH) and nesfatin-1/NUCB2 (nesfatin) are strongly co - expressed in the hypothalamus and are involved both in food intake regulation and depression. Since MCH was recognized earlier as a hypnogenic factor, we analyzed the potential role of nesfatin on vigilance. We subjected rats to a 72 h-long REMS deprivation using the classic flower pot method, followed by a 3 h-long 'rebound sleep'. Nesfatin mRNA and protein expressions as well as neuronal activity (Fos) were measured by quantitative in situ hybridization technique, ELISA and immunohistochemistry, respectively, in 'deprived' and 'rebound' groups, relative to controls sacrificed at the same time. We also analyzed electroencephalogram of rats treated by intracerebroventricularly administered nesfatin-1, or saline. REMS deprivation downregulated the expression of nesfatin (mRNA and protein), however, enhanced REMS during 'rebound' reversed this to control levels. Additionally, increased transcriptional activity (Fos) was demonstrated in nesfatin neurons during 'rebound'. Centrally administered nesfatin-1 at light on reduced REMS and intermediate stage of sleep, while increased passive wake for several hours and also caused a short-term increase in light slow wave sleep. The data designate nesfatin as a potential new factor in sleep regulation, which fact can also be relevant in the better understanding of the role of nesfatin in the pathomechanism of depression.

Experience-dependent phase-reversal of hippocampal neuron firing during REM sleep.

PubMed

Poe, G R; Nitz, D A; McNaughton, B L; Barnes, C A

2000-02-07

The idea that sleep could serve a cognitive function has remained popular since Freud stated that dreams were "not nonsense" but a time to sort out experiences [S. Freud, Letter to Wilhelm Fliess, May 1897, in The Origins of Psychoanalysis - Personal Letters of Sigmund Freud, M. Bonaparte, A. Freud, E. Kris (Eds.), Translated by E. Mosbacher, J. Strachey, Basic Books and Imago Publishing, 1954]. Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is associated with dream reports, is now known to be is important for acquisition of some tasks [A. Karni, D. Tanne, B.S. Rubenstein, J.J.M. Askenasy, D. Sagi, Dependence on REM sleep of overnight improvement of a perceptual skill, Science 265 (1994) 679-682; C. Smith, Sleep states and learning: a review of the animal literature, Biobehav. Rev. 9 (1985) 157-168]; although why this is so remains obscure. It has been proposed that memories may be consolidated during REM sleep or that forgetting of unnecessary material occurs in this state [F. Crick, G. Mitchison, The function of dream sleep, Nature 304 (1983) 111-114; D. Marr, Simple memory: a theory for archicortex, Philos. Trans. R. Soc. B. 262 (1971) 23-81]. We studied the firing of multiple single neurons in the hippocampus, a structure that is important for episodic memory, during familiar and novel experiences and in subsequent REM sleep. Cells active in familiar places during waking exhibited a reversal of firing phase relative to local theta oscillations in REM sleep. Because firing-phase can influence whether synapses are strengthened or weakened [C. Holscher, R. Anwyl, M.J. Rowan, Stimulation on the positive phase of hippocampal theta rhythm induces long-term potentiation that can be depotentiated by stimulation on the negative phase in area CA1 in vivo, J. Neurosci. 15 (1977) 6470-6477; P.T. Huerta, J.E. Lisman, Bidirectional synaptic plasticity induced by a single burst during cholinergic theta oscillation in CA1 in vitro, Neuron 15 (1995) 1053-1063; C. Pavlides, Y.J. Greenstein, M. Grudman, J. Winson, Long-term potentiation in the dentate gyrus is induced preferentially on the positive phase of theta-rhythm, Brain Res. 439 (1988) 383-387] this experience-dependent phase shift, which developed progressively over multiple sessions in the environment, is consistent with the hypothesis that circuits may be restructured during REM sleep by selectively strengthening recently acquired memories and weakening older ones.

Disappearance of "phantom limb" and amputated arm usage during dreaming in REM sleep behaviour disorder.

PubMed

Vetrugno, Roberto; Arnulf, Isabelle; Montagna, Pasquale

2009-01-01

Limb amputation is followed, in approximately 90% of patients, by "phantom limb" sensations during wakefulness. When amputated patients dream, however, the phantom limb may be present all the time, part of the time, intermittently or not at all. Such dreaming experiences in amputees have usually been obtained only retrospectively in the morning and, moreover, dreaming is normally associated with muscular atonia so the motor counterpart of the phantom limb experience cannot be observed directly. REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD), in which muscle atonia is absent during REM sleep and patients act out their dreams, allows a more direct analysis of the "phantom limb" phenomena and their modifications during sleep.

Assessment Of Noise-induced Sleep Fragility In Two Age Ranges By Means Of Polysomnographic Microstructure

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Terzano, M. G.; Parrino, L.; Spaggiari, M. C.; Buccino, G. P.; Fioriti, G.; Depoortere, H.

1993-04-01

The microstructure of sleep, which translates the short-lived fluctuations of the arousal level, is a commonly neglected feature in polysomnographic studies. Specifically arranged microstructural EEG events may provide important information on the dynamic characteristics of the sleep process. CAP (cyclic alternating pattern) and non-CAP are complementary modalities in which arousal-related "phasic" EEG phenomena are organized in non-REM sleep, and they correspond to opposite conditions of unstable and stable sleep depth, respectively. Thus, arousal instability can be measured by the CAP rate, the percentage ratio of total CAP time to total non-REM sleep time. The CAP rate, an age-related physiological variable that increases in several pathological conditions, is highly sensitive to acoustic perturbation. In the present study, two groups of healthy subjects without complaints about sleep, belonging to different age ranges (six young adults, three males and three females, between 20 and 30 years, and six middle-aged individuals, three males and three females, between 40 and 55 years) slept, after adaptation to the sleep laboratory, in a random sequence for two non-consecutive nights either under silent baseline (27·3 dB(A) Lcq) or noise-disturbed (continuous 55 dB(A) white noise) conditions. Age-related and noise-related effects on traditional sleep parameters and on the CAP rate were statistically evaluated by a split-plot test. Compared to young adults, the middle-aged individuals showed a significant reduction of total sleep time, stage 2 and REM sleep and significantly higher values of nocturnal awakenings and the CAP rate. The noisy nights were characterized by similar alterations. The disruptive effects of acoustic perturbation were greater on the more fragile sleep architecture of the older group. The increased fragility of sleep associated with aging probably reflects the decreased capacity of the sleeping brain to maintain steady states of vigilance. Total non-REM sleep described by traditional parameters was statistically unaffected during the disturbed nights, but the perturbing effects of noise on non-REM sleep stability and continuity were revealed by a significant increase in the CAP rate. The perspectives for a wide-ranging exploitation of this sleep parameter are discussed.

Short-Term Total Sleep-Deprivation Impairs Contextual Fear Memory, and Contextual Fear-Conditioning Reduces REM Sleep in Moderately Anxious Swiss Mice

PubMed Central

Qureshi, Munazah F.; Jha, Sushil K.

2017-01-01

The conditioning tasks have been widely used to model fear and anxiety and to study their association with sleep. Many reports suggest that sleep plays a vital role in the consolidation of fear memory. Studies have also demonstrated that fear-conditioning influences sleep differently in mice strains having a low or high anxiety level. It is, therefore, necessary to know, how sleep influences fear-conditioning and how fear-conditioning induces changes in sleep architecture in moderate anxious strains. We have used Swiss mice, a moderate anxious strain, to study the effects of: (i) sleep deprivation on contextual fear conditioned memory, and also (ii) contextual fear conditioning on sleep architecture. Animals were divided into three groups: (a) non-sleep deprived (NSD); (b) stress control (SC); and (c) sleep-deprived (SD) groups. The SD animals were SD for 5 h soon after training. We found that the NSD and SC animals showed 60.57% and 58.12% freezing on the testing day, while SD animals showed significantly less freezing (17.13% only; p < 0.001) on the testing day. Further, we observed that contextual fear-conditioning did not alter the total amount of wakefulness and non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep. REM sleep, however, significantly decreased in NSD and SC animals on the training and testing days. Interestingly, REM sleep did not decrease in the SD animals on the testing day. Our results suggest that short-term sleep deprivation impairs fear memory in moderate anxious mice. It also suggests that NREM sleep, but not REM sleep, may have an obligatory role in memory consolidation. PMID:29238297

Sleep-wake behavior in the rat: ultradian rhythms in a light-dark cycle and continuous bright light.

PubMed

Stephenson, Richard; Lim, Joonbum; Famina, Svetlana; Caron, Aimee M; Dowse, Harold B

2012-12-01

Ultradian rhythms are a prominent but little-studied feature of mammalian sleep-wake and rest-activity patterns. They are especially evident in long-term records of behavioral state in polyphasic animals such as rodents. However, few attempts have been made to incorporate ultradian rhythmicity into models of sleep-wake dynamics, and little is known about the physiological mechanisms that give rise to ultradian rhythms in sleep-wake state. This study investigated ultradian dynamics in sleep and wakefulness in rats entrained to a 12-h:12-h light-dark cycle (LD) and in rats whose circadian rhythms were suppressed and free-running following long-term exposure to uninterrupted bright light (LL). We recorded sleep-wake state continuously for 7 to 12 consecutive days and used time-series analysis to quantify the dynamics of net cumulative time in each state (wakefulness [WAKE], rapid eye movement sleep [REM], and non-REM sleep [NREM]) in each animal individually. Form estimates and autocorrelation confirmed the presence of significant ultradian and circadian rhythms; maximum entropy spectral analysis allowed high-resolution evaluation of multiple periods within the signal, and wave-by-wave analysis enabled a statistical evaluation of the instantaneous period, peak-trough range, and phase of each ultradian wave in the time series. Significant ultradian periodicities were present in all 3 states in all animals. In LD, ultradian range was approximately 28% of circadian range. In LL, ultradian range was slightly reduced relative to LD, and circadian range was strongly attenuated. Ultradian rhythms were found to be quasiperiodic in both LD and LL. That is, ultradian period varied randomly around a mean of approximately 4 h, with no relationship between ultradian period and time of day.

Psychosocial correlates of sleep quality and architecture in women with metastatic breast cancer.

PubMed

Aldridge-Gerry, Arianna; Zeitzer, Jamie M; Palesh, Oxana G; Jo, Booil; Nouriani, Bita; Neri, Eric; Spiegel, David

2013-11-01

Sleep disturbance is prevalent among women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC). Our study examined the relationship of depression and marital status to sleep assessed over three nights of polysomnography (PSG). Women with MBC (N=103) were recruited; they were predominately white (88.2%) and 57.8±7.7 years of age. Linear regression analyses assessed relationships among depression, marital status, and sleep parameters. Women with MBC who reported more depressive symptoms had lighter sleep (e.g., stage 1 sleep; P<.05), less slow-wave sleep (SWS) (P<.05), and less rapid eye movement (REM) sleep (P<.05). Single women had less total sleep time (TST) (P<.01), more wake after sleep onset (WASO) (P<.05), worse sleep efficiency (SE) (P<.05), lighter sleep (e.g., stage 1; P<.05), and less REM sleep (P<.05) than married women. Significant interactions indicated that depressed and single women had worse sleep quality than partnered women or those who were not depressed. Women with MBC and greater symptoms of depression had increased light sleep and reduced SWS and REM sleep, and single women had worse sleep quality and greater light sleep than married counterparts. Marriage was related to improved sleep for women with more depressive symptoms. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cardiac autonomic denervation in Parkinson's disease is linked to REM sleep behavior disorder.

PubMed

Postuma, Ronald B; Montplaisir, Jacques; Lanfranchi, Paola; Blais, Hélène; Rompré, Sylvie; Colombo, Roberto; Gagnon, Jean-François

2011-07-01

Recent studies have suggested a close connection between autonomic dysfunction and rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder, which differs in nature from other early-stage markers of Parkinson's disease. In this study we examined the relationship between rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder and autonomic dysfunction in Parkinson's disease as measured by cardiac beat-to-beat variability. In 53 patients with Parkinson's disease and 36 controls, electrocardiographic trace from a polysomnogram was assessed for measures of beat-to-beat RR variability including RR-standard deviation and frequency domains (low- and high-frequency components). Results were compared between patients with Parkinson's disease and controls, and between patients with Parkinson's disease with and without rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder. On numerous cardiac autonomic measures, patients with Parkinson's disease showed clear abnormalities compared with controls. However, these abnormalities were confined only to those patients with associated rapid eye movement sleep behavior; those without were not different than controls. As with other clinical autonomic variables, cardiac autonomic denervation is predominantly associated not with Parkinson's disease itself, but with the presence of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder. Copyright © 2011 Movement Disorder Society.

The role of serotonin and norepinephrine in sleep-waking activity.

PubMed

Morgane, P J; Stern, W C

1975-11-01

A critical review of the evidences relating the biogenic amines serotonin and norepinephrine to the states of slow-wave and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is presented. Various alternative explanations for specific chemical regulation of the individual sleep states, including the phasic events of REM sleep, are evaluated within the overall framework of the monoamine theory of sleep. Several critical neuropsychopharmacological studies relating to metabolsim of the amines in relation to sleep-waking behavior are presented. Models of the chemical neuronal circuitry involved in sleep-waking activity are derived and interactions between several brainstem nuclei, particularly the raphé complex and locus coeruleus, are discussed. Activity in these aminergic systems in relation to oscillations in the sleep-waking cycles is evaluated. In particular, the assessment of single cell activity in specific chemical systems in relations to chemical models of sleep is reviewed. Overall, it appears that the biogenic amines, especially serotonin and norepinephrine, play key roles in the generation and maintenance of the sleep states. These neurotransmitters participate in some manner in the "triggering" processes necessary for actuating each sleep phase and in regulating the transitions from sleep to waking activity. The biogenic amines are, however, probably not "sleep factors" or direct inducers of the sleep states. Rather, they appear to be components of a multiplicity of interacting chemical circuitry in the brain whose activity maintains various chemical balances in different brain regions. Shifts in these balances appear to be involved in the triggering and maintenance of the various states comprising the vigilance continuum.

Sleep architecture parameters as a putative biomarker of suicidal ideation in treatment-resistant depression.

PubMed

Bernert, Rebecca A; Luckenbaugh, David A; Duncan, Wallace C; Iwata, Naomi G; Ballard, Elizabeth D; Zarate, Carlos A

2017-01-15

Disturbed sleep may confer risk for suicidal behaviors. Polysomnographic (PSG) sleep parameters have not been systematically evaluated in association with suicidal ideation (SI) among individuals with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). This secondary data analysis included 54 TRD individuals (N=30 with major depressive disorder (MDD) and N=24 with bipolar depression (BD)). PSG sleep parameters included Sleep Efficiency (SE), Total Sleep Time (TST), Wakefulness After Sleep Onset (WASO), REM percent/latency, and non-REM (NREM) Sleep Stages 1-4. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) was used to group participants according to presence or absence of SI. Sleep abnormalities were hypothesized among those with current SI. ANOVA analyses were conducted before (Model 1) and after adjusting for depression (Model 2) and diagnostic variables (Model 3). Significant differences in PSG parameters were observed in Model 1; those with SI had less NREM Stage 4 sleep (p<.05). After adjusting for central covariates, Models 2 and 3 revealed significantly less NREM Stage 4 sleep, lower SE (P<.05), and higher WASO (P<.05) among those with SI. BD participants with SI also had less NREM Stage 4 and more NREM Stage 1 sleep. 1) a predominantly white sample; 2) exclusion of imminent suicide risk; 3) concomitant mood stabilizer use among BD patients; and 4) single-item SI assessment. Independent of depression severity, SI was associated with less NREM Stage 4 sleep, and higher nocturnal wakefulness across diagnostic groups. Sleep may warrant further investigation in the pathogenesis of suicide risk, particularly in TRD, where risk may be heightened. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Proposed mechanism for learning and memory erasure in a white-noise-driven sleeping cortex.

PubMed

Steyn-Ross, Moira L; Steyn-Ross, D A; Sleigh, J W; Wilson, M T; Wilcocks, Lara C

2005-12-01

Understanding the structure and purpose of sleep remains one of the grand challenges of neurobiology. Here we use a mean-field linearized theory of the sleeping cortex to derive statistics for synaptic learning and memory erasure. The growth in correlated low-frequency high-amplitude voltage fluctuations during slow-wave sleep (SWS) is characterized by a probability density function that becomes broader and shallower as the transition into rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep is approached. At transition, the Shannon information entropy of the fluctuations is maximized. If we assume Hebbian-learning rules apply to the cortex, then its correlated response to white-noise stimulation during SWS provides a natural mechanism for a synaptic weight change that will tend to shut down reverberant neural activity. In contrast, during REM sleep the weights will evolve in a direction that encourages excitatory activity. These entropy and weight-change predictions lead us to identify the final portion of deep SWS that occurs immediately prior to transition into REM sleep as a time of enhanced erasure of labile memory. We draw a link between the sleeping cortex and Landauer's dissipation theorem for irreversible computing [R. Landauer, IBM J. Res. Devel. 5, 183 (1961)], arguing that because information erasure is an irreversible computation, there is an inherent entropy cost as the cortex transits from SWS into REM sleep.

Proposed mechanism for learning and memory erasure in a white-noise-driven sleeping cortex

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Steyn-Ross, Moira L.; Steyn-Ross, D. A.; Sleigh, J. W.; Wilson, M. T.; Wilcocks, Lara C.

2005-12-01

Understanding the structure and purpose of sleep remains one of the grand challenges of neurobiology. Here we use a mean-field linearized theory of the sleeping cortex to derive statistics for synaptic learning and memory erasure. The growth in correlated low-frequency high-amplitude voltage fluctuations during slow-wave sleep (SWS) is characterized by a probability density function that becomes broader and shallower as the transition into rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep is approached. At transition, the Shannon information entropy of the fluctuations is maximized. If we assume Hebbian-learning rules apply to the cortex, then its correlated response to white-noise stimulation during SWS provides a natural mechanism for a synaptic weight change that will tend to shut down reverberant neural activity. In contrast, during REM sleep the weights will evolve in a direction that encourages excitatory activity. These entropy and weight-change predictions lead us to identify the final portion of deep SWS that occurs immediately prior to transition into REM sleep as a time of enhanced erasure of labile memory. We draw a link between the sleeping cortex and Landauer’s dissipation theorem for irreversible computing [R. Landauer, IBM J. Res. Devel. 5, 183 (1961)], arguing that because information erasure is an irreversible computation, there is an inherent entropy cost as the cortex transits from SWS into REM sleep.

Non-REM sleep EEG power distribution in fatigue and sleepiness.

PubMed

Neu, Daniel; Mairesse, Olivier; Verbanck, Paul; Linkowski, Paul; Le Bon, Olivier

2014-04-01

The aim of this study is to contribute to the sleep-related differentiation between daytime fatigue and sleepiness. 135 subjects presenting with sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (SAHS, n=58) or chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS, n=52) with respective sleepiness or fatigue complaints and a control group (n=25) underwent polysomnography and psychometric assessments for fatigue, sleepiness, affective symptoms and perceived sleep quality. Sleep EEG spectral analysis for ultra slow, delta, theta, alpha, sigma and beta power bands was performed on frontal, central and occipital derivations. Patient groups presented with impaired subjective sleep quality and higher affective symptom intensity. CFS patients presented with highest fatigue and SAHS patients with highest sleepiness levels. All groups showed similar total sleep time. Subject groups mainly differed in sleep efficiency, wake after sleep onset, duration of light sleep (N1, N2) and slow wave sleep, as well as in sleep fragmentation and respiratory disturbance. Relative non-REM sleep power spectra distributions suggest a pattern of power exchange in higher frequency bands at the expense of central ultra slow power in CFS patients during all non-REM stages. In SAHS patients, however, we found an opposite pattern at occipital sites during N1 and N2. Slow wave activity presents as a crossroad of fatigue and sleepiness with, however, different spectral power band distributions during non-REM sleep. The homeostatic function of sleep might be compromised in CFS patients and could explain why, in contrast to sleepiness, fatigue does not resolve with sleep in these patients. The present findings thus contribute to the differentiation of both phenomena. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Slow spontaneous hemodynamic oscillations during sleep measured with near-infrared spectroscopy

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Virtanen, Jaakko; Näsi, Tiina; Noponen, Tommi; Toppila, Jussi; Salmi, Tapani; Ilmoniemi, Risto J.

2011-07-01

Spontaneous cerebral hemodynamic oscillations below 100 mHz reflect the level of cerebral activity, modulate hemodynamic responses to tasks and stimuli, and may aid in detecting various pathologies of the brain. Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is ideally suited for both measuring spontaneous hemodynamic oscillations and monitoring sleep, but little research has been performed to combine these two applications. We analyzed 30 all-night NIRS-electroencephalography (EEG) sleep recordings to investigate spontaneous hemodynamic activity relative to sleep stages determined by polysomnography. Signal power of hemodynamic oscillations in the low-frequency (LF, 40-150 mHz) and very-low-frequency (VLF, 3-40 mHz) bands decreased in slow-wave sleep (SWS) compared to light sleep (LS) and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep. No statistically significant (p < 0.05) differences in oscillation power between LS and REM were observed. However, the period of VLF oscillations around 8 mHz increased in REM sleep in line with earlier studies with other modalities. These results increase our knowledge of the physiology of sleep, complement EEG data, and demonstrate the applicability of NIRS to studying spontaneous hemodynamic fluctuations during sleep.

Fusing Multiple Sensor Modalities for Complex Physiological State Monitoring

DTIC Science & Technology

2012-12-01

sleep-alpha variants (drowsiness alpha activity and REM -alpha bursts) over frontal, central, parietal and occipital regions. Note the higher spectral...contribution of the slowest components (7.8–8.6 Hz) during REM alpha bursts as compared with drowsiness-alpha activity (13...occipital regions of the brain during the drowsiness state as compared to REM sleep and other states, as seen in figure 1 (13). Furthermore, using EEG

Orexin and Epilepsy: Potential Role of REM Sleep.

PubMed

Ng, Marcus C

2017-03-01

Interest in orexin receptor antagonism as a novel mechanism of action against seizures and epilepsy has increased in recent years. Loss of orexinergic activity is associated with rapid eye movement (REM) sleep onset, and REM sleep is generally protective against seizures. This paper discusses the dynamic modulation of seizure threshold by orexin through a postulated "orexi-cortical" axis in which the specific type of orexinergic activity exquisitely regulates sleep-wake states to modify ascending subcortical influences on cortical synchronization with profound subsequent consequences on seizure threshold. This paper also explores the current state of research into experimental orexinergic modulation of seizure threshold and suggests possible future research directions to fully understand the promise and peril of orexinergic manipulation in seizures and epilepsy. © Sleep Research Society 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Sleep Research Society. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail journals.permissions@oup.com.

REM sleep behaviour disorder - More than just a parasomnia.

PubMed

Coeytaux, Alessandra; Wong, Keith; Grunstein, Ron; Lewis, Simon J G

2013-11-01

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is a parasomnia characterised by loss of the usual muscle atonia that occurs during REM sleep, allowing patients to act out their dreams. This article aims to draw attention to RBD, allowing early recognition and treatment. As RBD patients are at high risk of hurting themselves and their bed partners while acting out their dreams, improving safety within the bedroom environment and treatment with exogenous melatonin or clonazepam are recommended. Longitudinal studies have shown that the onset of idiopathic RBD may be an early warning sign of specific neurodegenerative diseases.

Sleep Deprivation Impairs the Human Central and Peripheral Nervous System Discrimination of Social Threat

PubMed Central

Goldstein-Piekarski, Andrea N.; Greer, Stephanie M.; Saletin, Jared M.

2015-01-01

Facial expressions represent one of the most salient cues in our environment. They communicate the affective state and intent of an individual and, if interpreted correctly, adaptively influence the behavior of others in return. Processing of such affective stimuli is known to require reciprocal signaling between central viscerosensory brain regions and peripheral-autonomic body systems, culminating in accurate emotion discrimination. Despite emerging links between sleep and affective regulation, the impact of sleep loss on the discrimination of complex social emotions within and between the CNS and PNS remains unknown. Here, we demonstrate in humans that sleep deprivation impairs both viscerosensory brain (anterior insula, anterior cingulate cortex, amygdala) and autonomic-cardiac discrimination of threatening from affiliative facial cues. Moreover, sleep deprivation significantly degrades the normally reciprocal associations between these central and peripheral emotion-signaling systems, most prominent at the level of cardiac-amygdala coupling. In addition, REM sleep physiology across the sleep-rested night significantly predicts the next-day success of emotional discrimination within this viscerosensory network across individuals, suggesting a role for REM sleep in affective brain recalibration. Together, these findings establish that sleep deprivation compromises the faithful signaling of, and the “embodied” reciprocity between, viscerosensory brain and peripheral autonomic body processing of complex social signals. Such impairments hold ecological relevance in professional contexts in which the need for accurate interpretation of social cues is paramount yet insufficient sleep is pervasive. PMID:26180190