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Activation of the motor cortex during phasic rapid eye movement sleep
Author(s) -
De Carli Fabrizio,
Proserpio Paola,
Morrone Elisa,
Sartori Ivana,
Ferrara Michele,
Gibbs Steve Alex,
De Gennaro Luigi,
Lo Russo Giorgio,
Nobili Lino
Publication year - 2016
Publication title -
annals of neurology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 4.764
H-Index - 296
eISSN - 1531-8249
pISSN - 0364-5134
DOI - 10.1002/ana.24556
Subject(s) - wakefulness , eye movement , neuroscience of sleep , rapid eye movement sleep , neuroscience , k complex , tonic (physiology) , sleep spindle , psychology , motor cortex , sleep (system call) , non rapid eye movement sleep , electroencephalography , stimulation , computer science , operating system
When dreaming during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, we can perform complex motor behaviors while remaining motionless. How the motor cortex behaves during this state remains unknown. Here, using intracerebral electrodes sampling the human motor cortex in pharmacoresistant epileptic patients, we report a pattern of electroencephalographic activation during REM sleep similar to that observed during the performance of a voluntary movement during wakefulness. This pattern is present during phasic REM sleep but not during tonic REM sleep, the latter resembling relaxed wakefulness. This finding may help clarify certain phenomenological aspects observed in REM sleep behavior disorder. Ann Neurol 2016;79:326–330