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Time course of EEG background activity level before spontaneous awakening in infants
Author(s) -
Zampi Chiara,
Fagioli Igino,
Salzarulo Piero
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
journal of sleep research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.297
H-Index - 117
eISSN - 1365-2869
pISSN - 0962-1105
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-2869.2002.00313.x
Subject(s) - electroencephalography , audiology , psychology , course (navigation) , developmental psychology , medicine , neuroscience , physics , astronomy
SUMMARY This research aimed to investigate the time course of the cortical activity level preceding spontaneous awakening as a function of age and state. Two groups of infants (1–4 and 9–14 weeks of age) were continuously monitored by polygraphic recording and behavioural observation during the night. The electroencephalographic (EEG) activity recorded by the C3–O1 lead was analysed through an automatic analysis method which provides, for each 30‐s epoch, a single measure, time domain based, of the EEG synchronization. The EEG parameter values were computed in the 6 min preceding each awakening out of non‐rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and out of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. The EEG background activity level did not change in the minutes preceding awakening out of REM sleep. Awakening out of NREM sleep was preceded by a change of EEG activity level in the direction of higher activation with different time course according to the age. Both REM and NREM sleep results suggest that a high level of EEG activity is a prerequisite for the occurrence of a spontaneous awakening.