Waking and sleeping最新文献

On stimulating various basal forebrain structures, characteristic cortical evoked potentials, basic elements of the synchronization elicited, were studied in acute immobilized cats. Stimulation of the LH/10 cps/ resulted in short latency positive-negative evoked potentials, similar responses of increased latency were elicited from the RPO and TbOf. The laterobasal RPO and TbOf, the only areas able to induce cortical synchronization upon high frequency stimulation, could be clearly distinguished on the basis of evoked potentials. The laterobasal RPO was characterized by short latency, long-lasting positive potentials, while stimulation of TbOf elicited negative-positive responses. The relationship between the evoked potentials and the synchronizing mechanism of the basal forebrain is discussed.

Two normal male subjects exhibited rapid pulses of melatonin concentration in plasma, apparently unrelated to stages of sleep and undisturbed with spontaneous waking during the night. Pulse intervals of approximately 8 and 12 min., respectively, for subjects 1 and 2, were associated with excursions of 35% and 33% of the nadir or 28% and 26% of the mean value. The pulses were detected with a 2.5 min. sampling interval.

Eighteen female subjects with demonstrated laboratory sleep onset latency greater than 20 minutes for two nights participated in this double blind study of the effectiveness of l-tryptophan as a hypnotic. Standard sleep recordings were made on 10 nights over a 3 month period with lights out occurring 20 minutes after drug administration (placebo, 1 gm. l-tryptophan, 3 gms. l-tryptophan). Neither dose of l-tryptophan differed from placebo as to the amount of REM, SWS or wakefulness, but 3 gms. significantly reduced sleep onset latency on some of the nights. Those subjects with latencies longer than 40 mins. had the greatest reduction in latency with 3 gms. and also evidenced high levels of anxiety on the Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale initially. Subjects with latency between 20 and 40 minutes appeared to receive the longest lasting hypnotic effect from the higher dose. Adaptation to the sleep lab took place across the entire 10 nights of the study. Therefore, valid comparisons between treatments in a sleep study extending over a number of nights should be made between temporally adjacent samples.

Plasma levels of luteinizing and follicle-stimulating hormones were measured for 24 hours in six subjects affected by constitutional stature delay associated with sexual maturation delay. The children in pubertal stage exhibited fluctuating plasma concentrations of these hormones which significantly increased during sleep, as in healthy pubertal subjects. Thus in this type of delayed puberty, the synchronization of augmented gonadotropin secretion with sleep develops later in chronologic age but it is strongly related to bone age.

An experiment is reported in which the role of alcohol in the emergence of fatigue was studied. Eleven (11) participants were requested to operate a driver trainer until they found the task too adverse to continue under conditions of high blood alcohol (BACL greater than 0.08%), low blood alcohol (BACL less than 0.08%), and no blood alcohol. Skill and heart rate were monitored and any personal distresses or observations made about performance were reported to an experimenter who acted in the role of 'passenger'. Results show decline in endurance as blood alcohol increases, but that a higher level of personal distress is endured by drivers who have imbibed, as compared to those who have not. Systematic discrepancies occur between the impressions gained by the experimenter (passenger) from verbal reports made by the driver, and the kinds of self-ratings drivers provide. Features of fatigue are analyzed theoretically as perceptual phenomena as related to alcohol and accidents.

The paper contains new data concerning the peculiarities of sleep in poikilotherms (fish, amphibians, reptiles). A conclusion is drawn that sleep and the activation spontaneously arising against its background are the universal phenomena in vertebrates. A supposition is argued about the existence of evolutionary succession between the forms of sleep inherent in lower vertebrates and the quiet and active phases of homoiotherms' sleep.

The paper presents new data concerning the mechanisms of regulation of sleep-like states in vertebrates. Somato-vegetative and behavioral correlates of primary sleep (fish, amphibians), intermediate sleep (reptiles), slow-wave and paradoxical sleep (birds) are described. The evolutionary more ancient hypothalamo-cortical and young thalamo-cortical levels of regulation of different forms of sleep are examined. Problems of existence of functional analogues of homoiotherms' sleep are discussed.

The present work is an analysis of 30 patients with Parkinsonian syndrome and 10 healthy persons during different functional states (aroused wakefulness, relaxed waking state, various phases and stages of nocturnal sleep, hypnosis). By means of polygraphic recordings and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) it has been shown that motor, emotional and autonomic activity during sleep as well as EEG changes in parkinsonism are uniformly related to the nature and extent of the pathologic alterations in the non-specific, predominantly activating brain systems.