scholarly journals Thalamic influence on slow wave slope renormalization during sleep

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Jaramillo ◽  
Jasmine Jendoubi ◽  
Angelina Maric ◽  
Armand Mensen ◽  
Natalie C. Heyse ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Jaramillo ◽  
Sarah Fiona Schoch ◽  
Andjela Markovic ◽  
Malcolm Kohler ◽  
Reto Huber ◽  
...  

Infancy represents a critical period during which thalamocortical brain connections develop and mature. Deviations in the maturation of thalamocortical connectivity are linked to neurodevelopmental disorders. There is a lack of early biomarkers to detect and localize neuromaturational deviations, which can be overcome with mapping through high-density electroencephalography (hdEEG) assessed in sleep. Specifically, slow waves and spindles in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep are generated by the thalamocortical system, and their characteristics, slow wave slope and spindle density, are closely related to neuroplasticity and learning. Recent studies further suggest that information processing during sleep underlying sleep-dependent learning is promoted by the temporal coupling of slow waves and spindles, yet slow wave-spindle coupling remains unexplored in infancy. Thus, we evaluated three potential biomarkers: 1) slow wave slope, 2) spindle density, and 3) the temporal coupling of slow waves with spindles. We use hdEEG to first examine the occurrence and spatial distribution of these three EEG features in healthy infants and second to evaluate a predictive relationship with later behavioral outcomes. We report four key findings: First, infants' EEG features appear locally: slow wave slope is maximal in occipital and frontal areas, whereas spindle density is most pronounced frontocentrally. Second, slow waves and spindles are temporally coupled in infancy, with maximal coupling strength in the occipital areas of the brain. Third, slow wave slope, spindle density, and slow wave-spindle coupling are not associated with concurrent behavioral status (6 months). Fourth, spindle density in central and frontocentral regions at age 6 months predicts later behavioral outcomes at 12 and 24 months. Neither slow wave slope nor slow wave-spindle coupling predict behavioral development. Our results propose spindle density as an early EEG biomarker for identifying thalamocortical maturation, which can potentially be used for early diagnosis of neurodevelopmental disorders in infants. These findings are complemented by our companion paper that demonstrates the linkage of spindle density to infant nighttime movement, framing the possible role of spindles in sensorimotor microcircuitry development. Together, our studies suggest that early sleep habits, thalamocortical maturation, and behavioral outcome are closely interwoven. A crucial next step will be to evaluate whether early therapeutic interventions may be effective to reverse deviations in identified individuals at risk.


SLEEP ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 43 (9) ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Jaramillo ◽  
Carina Volk ◽  
Angelina Maric ◽  
Melanie Furrer ◽  
Sara Fattinger ◽  
...  

Abstract Study Objectives The restorative function of sleep has been linked to a net reduction in synaptic strength. The slope of slow-waves, a major characteristic of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, has been shown to directly reflect synaptic strength, when accounting for amplitude changes across the night. In this study, we aimed to investigate overnight slope changes in the course of development in an age-, amplitude-, and region-dependent manner. Methods All-night high-density electroencephalography data were analyzed in a cross-sectional population of 60 healthy participants in the age range of 8–29 years. To control for amplitude changes across the night, we matched slow-waves from the first and the last hour of NREM sleep according to their amplitude. Results We found a reduction of slow-wave slopes from the first to the last hour of NREM sleep across all investigated ages, amplitudes, and most brain regions. The overnight slope change was largest in children and decreased toward early adulthood. A topographical analysis revealed regional differences in slope change. Specifically, for small amplitude waves the decrease was smallest in an occipital area, whereas for large amplitude waves, the decrease was smallest in a central area. Conclusions The larger slope decrease in children might be indicative of a boosted renormalization of synapses during sleep in childhood, which, in turn, might be related to increased plasticity during brain maturation. Regional differences in the extent of slow-wave slope reduction may reflect a “smart” down-selection process or, alternatively, indicate amplitude-dependent differences in the generation of slow-waves.


2020 ◽  
Vol 158 (6) ◽  
pp. S-364
Author(s):  
Suseela Somarajan ◽  
Nicole D. Muszynski ◽  
Aurelia s. Monk ◽  
Joseph D. Olson ◽  
Alexandra Russell ◽  
...  

2002 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan R. Schweinberger ◽  
Thomas Klos ◽  
Werner Sommer

Abstract: We recorded reaction times (RTs) and event-related potentials (ERPs) in patients with unilateral lesions during a memory search task. Participants memorized faces or abstract words, which were then recognized among new ones. The RT deficit found in patients with left brain damage (LBD) for words increased with memory set size, suggesting that their problem relates to memory search. In contrast, the RT deficit found in patients with RBD for faces was apparently related to perceptual encoding, a conclusion also supported by their reduced P100 ERP component. A late slow wave (720-1720 ms) was enhanced in patients, particularly to words in patients with LBD, and to faces in patients with RBD. Thus, the slow wave was largest in the conditions with most pronounced performance deficits, suggesting that it reflects deficit-related resource recruitment.


2016 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 141-154 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kira Bailey ◽  
Gregory Mlynarczyk ◽  
Robert West

Abstract. Working memory supports our ability to maintain goal-relevant information that guides cognition in the face of distraction or competing tasks. The N-back task has been widely used in cognitive neuroscience to examine the functional neuroanatomy of working memory. Fewer studies have capitalized on the temporal resolution of event-related brain potentials (ERPs) to examine the time course of neural activity in the N-back task. The primary goal of the current study was to characterize slow wave activity observed in the response-to-stimulus interval in the N-back task that may be related to maintenance of information between trials in the task. In three experiments, we examined the effects of N-back load, interference, and response accuracy on the amplitude of the P3b following stimulus onset and slow wave activity elicited in the response-to-stimulus interval. Consistent with previous research, the amplitude of the P3b decreased as N-back load increased. Slow wave activity over the frontal and posterior regions of the scalp was sensitive to N-back load and was insensitive to interference or response accuracy. Together these findings lead to the suggestion that slow wave activity observed in the response-to-stimulus interval is related to the maintenance of information between trials in the 1-back task.


1996 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Maier ◽  
Oliver Diedrich ◽  
Gabriele Becker ◽  
Ewald Naumann ◽  
Dieter Bartussek
Keyword(s):  

2012 ◽  
Vol 12 (06) ◽  
pp. 368-370
Author(s):  
A. Merkenschlager ◽  
I. Sorge ◽  
A. Bertsche ◽  
M. K. Bernhard ◽  
F. Wegmann

Zusammenfassung Einleitung: Bis zu einem Drittel der Epilepsiepatienten leidet unter einer therapieschwierigen Epilepsie. Dies bedeutet eine erhebliche Belastung im Alltag, zudem können neurologische Defizite resultieren. Wieso die Patienten nicht auf die vorhandenen Therapieoptionen ansprechen, ist noch weitestgehend unklar. Die Rasmussen-Enzephalitis (RE) ist ein Beispiel für eine therapieschwierige Epilepsie. Fallbericht: Nach unauffälliger motorischer und sprachlicher Entwicklung traten im Alter von 6 Jahren bei dem Mädchen das erste Mal fokale und komplex-fokale Krampfanfälle auf. Auch unter antikonvulsiver Polytherapie konnte eine Anfallsfreiheit nicht erreicht werden. Zudem entwickelte sich eine über viele Jahre progrediente Hemiatrophia cerebri, und es zeigten sich einseitig betonte epilepsietypische EEG-Muster mit Verlangsamungen und sharp-slow-wave-Komplexen. In Zusammenschau dieser Befunde konnte die Diagnose einer Rasmussen-Enzephalitis gestellt werden. Repetitive Stoßtherapien mit Methylprednisolon und Immunglobulinen brachten kurzfristig eine Linderung der Krampfsituation, die neurologischen Defizite und die daraus resultierende enorme psychische Belastung waren jedoch progredient. Diskussion: Am ehesten wird von einer autoimmunen Reaktion als Ursache der Rasmussen Enzephalitis ausgegangen. Ein optimales medikamentöses Therapieschema dieser Epilepsie gibt es bis heute nicht. Eine frühzeitige Diagnosestellung und sofortiger Therapiebeginn lassen die Krankheit jedoch meist langsamer und weniger schwerwiegend voranschreiten. Einzig die Hemisphärektomie bringt in bis zu 85 % der Fälle eine Anfallsfreiheit. Die damit einhergehende spastische Hemiparese, Hemianopsie sowie Sprachstörungen lassen die Entscheidung zur Operation jedoch schwer fallen. Gemeinsam mit dem Patienten und seiner Familie muss eine sorgfältige Risiko-NutzenAbwägung erfolgen.


1987 ◽  
Vol 116 (3_Suppl) ◽  
pp. S60-S61
Author(s):  
J. BORN ◽  
R. PIETROWSKY ◽  
P. PAUSCHINGER ◽  
H. L. FEHM

2017 ◽  
Vol E100.B (2) ◽  
pp. 219-226 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hideki KIRINO ◽  
Kazuhiro HONDA ◽  
Kun LI ◽  
Koichi OGAWA

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document