LEARNING OUTCOME

• Electroencephalogram (EEG)
– Definition of EEG
– Type of waves
– Physiological basis

• SLEEP
– Definition of sleep
– EEG changes during sleep
– Classification of sleep
– Sleep cycle
ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM (EEG)

• Introduced by Hans Berger

• Definition:
The record of electrical activity of the
cerebrum
Source of EEG
Rhythmically
discharging cell
bodies in the most
superficial layers of
the cortical grey
matter
• Two methods:
– Bipolar method
• Potential difference between two cortical electrodes

– Unipolar method
• Potential difference between an active cortical electrode
and an indifferent electrode
 TYPE OF WAVES
EEG Frequency Amplitude
Associated features
Rhythm (Hz) (μV)

Present max in occipital & parieto-

α 8-12 50-100
occipital areas when eyes are closed

Generally seen in frontal region (normal

β 14-30 5-10
awake pattern); commonly seen in infants

Often found over the parietal & temporal

θ 4-7 10
areas (in children and early sleep)

Usually appear during sleep.

δ 1-4 20-200 Overbreathing or evidence of organic
brain disease (awake state)
Frequency Amplitude
(Hz) (μV)

8-12 50-100

14-30 5-10

4-7 10

1-4 20-200
FACTORS AFFECTING FREQUENCY

Frequency decreased Frequency increased

Low blood glucose level High blood glucose level

Low body temperature Rise in body temperature

A high arterial pCO2 A low arterial pCO2

Low levels of adrenal glucocorticoid High levels of adrenal glucocorticoid

hormones hormones

Anaesthesia or analgesia Alert state

Sleep Forced overbreathing

Alpha-block / Desynchronization of EEG
 Closing or not closing the eyes
 ALERT
 Pattern of EEG:
 Fast
 High frequency
 Irregular amplitude

 Also known as alerting response

PHYSIOLOGICAL BASIS OF EEG

1. Synchronizing 2. Desynchronizing
mechanisms mechanism
– Synchronizing effect – Stimulate specific sensory

on each unit of activity system up to level of the

in its neighbors midbrain

– High-frequency stimulation of
– Rhythmic discharge of
the reticular formation
impulses from the
(midbrain tegmentum) & non-
thalamus
specific projection nuclei of
the thalamus
 SLEEP
Physiological process by which bodily
functions are periodically rested
EEG CHANGES DURING
SLEEP
 PHYSIOLOGICAL CHANGES DURING SLEEP

1. CVS: Heart rate, cardiac output, vasomotor tone &

blood pressure
2. Respiratory system: Tidal volume, respiratory rate &
pulmonary ventilation
3. BMR: by 10-15%
4. Urine: Volume . Phosphate & specific gravity
5. Secretions: Salivary & lacrimal secretion but sweat
6. Muscles: completely relax or tone is minimum
7. Eyes: eye ball roll up, drooping of upper eyelid, pupils
constrict
8. Blood volume:
9. Nervous system: EEG δ-wave, deep reflex reduced,
superficial reflex unaffected, vasomotor reflex brisk and
light reflex retained
 CLASSIFICATION OF SLEEP

1. Non-rapid eye movement sleep (NREM)

2. Rapid eye movement sleep (REM) or Paradoxical

Sleep
 NREM
• A recurring sleep state during which rapid eye
movements do not occur and dreaming does not occur;
accounts for about 75% of normal sleep time
• Tone: muscle tone decrease
• Eyes: rolling movement until they finally stop in stage 4
(deep sleep) with eyes turned upwards
• GH and GnRH: Pulsatile release
• CVS: BP, heart rate & respirstion
 STAGES IN NREM
STAGE BEHAVIOURAL OBSERVATION EEG CHANGES
Light sleep:
a) Easily aroused by moderate
stimuli or even by neck muscle in α–wave amplitude &
1
jerks triggered by muscle stretch frequency
receptors as head nods
b) Continuous lack of awareness
Appearance of sleep
spindles; bursts of regular
waves (frequency 14-15 Hz,
True sleep:
50μV) of a few seconds
2 Further lack of sensitivity to activation
duration.
and arousal
-due to reverberating activity
between thalamus & cerebral
cortex
STAGE BEHAVIOURAL OBSERVATION EEG CHANGES

Sleep spindles (occasional)

now superimposed on a
3 Sleep deepens background of δ waves type
(frequency 1-2 Hz & 100 μV
amplitude

Deep sleep:
a) Activation and arousal occurs only
with vigorous stimulation (high
4 Slow high voltage δ waves
threshold of awakening)
b) When awaken, person does not
report dreaming
 REM
• Eyes: Saccadic eye movement
• Tone: Muscle tone (skeletal muscle) reduced; snoring

• Dreaming is closely associated

• CVS: Increase and irregularity of BP, heart rate &
respiratory rate
• Bruxism in children
• Erection of penis, engorgement of clitoris and twitches of
facial or limb muscles
• Ponto-Geniculo-Occipital (PGO); hypotonia
STAGE BEHAVIOURAL OBSERVATION EEG CHANGES

Deepest sleep
a) Greatest relaxation & difficulty of
arousal
Resembles that of alert
b) Skeletal muscle tone is markedly
REM awake state; rapid low
Sleep reduced except in the eye where
voltage, irregular waves
REM occurs
(Desynchronized EEG)
c) When awakened, subject reports
80-90% of the time that they have
been dreaming
 SLEEP CYCLE
• Consist of two phases:

– NREM sleep followed by REM sleep

• Average total sleep period: 4-5 cycles, each lasting
90 to 100 minutes
• NREM: 80%

REM: 20%
• In neonates: 50% of NREM & 50% of REM
• REM sleep increases towards the morning
 GENESIS OF SLEEP
Genesis of NREM

2 factors:

 Inhibition of reticular activating system (RAS) inputs

 Stimulation of sleep promoting mechanism

(diencephalic sleep zone & medullary synchronizing

zone)
Genesis of REM

2 factors:

 Discharge of norepinephrine (NE) from neurons in

pontine reticular formation & locus ceruleus

 PGO spikes; discharge of cholinergic neurons

 shifting NREM sleep to REM sleep

CONTROL OF SLEEP-WAKING CYCLE

Neural Mechanism
• Circadian rhythm consist typically 8 hours sleep (NREM
& REM alternate) and 16 hours awake
• It’s controlled by the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic
nucleus
• Sleep-waking cycle involve two interacting systems in
the brain stem; an arousal system & a sleep
producing system.
Mechanism that activates:-
Arousal system Sleep producing system

Removal of afferent stimuli;

Stimulation of sensory receptors
decrease activity of RAS

Stimulation of midline reticular

Stimulation of hypothalamic areas
formation of the brain stem,
(anterior and posterior)
hypothalamus and locus ceruleus

Stimulation of raphe nuclei

Humoral/Chemical mechanism
• Sleep-inducing chemical substances:

– Norepinephrine
– Serotonin

– Acetylcholine
– Hypotoxin
– Delta-sleep inducing peptide (DSIP)

– Sleep promoting factor (factor S)

 CONCLUSION
Conclusion:

EEG and Sleep are described.

 REFERENCES

• AK JAIN, MEDICAL PHYSIOLOGY,

THIRD EDITION
• GUYTON & HALL, SOUTH ASIA EDITION
• http://catalystathletics.com/articles/article.p
hp?articleID=1845