Presleep physiological stress is associated with a higher cortical arousal in sleep and more consolidated REM sleep

The cyclic AMP-response element binding protein (CREB) is an activity-dependent transcription factor important for synaptic plasticity and memory storage. Levels of phosphorylated CREB within the cortex are higher in waking than in sleep, suggesting that CREB plays a role in sleep/wake regulation in mammals. We tested the hypothesis that CREB is critical for sleep/wake regulation by examining behavioral state parameters in mice lacking the α and Δ isoforms of CREB. Over 24 h, time spent awake was significantly decreased in CREB αΔ mutant mice by approximately 100 min, and time spent in nonrapid eye movement sleep (NREM) sleep was increased correspondingly. Wake and REM sleep periods were shorter in CREB αΔ mice, and CREB αΔ mice had decreased levels of θ-activity during wake and REM sleep, consistent with an impairment in the ability to maintain an activated electroencephalogram. These results suggest that the CREB protein contributes to the mechanisms by which wakefulness is maintained and demonstrate that specific genetic alterations in species as diverse as Drosophila and mice produce similar phenotypes in arousal and wakefulness.

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Electrographic status epilepticus during non-REM sleep: A report of three cases

Electroencephalography and Clinical Neurophysiology ◽

10.1016/s0013-4694(97)89042-x ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 103 (1) ◽

pp. 216

Author(s):

S Hajnsek

Keyword(s):

Status Epilepticus ◽

Rem Sleep

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Emotions and health: The impact of emotions, emotions regulation, music, and acculturation on health

Zeitschrift für Gesundheitspsychologie ◽

10.1026/0943-8149.16.3.112 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 112-115 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Stephan Bongard ◽

Volker Hodapp ◽

Sonja Rohrmann

Keyword(s):

Stress Responses ◽

Physiological Stress ◽

Anger Expression ◽

Domain Specific ◽

Cardiovascular Stress ◽

Expression Behavior ◽

Cardio Vascular ◽

And Coping ◽

Relationship Of ◽

The Impact

Abstract. Our unit investigates the relationship of emotional processes (experience, expression, and coping), their physiological correlates and possible health outcomes. We study domain specific anger expression behavior and associated cardio-vascular loads and found e.g. that particularly an open anger expression at work is associated with greater blood pressure. Furthermore, we demonstrated that women may be predisposed for the development of certain mental disorders because of their higher disgust sensitivity. We also pointed out that the suppression of negative emotions leads to increased physiological stress responses which results in a higher risk for cardiovascular diseases. We could show that relaxation as well as music activity like singing in a choir causes increases in the local immune parameter immunoglobuline A. Finally, we are investigating connections between migrants’ strategy of acculturation and health and found e.g. elevated cardiovascular stress responses in migrants when they where highly adapted to the German culture.

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Spectral and Topographic Microstructure of Brain Alpha Activity During Drowsiness at Sleep Onset and REM Sleep

Journal of Psychophysiology ◽

10.1027//0269-8803.14.3.151 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 14 (3) ◽

pp. 151-158 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

José Luis Cantero ◽

Mercedes Atienza

Keyword(s):

Rem Sleep ◽

Spectral Component ◽

Sleep Onset ◽

Quantitative Information ◽

Maximum Energy ◽

Alpha Activity ◽

The Other ◽

Classification Algorithms ◽

Microstructural Properties ◽

Brain States

Abstract High-resolution frequency methods were used to describe the spectral and topographic microstructure of human spontaneous alpha activity in the drowsiness (DR) period at sleep onset and during REM sleep. Electroencephalographic (EEG), electrooculographic (EOG), and electromyographic (EMG) measurements were obtained during sleep in 10 healthy volunteer subjects. Spectral microstructure of alpha activity during DR showed a significant maximum power with respect to REM-alpha bursts for the components in the 9.7-10.9 Hz range, whereas REM-alpha bursts reached their maximum statistical differentiation from the sleep onset alpha activity at the components between 7.8 and 8.6 Hz. Furthermore, the maximum energy over occipital regions appeared in a different spectral component in each brain activation state, namely, 10.1 Hz in drowsiness and 8.6 Hz in REM sleep. These results provide quantitative information for differentiating the drowsiness alpha activity and REM-alpha by studying their microstructural properties. On the other hand, these data suggest that the spectral microstructure of alpha activity during sleep onset and REM sleep could be a useful index to implement in automatic classification algorithms in order to improve the differentiation between the two brain states.

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