Changes of sleep EEG slow-wave activity in response to sleep manipulations: to what extent are they related to changes in REM sleep latency?

Abstract

Sleep interventions may have direct effects on slow-wave activity (SWA, i.e. power of the sleep EEG signal in the 0.75-4.5 Hz range) as well as indirect ones caused by changes in REM sleep (REMS) latency. The effects of changes in REMS latency on SWA were investigated by analysing simulations with a mathematical model. Mean SWA in the first non-REMS episode shows an initial increase and a later decline as a function of REMS latency. In the second non-REMS episode, mean SWA decreases with increasing REMS latency. These results of the simulations were validated with experimental data. In the evaluation of the effects of sleep interventions on SWA the effects of the timing of REMS have to be accounted for. The analysis of SWA over a sufficiently long constant amount of time spent in non-REMS proves to be relatively independent of REMS latency, which allows conclusions about the effects of sleep interventions on SWA per se.