A Passive Behavioral Measure of Sleep Onset in High-Alpha and Low-Alpha Subjects

ABSTRACT Polygraph recordings were conducted with normal subjects who were not sleep‐deprived lo examine the association between EFG alpha dynamics and a passive behavioral index of sleep/ wake status, and to assess the usefulness of that index in subjects who do not produce abundant wakeful alpha a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychophysiology 1987-11, Vol.24 (6), p.657-665
Main Authors: Perry, Thomas J., Goldwater, Bram C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
abdominal breathing ratio
Abdominal respiration
Adult
Alpha abundance
Alpha Rhythm
Arousal
Biological and medical sciences
EEG alpha activity
Electroencephalography
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Humans
Male
Sleep onset
Sleep stage
Sleep Stages
Sleep. Vigilance
Slow eye movements
Thoracic
Thoracic
abdominal breathing ratio
Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs
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Summary:ABSTRACT Polygraph recordings were conducted with normal subjects who were not sleep‐deprived lo examine the association between EFG alpha dynamics and a passive behavioral index of sleep/ wake status, and to assess the usefulness of that index in subjects who do not produce abundant wakeful alpha activity. I In‐ behavioral indicator of sleep unset comprised the depression of a telegraph key initialed by loss of extensor tension in the finger. Alpha abundant (high‐alpha) subjects showed a strong association of alpha level (as sleep Stage Wake (w) vs. Stage I sleep) with behavioral level, and a strong association of alpha loss events with key closure events. Mean latencies between alpha loss and key closure varied from ‐ 1.8 to 18.4 s with a median of 1.0 s. As expected, high‐alpha subjects also showed significant correlations between alpha level and changes in peripheral physiological variables in the vicinity of sustained alpha losses. Compared with Stage W. Stage 1 was associated with a greater incidence of slow eye movements, lower abdominal breathing amplitude, and a higher thoracic:abdominal breathing ratio. Similar correlations were observed in both high‐alpha and low‐alpha subjects between these variables and the key index, supporting its potential generality as an indicator of sleep onset.
ISSN:0048-5772
1469-8986
1540-5958
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-8986.1987.tb00346.x