REM sleep without atonia after lesions of the medial medulla

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is normally accompanied by a complete suppression of tone in the antigravity musculature. Pontine lesions have been shown to block this suppression, producing a syndrome of REM sleep without atonia. We now report that glutamate-induced lesions of the medial medulla, including the nucleus magnocellularis, caudal nucleus gigantocellularis and rostral nucleus paramedianus, produce REM sleep without atonia. These nuclei may function as part of a ponto-medullary system suppressing muscle tone in REM sleep.