Activation of the motor cortex during phasic rapid eye movement sleep |
| |
| Authors: | Fabrizio De Carli MSc Paola Proserpio MD Elisa Morrone PhD Ivana Sartori MD Michele Ferrara PhD Steve Alex Gibbs MD PhD Luigi De Gennaro PhD Giorgio Lo Russo MD Lino Nobili MD PhD |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Institute of Bioimaging and Molecular Physiology, Genoa Section, National Research Council, Genoa;2. C. Munari Center of Epilepsy Surgery, Niguarda Hospital, Milan;3. Clinical Neurophysiology Service, University of Genoa, Genoa;4. Department of Life, Health, and Environmental Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila;5. Department of Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy |
| |
| Abstract: | When dreaming during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, we can perform complex motor behaviors while remaining motionless. How the motor cortex behaves during this state remains unknown. Here, using intracerebral electrodes sampling the human motor cortex in pharmacoresistant epileptic patients, we report a pattern of electroencephalographic activation during REM sleep similar to that observed during the performance of a voluntary movement during wakefulness. This pattern is present during phasic REM sleep but not during tonic REM sleep, the latter resembling relaxed wakefulness. This finding may help clarify certain phenomenological aspects observed in REM sleep behavior disorder. Ann Neurol 2016;79:326–330 |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
