The Changes of EEG Nonlinear Parameter in Sleep and Wakefulness States

BACKGROUND: Up to now, sleep stages have traditionally been determined by the visual inspection of individual EEG waves. However, the exact physiological meaning of the sleep waves is not known. The purpose of this study was to try and find out the physiological parameters of the EEG of the sleep and wakefulness states by calculating one of the non-linear chaos parameter, the largest Lyapunov exponent (LLE), of EEG time series. METHODS: The digital EEG of the wakefulness with eye opening (WEO), wakefulness with eye closure (WEC), stage1 (S1), stage2 (S2), stage3 or 4 (S34) were recorded at centroparietal region (C4-P4 bipolar derivation) in 10 normal subjects. Lyapunov exponents of 50 EEG time series in different states were compared. RESULTS: LLE's of WEO, WEC, S1, S2, S34 showed an increas-ing tendency as states switched from wakefulness to sleep. LLE of sleep was larger than that of awake state. CONCLUSIONS: The EEG of the sleep state appeared to be more chaotic than that of the awake state. This nonlinear chaos parameter can be used as a physiological parameter of normal sleep and awake states.

Time estimation circadian rhythm in shift workers and diurnally active humans.

The ability of shift workers to estimate timer intervals of short duration was examined. The study included 22 shift workers and 10 diurnally working control subjects. A circadian rhythm in time estimates was documented in control subjects, but it was found to bed disrupted in shift workers. Spectral analysis revealed frequency or circadian component in time estimates to be lower among the shift workers. Furthermore, an interesting relationship was marked between time estimates and oral temperature in 4 control subjects and 6 shift workers in that the time of the closest estimation coincided with the peak time of their body temperature.

Direct correlation between the circadian sleep-wakefulness rhythm and time estimation in humans under social and temporal isolation.

Several bodily functions in humans vary on a 24 h pattern and most of these variations persist with a circadian period of ca 25 h when subjects are studied under conditions of social and temporal isolation. We report in this paper that the estimates of short time intervals (TE) of 2 h are strongly coupled to the circadian rhythm in sleepwakefulness. There is a linear correlation between the number of hours humans stay awake (α) and their estimation of 2 h intervals. The coupling of TE to α appears to obtain only under conditions of physical well-being.