[Cerebral mapping during sleep: a critical review of literature]

Cerebral mapping is a useful tool which permits graphic representation of certain EEG characteristics which are imperceptible on simple visual inspection. This technique offers quite a good solution to analysis of cerebral rhythmicity, by including spectral, spatial and statistical parameters. Sleep is a physiological process during which dynamic interchange of cerebral rhythms has an important part in delimiting the different phases, not to mention the decisive part played by phasic events at each stage of it.

In this paper we review the studies which have used cerebral mapping techniques during the different stages of sleep. In order to give structure to the data obtained from these papers, we have classified the information into aspects related to the methodology used in these studies and the results obtained. Decisions regarding methodology are discussed, and further information given regarding technical aspects which might have had decisive influence on the results obtained using this technique.

We give suggestions as to the possibilities of the use of cerebral mapping in studies on sleep, both clinically and experimentally.