Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 20, 2026

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice
Published on: August 2, 2017
Distinct features of fast oscillations in phasic and tonic rapid eye movement sleep
Jurij Brankačk1, Claudia Scheffzük, Valeriy I Kukushka
1Institute for Physiology and Pathophysiology, University Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany. jurij.brankack@physiologie.uniheidelberg.de
Abstract:
Spatiotemporal activity patterns of neurones are organized by different types of coherent network oscillations. Frequency content and cross-frequency coupling of cortical oscillations are strongly state-dependent, indicating that different patterns of wakefulness or sleep, respectively, support different cognitive or mnestic processes. It is therefore crucial to analyse specific sleep patterns with respect to their oscillations, including interaction between fast and slow rhythms. Here we report the oscillation profile of phasic rapid eye movement (REM), a form of REM sleep which has been implicated in hippocampus-dependent memory processing. In all analysed frequency bands (theta, gamma and fast gamma, respectively) we find higher frequencies and higher power in phasic REM compared to tonic REM or wakefulness. Theta-phase coupling of fast oscillations, however, was highest in tonic REM, followed by phasic REM and wakefulness. Our data suggest different roles of phasic and tonic REM for information processing or memory formation during sleep.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
Sleep-Wake Cycles
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
Stages of Sleep
Before sleep begins, in wakefulness, the brain exhibits primarily beta waves, which are high in frequency and low in amplitude, indicating alertness...
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder
RBD is significantly associated with...
Muscle Stimulation Frequency
Wave summation
At low firing rates, motor neurons induce individual twitch contractions in muscle fibers. These twitches...
Narcolepsy
Dysrhythmias III: Characteristics of Dysrhythmias

