Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Sleep-Wake Cycles01:24

Sleep-Wake Cycles

Sleep is an essential physiological process vital to maintaining overall well-being. The reticular activating system (RAS), a network of neurons in the brainstem, regulates wakefulness and sleep. While it may seem passive, sleep consists of distinct cycles, each with its unique characteristics and functions. Two key sleep phases are non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and  rapid eye movement (REM).
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
Stages of Sleep01:22

Stages of Sleep

Sleep progresses through distinct stages, each characterized by specific brain wave patterns and physiological responses ranging from wakefulness to stages of non-rapid eye movement, known as non-REM, to rapid eye movement, referred to as REM. Understanding these stages helps in recognizing how sleep supports various bodily and cognitive functions.
Before sleep begins, in wakefulness, the brain exhibits primarily beta waves, which are high in frequency and low in amplitude, indicating alertness...
Understanding Sleep01:11

Understanding Sleep

Sleep, an essential biological state, involves significant reductions in physical activity, sensory awareness, and interaction with the environment. This complex physiological process is primarily regulated by specific brain regions, notably the hypothalamus and pons, which govern the sleep-wake cycle or circadian rhythm.
The circadian rhythm, a nearly 24-hour cycle, is deeply influenced by environmental light cues. Light exposure directly affects the hypothalamus, which in turn regulates...
REM Sleep Behavior Disorder01:15

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder

REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD) is a sleep disorder characterized by the absence of muscle paralysis that normally occurs during the REM phase of sleep. This absence allows individuals to physically act out their dreams, which are often vivid and disturbing. Common behaviors exhibited during episodes include kicking, punching, and yelling. These actions can be dangerous, potentially leading to injuries for the person with RBD or their bed partner.
RBD is significantly associated with...
Phase Transitions02:31

Phase Transitions

Whether solid, liquid, or gas, a substance's state depends on the order and arrangement of its particles (atoms, molecules, or ions). Particles in the solid pack closely together, generally in a pattern. The particles vibrate about their fixed positions but do not move or squeeze past their neighbors. In liquids, although the particles are closely spaced, they are randomly arranged. The position of the particles are not fixed—that is, they are free to move past their neighbors to occupy...
Phase Transitions01:21

Phase Transitions

A phase transition is the process in which a substance changes from one state of matter to another, like from a solid to a liquid, liquid to gas, or vice versa, at a specific temperature and under given pressure conditions. This change is spontaneous and is affected by alterations in temperature and pressure. These parameters impact the strength of the forces between molecules (intermolecular forces) in the substance.During a phase transition, both the initial and final phases of the substance...

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Lateral Gender-Based Violence in 2SLGBTQ+ Communities: The Stifling of Queer Joy Through Intersectional Oppression, "Pitiful" Sexuality Education, and Media (Mis)Representation.

Journal of homosexuality·2025
Same author

Cripping and queering gender-based violence prevention: bridging disability justice, queer joy, and consent education.

Culture, health & sexuality·2024
Same author

Evidence for a short-lived resonance state in enzyme catalysis via rate-equation convolution.

Physical review. E·2023
Same author

Determination of Krogh Coefficient for Oxygen Consumption Measurement from Thin Slices of Rodent Cortical Tissue Using a Fick's Law Model of Diffusion.

International journal of molecular sciences·2023
Same author

Crizotinib in patients with tumors harboring ALK or ROS1 rearrangements in the NCI-MATCH trial.

NPJ precision oncology·2022
Same author

Combining inter-areal, mesoscopic, and neurodynamic models of cortical function: Response to Commentary on "The growth of cognition: Free energy minimization and the embryogenesis of cortical computation".

Physics of life reviews·2021

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 14, 2026

Optogenetic Manipulation of Neural Circuits During Monitoring Sleep/wakefulness States in Mice
08:58

Optogenetic Manipulation of Neural Circuits During Monitoring Sleep/wakefulness States in Mice

Published on: June 19, 2019

The sleep cycle modelled as a cortical phase transition.

D A Steyn-Ross1, Moira L Steyn-Ross, J W Sleigh

  • 1Department of Physics & Electronic Engineering, University of Waikato, New Zealand.

Journal of Biological Physics
|January 25, 2013
PubMed
Summary

This study models brain electrical activity during natural sleep cycles. It explains the shift from slow-wave sleep to REM sleep as a phase transition, matching clinical and animal data.

Keywords:
EEGLangevin equationREMSWSacetylcholineadenosinecorrelationcortical modelcritical slowing downfluctuationsphase transitionsleep cycle

More Related Videos

Polygraphic Recording Procedure for Measuring Sleep in Mice
08:45

Polygraphic Recording Procedure for Measuring Sleep in Mice

Published on: January 25, 2016

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice
10:56

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice

Published on: August 2, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 14, 2026

Optogenetic Manipulation of Neural Circuits During Monitoring Sleep/wakefulness States in Mice
08:58

Optogenetic Manipulation of Neural Circuits During Monitoring Sleep/wakefulness States in Mice

Published on: June 19, 2019

Polygraphic Recording Procedure for Measuring Sleep in Mice
08:45

Polygraphic Recording Procedure for Measuring Sleep in Mice

Published on: January 25, 2016

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice
10:56

Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice

Published on: August 2, 2017

Area of Science:

  • Computational Neuroscience
  • Neuroscience
  • Sleep Science

Background:

  • Natural sleep involves cyclical changes in brain electrical activity.
  • Sleep is modulated by neurotransmitters like acetylcholine and somnogens such as adenosine.
  • Transitions between sleep stages, like slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep, are critical.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop a mean-field model of cortical electrical activity during natural sleep.
  • To explain the transition from SWS to REM sleep as a phase transition.
  • To validate model predictions against human and animal sleep data.

Main Methods:

  • Developed a mean-field model incorporating synaptic efficiency and neuron resting voltage changes.
  • Modeled effects of acetylcholine cycling and somnogen elimination.
  • Analyzed EEG power, spectral distribution, and correlation time at sleep transitions.

Main Results:

  • The model describes gross changes in brain electrical activity during sleep cycles.
  • The SWS-to-REM transition is characterized as a first-order phase transition.
  • Model predictions align with human EEG recordings and feline cortical EEG patterns.

Conclusions:

  • Cortical sleep dynamics can be understood through a mean-field model.
  • The SWS-to-REM transition represents a shift from a coherent to a desynchronized state.
  • The model provides a framework for understanding sleep stage transitions and their underlying neurophysiological mechanisms.