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Spatio-temporal properties of sleep slow waves and implications for development
Igor Timofeev1,2, Sarah F Schoch3, Monique K LeBourgeois4
1CERVO Brain Research Centre, Québec, Canada.
Current Opinion in Physiology
|May 27, 2020
Summary
Electroencephalography (EEG) measures sleep depth via slow wave activity (SWA). In children, slow waves (SW) shift from originating in the center to appearing more at the front by adolescence, suggesting a role in brain development.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Science
- Developmental Biology
Background:
- Objective sleep quality is assessed using electroencephalography (EEG).
- Sleep depth correlates with slow wave activity (SWA), a measure of brain electrical activity.
- Slow waves (SW) reflect underlying neuronal state transitions (DOWN/UP states) forming slow oscillations (SO).
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate developmental changes in the propagation patterns of EEG slow waves (scalp-SW).
- To explore the role of slow oscillations (SO) and slow waves (SW) in brain development and neuronal connectivity.
- To present novel EEG data on scalp-SW propagation in children and adolescents.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-density electroencephalography (EEG) to record brain electrical activity.
- Quantified slow wave activity (SWA) and slow waves (SW) during sleep.
- Analyzed the spatial origin and propagation patterns of scalp-SW across different developmental stages.
Main Results:
- EEG data from children show scalp-SW originating centro-parietally.
- Scalp-SW emergence shifts to more frontal areas by adolescence.
- Observed modifications in scalp-SW propagation patterns across development.
Conclusions:
- Slow waves (SW) and slow oscillations (SO) exhibit developmental changes in their propagation across the cortical mantle.
- These developmental shifts in SW propagation may play a crucial role in modifying neuronal connectivity during brain maturation.
- The findings suggest SO and SW actively contribute to the developing brain's structural and functional modifications.
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