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Computer-based Multitaper Spectrogram Program for Electroencephalographic Data
Published on: November 13, 2019
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Visibility graph analysis of temporal irreversibility in sleep electroencephalograms
Hui Xiong1, Pengjian Shang1, Fengzhen Hou2
1Department of Mathematics, School of Science, Beijing Jiaotong University, Beijing 100044, People's Republic of China.
Nonlinear Dynamics
|June 11, 2021
Summary
This study reveals that non-REM sleep is more time-irreversible than REM sleep, with highest irreversibility in slow-wave sleep. Aging significantly impacts sleep signal irreversibility.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Science
- Signal Processing
Background:
- Sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) signals are typically nonlinear and nonstationary.
- Existing research often overlooks the temporal irreversibility of sleep EEG.
- Understanding sleep dynamics requires analyzing nonstationary signals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the temporally irreversible structures in rapid-eye-movement (REM) and non-REM sleep.
- To apply a robust algorithm for analyzing nonstationary sleep EEG signals.
- To identify factors influencing the time irreversibility of sleep patterns.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a visibility algorithm to analyze sleep EEG signals.
- The algorithm is robust to nonstationarity and finite-size effects.
- Statistical analysis was performed to correlate irreversibility with demographic and physiological factors.
Main Results:
- Non-REM sleep exhibits greater temporal irreversibility compared to REM sleep.
- Slow-wave sleep demonstrates the highest degree of irreversibility.
- Aging was identified as the primary factor affecting sleep signal irreversibility.
Conclusions:
- Sleep EEG signals possess distinct temporally irreversible structures.
- Aging significantly influences the time irreversibility of sleep dynamics.
- Slow oscillations play a dominant role in the irreversible structures of sleep signals.
