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Updated: Jun 12, 2026

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Quantifying Infra-slow Dynamics of Spectral Power and Heart Rate in Sleeping Mice
Published on: August 2, 2017
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Simultaneous stomach-brain electrophysiology reveals dynamic coupling in human sleep
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|November 26, 2025
Summary
The sleeping brain communicates with the body, and this study reveals the stomach
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Gastroenterology
- Sleep Science
Background:
- The brain-body communication during sleep is not fully understood.
- Peripheral physiological signals during human sleep lack detailed investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate infraslow structure in gastric electrophysiology during sleep.
- To determine if gastric rhythms coordinate with cortical rhythms during sleep.
Main Methods:
- Simultaneous high-density electroencephalography (EEG) and electrogastrography (EGG) were recorded.
- Data collected from sixty participants over three nights.
- Analysis of gastric power, infraslow amplitude modulations, and cortical rhythms (slow waves, spindles).
Main Results:
- Gastric power was higher during NREM than REM sleep and decreased across cycles.
- Gastric rhythm exhibited infraslow amplitude modulations (∼0.007 Hz) amplified during NREM sleep.
- Gastric infraslow dynamics aligned with cortical sigma power fluctuations and followed slow wave oscillations.
Conclusions:
- The stomach acts as a peripheral oscillator with infraslow dynamics during sleep.
- Gastric infraslow activity tracks thalamocortical activity and predicts subjective sleep quality.
- These findings extend the understanding of the interoceptive regulatory loop into sleep.
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