Local origin of slow EEG waves during sleep.

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Abstract:

<p>Neuronal activity mediating EEG slow waves consists of synchronous alternation of intracellular active and silent states. Recent data demonstrate that each active state of a sleep slow wave originates in a particular cortical location and propagate to involve other cortical areas. Preferential sites of origin of these waves are: the frontal cortex in adult humans, the associative cortex in cats and the somatosensory cortex in mice. In the site of origin of these slow waves any neuron can initiate a particular cycle, however there are neuronal groups with high likelihood of triggering a particular cycle. In epileptic patients, these neurons are mostly located in superficial layers, but in healthy experimental animals, populations ofintrinsically bursting neurons with a high probability of triggering spontaneous active states have been found in deeper cortical layers.</p>