Slow rhythms and sleep spindles in early infancy

• Published in: Neuroscience letters Vol. 630; pp. 164 - 168
• Main Authors: Wakai, R.T., Lutter, W.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Ireland Elsevier B.V 06.09.2016
• Subjects: Brain Waves; Cerebral Cortex - physiology; Delta Rhythm; Electroencephalography; Humans; Infant; Magnetoencephalography; Sleep; Sleep spindles; Slow rhythm; Magnetoencephalography; Slow rhythm; Sleep spindles
• ISSN: 0304-3940; 1872-7972
• DOI: 10.1016/j.neulet.2016.07.051

•We show that the sleep MEG in early infancy contains a slow rhythm at approximately 0.2Hz.•The slow and low delta rhythms showed a remarkably strong association with spindling.•The sleep spindles were focal and clock-like with recurrence rate of 0.1Hz. To investigate the slow rhythm and its relationship to spindling in early infancy. We analyzed sleep MEG recordings containing sleep spindles, taken from 7 normal, healthy subjects at conceptional age 46–63 weeks in 21 sessions. We show that the sleep MEG in early infancy contains a slow rhythm, centered at approximately 0.2Hz, which showed a striking association with spindling. The slow rhythm grouped sleep spindles, which were clock-like with a recurrence rate of approximately 0.1Hz. The association of the 0.2Hz oscillation and low delta rhythms with spindling was so strong as to suggest that they may play a critical role during brain development in the genesis of sleep spindles. Infant brain rhythms exhibit relatively simple, regular behavior, allowing the relationships between them to be more easily discerned.