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A A Borbély

Publications and source records attributed to A A Borbély.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Electromagnetic fields, such as those from mobile phones, alter regional cerebral blood flow and sleep and waking EEG.

Usage of mobile phones is rapidly increasing, but there is limited data on the possible effects of electromagnetic field (EMF) exposure on brain physiology. We investigated the effect of EMF vs. sham control exposure on waking regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and on waking and sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) in humans. In Experiment 1, positron emission tomography (PET) scans were taken after unilateral head exposure to 30-min pulse-modulated 900 MHz electromagnetic field (pm-EMF). In Experiment 2, night-time sleep was polysomnographically recorded after EMF exposure. Pulse-modulated EMF exposure increased relative rCBF in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex ipsilateral to exposure. Also, pm-EMF exposure enhanced EEG power in the alpha frequency range prior to sleep onset and in the spindle frequency range during stage 2 sleep. Exposure to EMF without pulse modulation did not enhance power in the waking or sleep EEG. We previously observed EMF effects on the sleep EEG (A. A. Borbély, R. Huber, T. Graf, B. Fuchs, E. Gallmann and P. Achermann. Neurosci. Lett., 1999, 275: 207-210; R. Huber, T. Graf, K. A. Cote, L. Wittmann, E. Gallmann, D. Matter, J. Schuderer, N. Kuster, A. A. Borbély, and P. Achermann. Neuroreport, 2000, 11: 3321-3325), but the basis for these effects was unknown. The present results show for the first time that (1) pm-EMF alters waking rCBF and (2) pulse modulation of EMF is necessary to induce waking and sleep EEG changes. Pulse-modulated EMF exposure may provide a new, non-invasive method for modifying brain function for experimental, diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Adult↗

Unihemispheric enhancement of delta power in human frontal sleep EEG by prolonged wakefulness.

EEG power spectra exhibit site-specific and state-related differences in specific frequency bands. In the present study we investigated the effect of total sleep deprivation on sleep EEG topography. Eight healthy, young, right-handed subjects were recorded during baseline sleep and recovery sleep after sleep deprivation. Forty hours of sleep deprivation affected power spectra in all derivations. However, hemispheric asymmetries were observed in the delta range. Sleep deprivation enhanced the anterior predominance of delta activity in the left hemisphere but not in the right one. This effect may reflect a functional asymmetry between the dominant and non-dominant hemisphere. The results provide further evidence for the presence of both global and local aspects of sleep regulation.

Adult↗

Individual 'fingerprints' in human sleep EEG topography.

The sleep EEG of eight healthy young men was recorded from 27 derivations during a baseline night and a recovery night after 40 h of waking. Individual power maps of the nonREM sleep EEG were calculated for the delta, theta, alpha, sigma and beta range. The comparison of the normalized individual maps for baseline and recovery sleep revealed very similar individual patterns within each frequency band. This high correspondence was quantified and statistically confirmed by calculating the Manhattan distance between all pairs of maps within and between individuals. Although prolonged waking enhanced power in the low-frequency range (0.75-10.5 Hz) and reduced power in the high-frequency range (13.25-25 Hz), only minor effects on the individual topography were observed. Nevertheless, statistical analysis revealed frequency-specific regional effects of sleep deprivation. The results demonstrate that the pattern of the EEG power distribution in nonREM sleep is characteristic for an individual and may reflect individual traits of functional anatomy.

Adult↗

Age-dependent changes in sleep EEG topography.

OBJECTIVE: To assess age-related topographic changes in the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG). METHODS: The sleep EEG records of young (mean age, 22.3 years) and middle-aged (mean age, 62.0 years) healthy men were compared. The EEG was obtained from 3 bipolar derivations (frontal-central (FC), central-parietal (CP), and parietal-occipital (PO)) along the antero-posterior axis. RESULTS: The total sleep time, sleep efficiency, stage 2 and slow wave sleep (SWS) were lower in the middle-aged group, while sleep latency, stage 1 and wakefulness after sleep onset were higher. Spectral analysis documented the age-related reduction of EEG power in non-REM sleep (0.25-14 Hz), and REM sleep (0.75-10 Hz). However, the reduction was not uniform over the 3 derivations, but was most pronounced in the anterior derivation (FC) in the theta (both sleep states) and high-alpha/low-sigma bands (non-REM sleep). CONCLUSIONS: These changes can be interpreted as age-related shifts of power from the anterior (FC) towards the middle derivation (CP). Aging not only reduces power in the sleep EEG, but causes frequency-specific changes in the brain topography. The results are consistent with the notion of sleep as a local process.

Adult↗

Functional topography of the human nonREM sleep electroencephalogram.

The sleep EEG of healthy young men was recorded during baseline and recovery sleep after 40 h of waking. To analyse the EEG topography, power spectra were computed from 27 derivations. Mean power maps of the nonREM sleep EEG were calculated for 1-Hz bins between 1.0 and 24.75 Hz. Cluster analysis revealed a topographic segregation into distinct frequency bands which were similar for baseline and recovery sleep, and corresponded closely to the traditional frequency bands. Hallmarks of the power maps were the frontal predominance in the delta and alpha band, the occipital predominance in the theta band, and the sharply delineated vertex maximum in the sigma band. The effect of sleep deprivation on EEG topography was determined by calculating the recovery/baseline ratio of the power spectra. Prolonged waking induced an increase in power in the low-frequency range (1-10.75 Hz) which was largest over the frontal region, and a decrease in power in the sigma band (13-15.75 Hz) which was most pronounced over the vertex. The topographic pattern of the recovery/baseline power ratio was similar to the power ratio between the first and second half of the baseline night. These results indicate that changes in sleep propensity are reflected by specific regional differences in EEG power. The predominant increase of low-frequency power in frontal areas may be due to a high 'recovery need' of the frontal heteromodal association areas of the cortex.

Adult↗

From slow waves to sleep homeostasis: new perspectives.

EEG slow waves are the epitome of deep nonREM sleep. The level of slow-wave activity (SWA; defined as spectral power in the 0.5-4.5 Hz band) in the initial part of sleep is determined by prior sleep and waking, and thereby represents a marker of a homeostatic sleep regulating process (Process S). Models based on SWA were successful in simulating sleep architecture in a variety of experimental protocols. SWA is an exceptional sleep variable in that it is little influenced by circadian phase and variations of the photoperiod. There is recent evidence that it is not waking per se but the absence of sleep, which engenders a rise in sleep propensity. Thus animals emerging from the hypometabolic states of hibernation or daily torpor exhibit an increase in SWA akin to sleep deprivation. Recent human studies showed SWA to be a marker of a local, use-dependent facet of sleep. Selective activation of specific cortical areas during waking enhanced SWA over the activated region during sleep. A frontal predominance of power in the 2-Hz band was documented in the initial part of a normal sleep episode. Sleep homeostasis may be a valuable concept for exploring the evolutionary origin of sleep. Thus 'rest homeostasis' has been demonstrated in invertebrate species, and the search for homologies of rest and sleep on a molecular genetic level has begun. Conceptualizing and characterizing sleep as a regulated process may eventually shed light on its function.

Animals↗

Exposure to pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic field during waking affects human sleep EEG.

The aim of the study was to investigate whether the electromagnetic field (EMF) emitted by digital radiotelephone handsets affects brain physiology. Healthy, young male subjects were exposed for 30 min to EMF (900 MHz; spatial peak specific absorption rate 1 W/kg) during the waking period preceding sleep. Compared with the control condition with sham exposure, spectral power of the EEG in non-rapid eye movement sleep was increased. The maximum rise occurred in the 9.75-11.25 Hz and 12.5-13.25 Hz band during the initial part of sleep. These changes correspond to those obtained in a previous study where EMF was intermittently applied during sleep. Unilateral exposure induced no hemispheric asymmetry of EEG power. The present results demonstrate that exposure during waking modifies the EEG during subsequent sleep. Thus the changes of brain function induced by pulsed high-frequency EMF outlast the exposure period.

Adult↗

Dual electroencephalogram markers of human sleep homeostasis: correlation between theta activity in waking and slow-wave activity in sleep.

To investigate the relationship between markers of sleep homeostasis during waking and sleep, the electroencephalogram of eight young males was recorded intermittently during a 40-h waking episode, as well as during baseline and recovery sleep. In the course of extended waking, spectral power of the electroencephalogram in the 5-8Hz band (theta activity) increased. In non-rapid eye movement sleep, power in the 0.75-4.5Hz band (slow-wave activity) was enhanced in the recovery night relative to baseline. Comparison of individual records revealed a positive correlation between the rise rate of theta activity during waking and the increase in slow-wave activity in the first non-rapid eye movement sleep episode. A topographic analysis based on 27 derivations showed that both effects were largest in frontal areas. From these results, we suggest that theta activity in waking and slow-wave activity in sleep are markers of a common homeostatic sleep process.

Adult↗

[Alcohol and sleep disorders].

Despite an initial sedative effect, alcohol disrupts sleep persistently and should not be used as a sleeping aid. Nocturnal withdrawal symptoms may lead to an increased duration of wakefulness, and to tachycardia and sweating in the second half of the night. It is not known by which mechanism alcohol affects sleep; however, effects do not appear to depend on the stimulation of benzodiazepine receptors or the antagonism at adenosine receptors. Alcohol can exacerbate primary sleep disturbances such as sleep apnea and nocturnal myoclonus, and thereby contribute to excessive daytime sleepiness. The sleep of alcoholic patients is characterized by increased sleep latency, and reduced sleep efficiency, total sleep time, slow wave sleep and non-REM sleep. Even during abstinence, the changes in sleep architecture can persist for months or years, and might contribute to a relapse into alcoholism. The use of benzodiazepines or other hypnotics to treat alcohol-related sleep disturbances is not recommended.

Alcohol Drinking↗

Functional neuroanatomy of human sleep states after zolpidem and placebo: a H215O-PET study.

Changes in the functional organization of the brain during the course of sleep and waking are reflected by different patterns of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF). To investigate the effect of the hypnotic zolpidem, a benzodiazepine receptor agonist, drug or placebo were administered to eight young, healthy men prior to bedtime. The subjects were sleep-deprived to promote sleep during the 4-h recording period in the positron emission tomography scanner. Intravenous injections of labelled water were administered during pre-drug wakefulness, and during Stage 2, Stage 4 and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, each injection being followed by an emission scan. Statistical parametric mapping was used to investigate the effects of treatment and sleep states. During sleep (combined Stages 2 and 4, and REM sleep) relative rCBF was lower after zolpidem than after placebo in the basal ganglia and insula, and higher in the parietal cortex. A 'multiple study' analysis of REM sleep revealed that rCBF in the anterior cingulum was lower after zolpidem than after placebo, whereas rCBF in the occipital and parietal cortex, parahippocampal gyrus and cerebellum was higher. When the pooled data (drug and placebo) of Stages 2 and 4 were compared with wakefulness, rCBF was lower in prefrontal cortex and insula, and higher in the occipital and parietal cortex. The results indicate that some differences in rCBF from wakefulness to non-REM sleep are further augmented by zolpidem.

Adult↗

Zolpidem and sleep deprivation: different effect on EEG power spectra.

To study the role of GABA-ergic mechanisms in sleep regulation, the combined action of 40 h sleep deprivation and either 20 mg zolpidem or placebo on the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) were investigated by quantitative EEG analysis in eight young men who participated in a positron emission tomography study. Compared with baseline, sleep deprivation increased low-frequency (1.25-7.0 Hz) EEG power in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep in the placebo night. After administration of zolpidem, power in the 3.75-10.0 Hz range and 14. 25-16.0 Hz band was reduced. The largest decrease was observed in the theta band. Comparison with placebo revealed that zolpidem attenuated power in the entire 1.75-11.0 Hz range. The plasma concentration of zolpidem at 4.5 h after intake showed a positive correlation with the drug-induced difference in power from placebo in the 14.25-16.0 Hz band. Regional EEG analysis based on bipolar derivations along the antero-posterior axis disclosed, for NREM sleep, a drug-induced posterior shift of power in the frequency range of 7.75-9.75 Hz. Zolpidem did not affect rapid eye movemnt sleep spectra. We conclude that sleep deprivation and agonistic modulation of GABAA receptors have separate and additive effects on power spectra and that their effects are mediated by different neurophysiological mechanisms.

Adult↗

Unilateral vibrissae stimulation during waking induces interhemispheric EEG asymmetry during subsequent sleep in the rat.

To test the theory that sleep is a regional, use-dependent process, rats were subjected to unilateral sensory stimulation during waking. This was achieved by cutting the whiskers on one side, in order to reduce the sensory input to the contralateral cortex. The animals were kept awake for 6 h in an enriched environment to activate the cortex contralateral to the intact side. Whiskers are known to be represented in the barrel field of the contralateral somatosensory cortex and their stimulation during exploratory behavior results in a specific activation of the projection area. In the 6 h recovery period following sleep deprivation, spectral power of the nonrapid eye-movement (NREM) sleep EEG in the 0.75-6.0 Hz range exhibited an interhemispheric shift towards the cortex that was contralateral to the intact whiskers. The results support the theory that sleep has a regional, use-dependent facet.

Animals↗

Pulsed high-frequency electromagnetic field affects human sleep and sleep electroencephalogram.

To investigate whether the electromagnetic field (EMF) emitted by digital radiotelephone handsets affects the brain, healthy, young subjects were exposed during an entire night-time sleep episode to an intermittent radiation schedule (900 MHz; maximum specific absorption rate 1 W/kg) consisting of alternating 15-min on-15-min off intervals. Compared with a control night with sham exposure, the amount of waking after sleep onset was reduced from 18 to 12 min. Spectral power of the electroencephalogram in non-rapid eye movement sleep was increased. The maximum rise occurred in the 10-11 Hz and 13.5-14 Hz bands during the initial part of sleep and then subsided. The results demonstrate that pulsed high-frequency EMF in the range of radiotelephones may promote sleep and modify the sleep EEG.

Adult↗

Frequency and state specific hemispheric asymmetries in the human sleep EEG.

Regional differences in the sleep EEG along the antero-posterior axis have been recently described. To test for state related, hemispheric differences, sleep records from homologous fronto-central, centro-parietal and parieto-occipital derivations were obtained from 14 young right-handed males. Within the frequency range of sleep spindles (11-15 Hz) power in non-REM sleep dominated in the left hemisphere in all derivations. In the centro-parietal 4-8 Hz band a right-hemispheric predominance prevailed in non-REM sleep and a left-hemispheric predominance in REM sleep. Since the frequency bands exhibiting hemispheric asymmetries are those in which large antero-posterior power gradients had been observed, the left-right differences may arise from structural and functional asymmetries of brain regions involved in the generation of the sleep EEG.

Adult↗

Prolonged effects of 24-h total sleep deprivation on sleep and sleep EEG in the rat.

Long-term effects of 24-h sleep deprivation (SD) on sleep and sleep EEG were analyzed in male rats during 4 recovery days (Rec). An increase of total sleep time and non-rapid eye-movement (NREM) sleep was present during Rec 1-4, and of REM sleep in Rec 1 and in the dark periods of Rec 2 and 3. After the initial increase of slow-wave activity (SWA, mean EEG power density in the 0.75-4.0 Hz range) in NREM sleep, SWA declined below baseline until Rec 3. Sleep continuity was increased in Rec 1. The persistent effects of SD which are probably due to homeostatic and circadian facets of sleep regulation, must be taken into account in the design of SD studies.

Animals↗

Serotonin-2 receptors and human sleep: effect of a selective antagonist on EEG power spectra.

To investigate the effect on the sleep EEG, a 1-mg oral dose of SR 46349B, a novel 5-HT2 antagonist, was administered three hours before bedtime. The drug enhanced slow wave sleep (SWS) and reduced stage 2 without affecting subjective sleep quality. In nonREM sleep (NREMS) EEG slow-wave activity (SWA; power within 0.75-4.5 Hz) was increased and spindle frequency activity (SFA; power within 12.25-15 Hz) was decreased. The relative NREMS power spectrum showed a bimodal pattern with the main peak at 1.5 Hz and a secondary peak at 6 Hz. A regional analysis based on bipolar derivations along the antero-posterior axis revealed significant 'treatment' x 'derivation' interactions within the 9-16 Hz range. In enhancing SWA and attenuating SFA, the 5-HT2 receptor antagonist mimicked the effect of sleep deprivation, whereas the pattern of the NREMS spectrum differed.

Adult↗

Alpha activity in the human REM sleep EEG: topography and effect of REM sleep deprivation.

The topographical distribution of alpha activity (8.125-11.125 Hz) in the REM sleep EEG, its time course within and across REM sleep episodes, and the effects of selective REM sleep deprivation were investigated in 8 young males. Power spectra of bipolar derivations along the antero-posterior axis in the left (F3C3, C3P3, P301) and right (F4C4, C4P4, P402) hemisphere were calculated. Alpha activity increased along the antero-posterior axis in both hemispheres, and was dominant in the right hemisphere. It decreased within and across REM sleep episodes. Selective REM sleep deprivation resulted in a reduction of alpha activity in the REM sleep EEG. However, the topographical distribution and the time course were not affected. It is suggested that alpha activity in the REM sleep EEG is a marker of REM sleep homeostasis.

Brain↗