Biomedical subjects

A Rechtschaffen

Publications and source records attributed to A Rechtschaffen.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

PubMed1978

The single-mindedness and isolation of dreams.

Dreams are descirbed as "single-minded," meaning that they tend to be unaccompanied by other, simultaneous streams of thought and imagery. Four manifestations of single-mindedness are discussed: (1) the absence of a reflective awareness that one is dreaming while the dream is in progress; (2) the absence of alternative images and thoughts while attending to the primary dream content; (3) the tendency for dream content to stay on a single thematic track; (4) the absence of a set to remember the dream while it is in progress. This isolation of dream content, from other thought systems is then considered as but one manifestation of a more generalized relative isolation of dream content, which includes isolation from presleep stimuli, contemporaneous stimuli, organismic state, and autonomic and motor activity. Some of the implications of dream isolation for dream psychophysiology and theories of dreaming are outlined.

Arousal↗

PubMed1978

Effects of sleep deprivation on awakening thresholds and sensory evoked potentials in the rat.

The EEG desynchronization response to stimuli presented during slow-wave sleep was studied in 25 chronically implanted rats after 12 hr of sleep deprivation and during control periods of normal sleep. Compared to normal sleep, sleep after deprivation was accompanied by a significant decrease in the number of EEG desynchronization responses to auditory stimuli and by an additional disproportionate decrease in the number of sustained desynchronization responses. Thalamic auditory evoked potentials were not reduced in amplitude during postdeprivation sleep, thus the decrease in number of EEG desynchronization responses to the auditory stimuli was apparently not mediated by decreased responsiveness in the peripheral auditory system. On the other hand, postdeprivation sleep was not accompanied by any significant change in total number of EEG desynchronization responses to direct trigeminal nerve stimulation nor by any change in the duration of responses to trigeminal stimulation. The results suggest that recovery from sleep loss in accompanied not by a nonspecific increase in the threshold for arousal per se but instead by a selective increase in the threshold for arousal to certain classes of peripheral stimuli.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

PubMed1976

Variations in slow wave activity during sleep in the rat.

Scoring of human electroencephalogram (EEG) recordings usually includes subdivisions of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep based on amount of slow wave activity. This procedure has revealed relationships between slow wave activity and many other variables. In animals, however, few experimenters have described variations in slow wave activity within NREM sleep. The present study quantifies, by filtering and integration techniques, variations in amount of slow wave activity during NREM sleep in the rat. Slow wave activity was found to be greatest at the start of the light period; the diurnal variation of slow wave activity within NREM sleep was correlated with variations in amount of NREM sleep. An amplitude criterion was used to define NREM sleep, but overall EEG amplitude during NREM sleep did not show the same diurnal variation as slow wave activity. The results indicate the value of measuring variations in slow wave amplitude during NREM sleep in animals in addition to overall EEG amplitude.

Animals↗

PubMed1974