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Biomedical subjects

G Dirlich

Publications and source records attributed to G Dirlich.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Eyeblinks evoke potentials in the occipital brain region.

The subjects performed voluntary eyeblinks under illuminated and dark laboratory conditions. 32-channel EEG recordings were averaged in relation to the eyeblinks and a brain electric source analysis (BESA) was performed. Two dipoles located near the eyeballs and a third dipole in the occipital region of the brain were found to explain the scalp potentials. The frontally located potentials described electromechanical potentials associated with lid movements and simultaneous eye movements. The occipitally located dipole explained a visually evoked potential with a first peak at about 180 ms after the maximum of the frontal blink potential. The visually evoked potential was observed only under illumination and was probably caused by changes in luminance during the eyeblinks.

Adult

Bimodal distribution of REM sleep latencies in depression.

The REM sleep latency of endogenously depressed patients was investigated by analyzing 90 polysomnograms of six patients during depression and 58 polysomnograms of four of these patients after remission. During depression the REM sleep latencies are distributed bimodally with peaks at sleep onset (sleep onset REM phases, SOREMPs) and 60 min later. During the follow-up examinations some time after remission, the occurrence of SOREMPs is very rare. A model is proposed according to which the occurrence of SOREMPs in the sleep of these patients is caused by a reduced amplitude of the circadian rhythm of the arousal system.

Adult

[Studies on the stability of human ultradian rhythms (author's transl)].

It was investigated whether the REM-NREM (rapid eye movement-non-REM) sleep rhythm has a stable period during long-term observations. Sequences of 17 to 31 consecutive sleep records were analyzed for 6 test subjects and 1 patient. Period stability was confirmed for three experimental conditions: a) undisturbed night sleep, b) inversion of the sleep-waking cycle, c) absence of external timing mechanisms. The period of the ultradian REM sleep rhythm is no integral submultiple of 24 h, so that the remainder causes a daily drift in the REM sleep rhythm. It is assumed that the ultradian process is controlled endogenously. In contrast to the circadian rhythm the ultradian rhythm appears to be free-running under normal conditions. The stability of the ultradian period has been shown in long-term observations.

Circadian Rhythm

Phase shift in the REM sleep rhythm.

The periodic alternation between REM and NREM sleep was analyzed. Usually, sleep records of consecutive nights of a subject are regarded to be independent events. However, it may be that consecutive nights are realizations of a continuously ongoing rhythm. This was tested in the present study. The temporal patterns of REM and NREM sleep in sequences of about 30 consecutive nights for 3 subjects were analyzed. The results show that only the onset of the first REM sleep phase during any one night may be predicted from the sleep onset time, whereas a systematic phase shift between consecutive nights was observed in the later REM sleep phases. Thus, the onset of later REM sleep phases is better predicted by assuming a rhythm with stable period length which controls the appearance of REM sleep phases in successive nights. Under the experimental conditions the phase shift was between 5 and 10 min per 24 hrs for the 3 subjects. The result is accordance with Kleitman's basic rest activity cycle (BRAC) hypothesis.

Adult