PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

Gianluca Ficca

Publications and source records attributed to Gianluca Ficca.

7 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Increased spontaneous eye blink rate following prolonged wakefulness.

Sleep deprivation (SD) is a technique of sleep-wake manipulation which has been used to treat depression. Changes in neurotransmitter systems, that are also involved in the effects of the antidepressant drugs, have been suggested as the possible mechanisms of action of SD. However, the therapeutic effect of SD is acute and transient, while antidepressant effects of drug treatments are gradual and stable. SD might work throughout mechanisms that are different from those mediating drug's effects. In the present study we analyzed the role of dopamine activity in SD. Spontaneous eye blink rate provides a non invasive measure of central dopamine activity. We assessed eye blink rate across prolonged wakefulness (from 10:00 a.m. to 07:00 a.m.) in 25 young normal subjects. Eye blink rate increased at the end of the wakefulness period. Blink rates and sleepiness as assessed by Karolinska Sleepiness Scale correlated positively with time spent awake. We propose that increased blink rate might reflect a dopamine activation that counteracts sleep drive. Antidepressant effects of sleep deprivation might be related to activation of the physiological mechanisms which regulate wake maintenance.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Spontaneous awakenings in preterm and term infants assessed throughout 24-h video-recordings.

The study aimed to evaluate the development of awakenings during preterm and term age in 12 low-risk infants observed between 33 and 40 weeks of post-conceptional age. Waking was been detected through the analysis of body motility. Gross generalized body movements with prolonged startles, marked stretching and writhing was considered as waking, whereas vigorous, forceful abrupt body movements with high frequency tremor sometimes superimposed upon movements were considered as corresponding to crying. Total number of awakenings in the 24 h does not show significant changes with age, whereas the mean duration increases significantly, which is accounted for mainly by those awakenings starting with crying, in particular, during the day. These data suggest a developmental gap between the ability to sustain the waking state, which already starts to increase before term age, and the ability to maintain prolonged sleep episodes, which has been shown to develop later. Furthermore, the developmental difference between awakenings starting with crying and awakenings starting with wakefulness suggests that two kinds of awakenings might be modulated by different factors.

Child Development↗
PubMed2004

Body movements during night sleep in healthy elderly subjects and their relationships with sleep stages.

In order to enlighten the profile of body movements during sleep at old age, the night sleep of twelve elderly subjects was polygraphically investigated; seven young healthy subjects were the control group. Significantly less body movements during sleep were found in the elderly compared to young subjects, meaning that the decrease in the number of body movements observed from infancy to childhood up to adulthood also continues at later ages. Differently from young adult, whose sleep body movements mainly occur in stage REM, no specific sleep state and/or stage was preferentially associated with the occurrence of body movements in the elderly. These data may point to an age-related modification in the interaction between motor cortex control and subcortical circuits. Furthermore, when body movements occur in elderly individuals, they are significantly more often followed in the next 60 s by a sleep stage change or by a spontaneous behavioural awakening. This might reflect a peculiar inability of elderly subjects to sustain stable states, and could also suggest that body movements may act as a co-factor in a process, comprising other physiological changes, leading to state shifts.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

What in sleep is for memory.

Since the seminal research by Jenkins and Dallenbach in the 1920s, it has been well proven that sleep has a major effect on the memory of pre-sleep material. However, there is still sparse knowledge about exactly which features of sleep have the most impact. Studies which examined separately the role of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep provided largely controversial results and aroused harsh scientific debate, and the investigation of the link of specific sleep patterns to different memory systems (e.g. declarative vs. procedural) did not fully reconcile these inconsistencies. New research perspectives have been proposed in recent years to overcome the limits of the previous 'single state' approach. Psychological, neurophysiological and neuroanatomical data have recently suggested that NREM and REM sleep both play a part in memory consolidation. We here present the hypothesis that NREM and REM are complementary for memory processes during sleep, thanks to their close interaction within the NREM-REM cycle, and discuss experimental data which prove the critical role of the sleep cycle for the morning recall of verbal material.

Humans↗
PubMed2002

Early steps of awakening process.

This paper summarizes the main aspects of sleep and waking development and shows results about awakening as a function of age. Awakenings come mainly from active sleep and their number decreases with age. Understanding the awakening process should take into account the development of sleep and waking states and of circadian rhythms and homeostatic processes.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2002

Awakening from sleep.

Awakening is a crucial event for the organism. The transition from sleep to waking implies physiological processes which lead to a new behavioural state. Spontaneous awakenings have varying features which may change as a function of several factors. The latter include intrasleep architecture, circadian phase, time awake, age, or disordered sleep. Despite its clear theoretical and clinical importance, the topic of awakening (in humans) has received little attention so far. This contribution focuses on major issues which relate to awakening from both basic (experimental) and clinical research. Recent knowledge on neurophysiological mechanisms is reported. The experimental data which provide in the human suggestions on the regulation of awakening are discussed, mainly those concerning sleep architecture and homeostatic/circadian factors also in a life-span perspective, since age is a powerful factor which may influence awakening. Clinical contributions will examine two main sleep disorders: insomnia and hypersomnia. Daytime functioning is shown in insomniac patients and compared to other pathologies like sleep apnea. A final section evokes links between some types of night waking and psychological factors.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗