Abe Takashi, Ogawa Keiko, Nittono Hiroshi, Hori Tadao
Department of Behavioral Sciences, Graduate School of Biosphere Sciences, Hiroshima University, Higashi-Hiroshima, Japan.
Clin Neurophysiol. 2008 Sep;119(9):2044-53. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2008.05.008. Epub 2008 Jul 11.
Brain activity preceding rapid eye movements (REM) during human REM sleep has remained poorly understood. Slow negative brain potential (pre-REM negativity) appears before REMs. Current sources of this potential were investigated to identify brain activity immediately preceding REMs.
In this study, 22 young healthy volunteers (20-25 years old) participated. Polysomnograms were recorded during normal nocturnal sleep. Brain potentials between 200ms before and 50ms after the onset of REMs and pseudo-triggers (3000ms before the onset of REMs) were averaged. Standardized low-resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) was used to estimate current sources of pre-REM negativity.
Pre-REM negativity appeared with the maximal amplitude at right prefrontal sites immediately before REMs. However, this negativity did not appear before pseudo-triggers. Current sources of the pre-REM negativity were estimated in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, uncus, insula, anterior cingulated cortex, basal forebrain, parahippocampal gyrus, premotor cortex and frontal eye field.
The pre-REM negativity reflects brain activity coupled with the occurrence of REMs. Results of this study suggest that emotion, memory, and motor-related brain activity might occur before REMs.
Pre-REM negativity is expected to be a psychophysiological index for elucidating functions of REM sleep.
人们对快速眼动睡眠（REM）期间快速眼动之前的大脑活动仍知之甚少。慢负脑电位（快速眼动前负电位）出现在快速眼动之前。本研究旨在探究该电位的电流源，以确定快速眼动之前的大脑活动。
本研究纳入了22名年轻健康志愿者（20 - 25岁）。在正常夜间睡眠期间记录多导睡眠图。对快速眼动开始前200毫秒至开始后50毫秒以及伪触发（快速眼动开始前3000毫秒）期间的脑电位进行平均。采用标准化低分辨率脑电磁断层扫描（sLORETA）来估计快速眼动前负电位的电流源。
快速眼动前负电位在快速眼动即将出现时，于右侧前额叶部位出现最大振幅。然而，在伪触发之前未出现这种负电位。快速眼动前负电位的电流源估计位于腹内侧前额叶皮质、钩回、脑岛、前扣带回皮质、基底前脑、海马旁回、运动前皮质和额叶眼区。
快速眼动前负电位反映了与快速眼动出现相关的大脑活动。本研究结果表明，情绪、记忆和与运动相关的大脑活动可能在快速眼动之前发生。
快速眼动前负电位有望成为阐明快速眼动睡眠功能的心理生理指标。
