Sleep in the last remission stages of vegetative state of traumatic nature.

Polygraphic studies were carried out on 20 patients (13 male, 7 female, average age 25.3 years) in the last remission stages of a traumatically caused vegetative state (apallic syndrome: stages V-VIII according to Gerstenbrand's classification). The presence of all the stages of NREM and REM sleep was observed in all patients, as was typical spindling activity. With respect to patients in the first remission stages of vegetative state, the total sleep time (TST) was seen to increase as a percentage of the total time in bed (95%) and with respect to TST, the periods of waking after a period of sleep diminished (wake after sleep onset: 9.73%). Stage I decreased (10.39%), while stages II-III-IV increased (32.36%, 4.29% and 6.04% respectively). There was a clear increase in the REM percentage (37.19%); spindling rate and index both increased (4.9/min and 12.1 respectively).