Thus, although researchers have discovered a lot about sleep signals from EEG, this method tells us little about local sleep.An individual inside a mock fMRI scanner using an EEG cap.Image courtesy of Chen SongSong and her colleagues decided to pair EEG with a complementary technique, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which measures blood circulation in the brain as a proxy for neuronal activity. The team chose to explore if the neural signals common of sleep (sluggish waves and bursts of oscillations understood as sleep spindles) frequently discovered in EEG measurements could be mirrored by patterns offered by the fMRI.See “Sleeps Kernel” Using data gathered for one of their previous studies, the group examined the brain activity of 36 people who fell slept wearing an EEG cap inside an fMRI scanner for one hour. Song acknowledges that sleeping inside the fMRI scan “is extremely unnatural,” and it is possible that people experience a lighter sleep, resulting in these observations.See “Perchance to Dream” This study uses “a new point of view” for studying the brain at the regional level, states Vanderbilt University electrical engineer Catie Chang, who was not involved in this study, and the techniques the authors used could help “put together a more complete image” of what happens in the brain when we fall asleep.Monitoring local sleep utilizing fMRI might likewise be important in enhancing our understanding of sleep conditions.
Typically, sleep in people has been studied utilizing electroencephalography (EEG), which determines the electrical activity of the brain through electrodes put on the scalp. Therefore, although scientists have actually found out a lot about sleep signals from EEG, this strategy tells us little about local sleep.A person inside a mock fMRI scanner using an EEG cap.Image courtesy of Chen SongSong and her colleagues decided to match EEG with a complementary method, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), which determines blood flow in the brain as a proxy for neuronal activity. The group decided to explore if the neural signals normal of sleep (slow waves and bursts of oscillations understood as sleep spindles) often found in EEG measurements might be mirrored by patterns offered by the fMRI.See “Sleeps Kernel” Using data collected for one of their previous research studies, the group examined the brain activity of 36 people who fell slept wearing an EEG cap inside an fMRI scanner for one hour. Song acknowledges that sleeping inside the fMRI scan “is very unnatural,” and it is possible that individuals experience a lighter sleep, resulting in these observations.See “Perchance to Dream” This study uses “a brand-new point of view” for studying the brain at the local level, says Vanderbilt University electrical engineer Catie Chang, who was not included in this research study, and the methods the authors utilized could assist “put together a more complete picture” of what takes place in the brain when we fall asleep.Monitoring regional sleep utilizing fMRI might likewise be valuable in enhancing our understanding of sleep disorders.