Circadian variation of EEG power spectra in NREM and REM sleep in humans: Dissociation from body temperature

In humans, EEG power spectra in REM and NREM sleep, as well as characteristics of sleep spindles such as their duration, amplitude, frequency and incidence, vary with circadian phase. Recently it has been hypothesized that circadian variations in EEG spectra in humans are caused by variations in brain or body temperature and may not represent phenomena relevant to sleep regulatory processes. To test this directly, a further analysis of EEG power spectra – collected in a forced desynchrony protocol in which sleep episodes were scheduled to a 28‐h period while the rhythms of body temperature and plasma melatonin were oscillating at their near 24‐h period – was carried out.

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