Sleepwalking episodes are preceded by arousal-related activation in the cingulate motor area: EEG current density imaging

Clin Neurophysiol. 2016 Jan;127(1):530-536. doi: 10.1016/j.clinph.2015.01.014. Epub 2015 Feb 7.

Abstract

Objective: To investigate local arousal fluctuations in adults who received ICSD-2 diagnosis of somnambulism.

Methods: EEG neuroimaging (eLORETA) was utilized to compare current density distribution for 4s epochs immediately preceding sleepwalking episode (from -4.0 s to 0 s) to the distribution during earlier 4s epochs (from -8.0 s to -4.0 s) in 20 EEG segments from 15 patients.

Results: Comparisons between eLORETA images revealed significant (t>4.52; p<0.05) brain activations before onset of sleepwalking, with greater current density within beta 3 frequency range (24-30 Hz) in Brodmann areas 33 and 24.

Conclusions: Sleepwalking motor events are associated with arousal-related activation of cingulate motor area.

Significance: These results support the notion of blurred boundaries between wakefulness and NREM sleep in sleepwalking.

Keywords: Cingulate motor areas; Local arousal; NREM parasomnia; Somnambulism; eLORETA.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Arousal / physiology*
  • Electroencephalography / methods*
  • Female
  • Gyrus Cinguli / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Motor Cortex / physiology*
  • Polysomnography / methods
  • Sleep Stages / physiology*
  • Somnambulism / diagnosis*
  • Somnambulism / physiopathology
  • Young Adult