REM-like Oscillatory Theta Activity Predicts a Reduction in the Recuperative Value of Natural Human Sleep

Vattikuti, S.; Doty, T. J.; Riedy, S. M.; Braun, A.; Balkin, T. J.; Hughes, J. D.

doi:10.1101/2023.10.06.561209

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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2023.10.06.561209

REM-like Oscillatory Theta Activity Predicts a Reduction in the Recuperative Value of Natural Human Sleep

Vattikuti, S.·Doty, T. J.·Riedy, S. M.·Braun, A.·Balkin, T. J.·Hughes, J. D.

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Abstract

Here, using data from two independent studies, we examine whether all of sleep is restorative or paradoxically whether some sleep processes incur a sleep debt that impacts next-day wakefulness. Specifically, we examine whether rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is such a process due to its similarity to wake activity, which is causal for sleep debt. To investigate this, we first develop a novel measure of REM neural activity (REM-like oscillatory theta activity (OTA)), overcoming limitations of current sleep scoring. We find that naturally occurring average REM-like OTA across individuals: 1) is associated with increased neurobehavioral sleep debt; 2) explains 25-38% (p [≤] 0.001) of sleep debt differences across individuals the following day; 3) occurs throughout sleep to various degrees, contrary to current sleep scoring; and 4) can be measured automatically, without cumbersome manual scoring.

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Vattikuti, S., Doty, T. J., Riedy, S. M., Braun, A., Balkin, T. J., Hughes, J. D.. 2023-10-10. REM-like Oscillatory Theta Activity Predicts a Reduction in the Recuperative Value of Natural Human Sleep. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.10.06.561209

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