Enhanced phase-amplitude coupling of human electrocorticography selectively in the posterior cortical region during rapid eye movement sleep.
Jumpei Togawa, Riki Matsumoto, Kiyohide Usami, Masao Matsuhashi, Morito Inouchi, Katsuya Kobayashi, Takefumi Hitomi, Takuro Nakae, Akihiro Shimotake, Yukihiro Yamao, Takayuki Kikuchi, Kazumichi Yoshida, Takeharu Kunieda, Susumu Miyamoto, Ryosuke Takahashi, Akio Ikeda
Cerebral cortex (New York, N.Y. : 1991) December 20, 2022 DOI: 10.1093/cercor/bhac079
Summary
Phase-amplitude coupling (PAC) plays a crucial role in consciousness and information processing, as shown by electrocorticography data from 11 patients with intractable focal epilepsy. PAC was notably present between slow waves (0.5-0.6 Hz) and gamma activities across various states: wakefulness, light sleep, slow-wave sleep, and REM sleep. During REM, PAC was significantly stronger in the posterior cortical region near the temporoparietal junction compared to the frontal region. This highlights the posterior cortex's potential role in maintaining the dreaming experience.
Abstract
The spatiotemporal dynamics of interaction between slow (delta or infraslow) waves and fast (gamma) activities during wakefulness and sleep are yet to be elucidated in human electrocorticography (ECoG). We evaluated phase-amplitude coupling (PAC), which reflects neuronal coding in information processing, using ECoG in 11 patients with intractable focal epilepsy. PAC was observed between slow waves of 0.5-0.6 Hz and gamma activities, not only during light sleep and slow-wave sleep (SWS) but even during wakefulness and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. While PAC was high over a large region during SWS, it was stronger in the posterior cortical region around the temporoparietal junction than in the frontal cortical region during REM sleep. PAC tended to be higher in the posterior cortical region than in the frontal cortical region even during wakefulness. Our findings suggest that the posterior cortical region has a functional role in REM sleep and may contribute to the maintenance of the dreaming experience.