Human brain activity time-locked to rapid eye movements during REM sleep

• Published in: Experimental brain research Vol. 192; no. 4; pp. 657 - 667
• Main Authors: Miyauchi, Satoru, Misaki, Masaya, Kan, Shigeyuki, Fukunaga, Takahide, Koike, Takahiko
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Berlin/Heidelberg : Springer-Verlag 01-02-2009; Springer-Verlag; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Adult; Biological and medical sciences; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Biomedicine; Brain - physiology; Brain Mapping; Brain research; Communications technology; Electroencephalography; Eye and associated structures. Visual pathways and centers. Vision; Eye movements; Eye Movements - physiology; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Humans; Information technology; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Male; Neurology; Neurosciences; Polysomnography; Research Article; Sleep; Sleep, REM - physiology; Sleep. Vigilance; Vertebrates: nervous system and sense organs; Young Adult; Japan; Saccade; Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Rapid eye movements; Dreaming; REM sleep; Human; Visual cortex; Amygdala; Magnetic resonance; Central nervous system; Rapid eye movement sleep; Nuclear magnetic resonance imaging; Eye movement; Putamen; Encephalon; Eye; Visual system; Visual pathway; Thalamus; Sleep wake cycle; Tegmentum; Time analysis
• ISSN: 0014-4819; 1432-1106
• DOI: 10.1007/s00221-008-1579-2

To identify the neural substrate of rapid eye movements (REMs) during REM sleep in humans, we conducted simultaneous functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and polysomnographic recording during REM sleep. Event-related fMRI analysis time-locked to the occurrence of REMs revealed that the pontine tegmentum, ventroposterior thalamus, primary visual cortex, putamen and limbic areas (the anterior cingulate, parahippocampal gyrus and amygdala) were activated in association with REMs. A control experiment during which subjects made self-paced saccades in total darkness showed no activation in the visual cortex. The REM-related activation of the primary visual cortex without visual input from the retina provides neural evidence for the existence of human ponto-geniculo-occipital waves (PGO waves) and a link between REMs and dreaming. Furthermore, the time-course analysis of blood oxygenation level-dependent responses indicated that the activation of the pontine tegmentum, ventroposterior thalamus and primary visual cortex started before the occurrence of REMs. On the other hand, the activation of the putamen and limbic areas accompanied REMs. The activation of the parahippocampal gyrus and amygdala simultaneously with REMs suggests that REMs and/or their generating mechanism are not merely an epiphenomenon of PGO waves, but may be linked to the triggering activation of these areas.