Electroencephalographic and Autonomic Activity During and After Prolonged Sleep Deprivation

Abstract

Simul-taneous recordings of EEG, EOG, EMG, HR, GSR, respiration, skin temperature, and plethysmogram were obtained from a 17-year-old boy following 236, 246, and 264 hr. of wakefulness, during 3 recovery nights, 1 week, 6 weeks, and 7 months after end of deprivation. The EEG indicated dominant slow activity with minimum alpha during deprivation. Opening and closing of eyes had little effect on the EEG and stimuli did not produce alpha enhancement. Prolonged sleep loss caused a chronic shift to increased activity of the autonomic nervous system but with diminished responsiveness to external stimuli. During the early period of the first recovery sleep, increased responsiveness to stimuli was seen in all autonomic variables except GSR. Specific GSR''s did not appear until the second recovery night. There was an increase in REM sleep during the first 3 recovery nights.