EEG, Consciousness, and Sleep
Science November 30, 1956 Charles W. Simon, William H. Emmons
During an 8-hour sleep period, 21 normal, male, alpha-dominant adults were presented with information via tape recorder. Whether subjects heard and later recalled the information correlated with their EEG patterns. The probability of remembering and responding to meaningful auditory stimulation increased as waking alpha activity increased near the stimulation. Absence of alpha did not indicate unconsciousness, but presence of delta did, with unconsciousness directly related to delta amplitude and inversely related to delta frequency. Several seconds of EEG scored by eye reliably measured consciousness state. Awakening from sleep due to auditory stimulation could produce patterns along a consciousness continuum based on alpha and delta amounts.