Unaltered EEG spectral power and functional connectivity in REM microstates in frequent nightmare recallers: are nightmares really a REM parasomnia?
Sleep Medicine November 1, 2020 Gwen Van der Wijk, Borbála Blaskovich, Yeganeh Farahzadi et al.
Frequent nightmares are often linked to hyperarousal during NREM sleep and are considered a REM parasomnia, but the role of REM sleep in their pathophysiology remains debated. In this study, 22 frequent nightmare recallers and 22 healthy controls, all with high dream recall, spent two nights in a sleep laboratory. Researchers analyzed EEG spectral power and functional connectivity during phasic and tonic REM sleep from the second night. Phasic REM showed increased power and synchronization in delta and gamma bands, while tonic REM showed increases in alpha and beta bands. Theta power was higher during tonic, and theta synchronization higher during phasic REM.