The present study examines processes associated with intrusions into consciousness during an unconscious state, natural sleep. The definition of sleep is still much debated. Almost all researchers agree that sleep onset represents a gradual loss of consciousness of the external environment. For sleep to be beneficial, it needs to remain as undisturbed as possible. Nevertheless, unlike other...
STUDY OBJECTIVES: A cognitive evoked potential, labelled "P300," is elicited when an observer attends to and detects an infrequently delivered "target" stimulus. It is not typically present if the target is ignored or undetected. P300 is therefore thought to reflect some aspect of consciousness of the stimulus. There has been much controversy concerning whether P300 can be recorded in sleep, a...