LABORATORY-DOCUMENTED HALLUCINATION DURING SLEEP-ONSET REM PERIOD IN A NORMAL SUBJECT
Tomoka Takeuchi, Akio Miyasita, Maki Inugami, Yuka Sasaki, Kazuhiko Fukuda
Perceptual and Motor Skills June 1, 1994 DOI: 10.2466/pms.1994.78.3.979 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 1 |
| Population | A single normal individual undergoing an experiment on nocturnal sleep interruption |
| Measures | polysomnogram |
| Citations | 16 |
| Key findings | A single normal participant hallucinated during a sleep-onset REM period without sleep paralysis, and the polysomnogram showed a mixed REM/waking pattern with muscle-tone inhibition, rapid and slow eye movements, and abundant alpha EEG trains. The authors suggest the episode resembles sleep paralysis in its physiological and psychological background, and that awareness of muscle-tone inhibition may distinguish the two phenomena. |
Abstract
During an experiment on nocturnal sleep interruption, we observed a unique case of hallucination without sleep paralysis during the sleep-onset REM period in a normal individual. We documented the polysomnogram recorded during this hallucination. The polysomnogram showed a mixed pattern of Stages REM and W, with muscle-tone inhibition, rapid eye movements (REMs), slow eye movements (SEMs), and abundant alpha EEG trains. The blocking of alpha EEG trains by REMs appeared to reflect visual processing similar to that which occurs during waking. This hallucination was distinct from ordinary sleep-onset mentation in that it included strong emotional components and in that the subject simultaneously experienced both hallucinatory mentation and reality contact. This hallucination may resemble sleep paralysis with regard to its physiological and psychological background, and the discrimination of these two phenomena may depend on the subject's own awareness of muscle-tone inhibition.