reviewPhysiological ReviewsDec 5, 2019BRONZE OA

Sleep Spindles: Mechanisms and Functions

LMLaura M. J. FernandezALAnita Lüthi

University of Lausanne

PubMed
Indexed incrossrefpubmed

Abstract

Sleep spindles are burstlike signals in the electroencephalogram (EEG) of the sleeping mammalian brain and electrical surface correlates of neuronal oscillations in thalamus. As one of the most inheritable sleep EEG signatures, sleep spindles probably reflect the strength and malleability of thalamocortical circuits that underlie individual cognitive profiles. We review the characteristics, organization, regulation, and origins of sleep spindles and their implication in non-rapid-eye-movement sleep (NREMS) and its functions, focusing on human and rodent. Spatially, sleep spindle-related neuronal activity appears on scales ranging from small thalamic circuits to functional cortical areas, and generates a…

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717
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100%
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Authors

2

Topics & keywords

Topics
Keywords
  • Sleep spindle
  • Neuroscience
  • Wakefulness
  • Electroencephalography
  • Neuroplasticity
  • Thalamus
  • Neuroscience of sleep
  • Sleep (system call)
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