A comparison between visual and computer assessment of sleep onset latency and their application in a pharmacological sleep study.
Sleep onset latency (SOL) is frequently defined as the time between lights-out and the first epoch of sleep stage 2. In practice, SOL can be quantified easily on the basis of visual examination. We have developed a computer algorithm allowing an automatic estimation of this parameter. The agreement between both strategies, visual and computer analysis, was tested using data from a pharmacological sleep study with 16 elderly insomniacs, which was aimed at comparing the effects of lormetazepam and zopiclone on polysomnography. A high correlation was found between the visual and the computer-based determination of SOL. Drug-related differences in SOL could be shown with both approaches.
AFB-Parexel, Arzneimittelforschung GmbH, Berlin, Germany.
M
M
Jobert
H
H
Escola
P
P
Jähnig
H
H
Schulz
D000368:Aged; D000465:Algorithms; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D004569:Electroencephalography / Q000187:drug effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008140:Lorazepam / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D009290:Narcolepsy / Q000175:diagnosis; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010919:Placebos; D017286:Polysomnography / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014851:Wakefulness / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology
D010879:Piperazines; D010919:Placebos; D008140:Lorazepam