Some sensory stimuli generate spontaneous K-complexes.
The present study was performed in order to determine whether spontaneous K-complex are induced by sensory stimuli. Electroencephalogram (EEG) segments in stage 2 sleep containing an evoked K-complex or spontaneous K-complex were separately averaged with respect to the peak of N300, one of the main components constituting the K-complex. Small negative and positive components were found immediately before the main components of spontaneous K-complex in averaged EEG. These two components were judged to correspond to N100 and P200 induced by the sound stimulus. The present findings suggest that the spontaneous K-complex is not a spontaneous phenomenon but that it is induced by sensory stimuli.
Fushimi
M
M
Department of Neuropsychiatry, Akita University School of Medicine, Akita-City, Japan.
Niiyama
Y
Y
Fujiwara
R
R
Satoh
N
N
Hishikawa
Y
Y
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology*; D001307:Auditory Perception / Q000502:physiology; D001931:Brain Mapping; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000502:physiology; D005072:Evoked Potentials, Auditory / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012815:Signal Processing, Computer-Assisted; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000502:physiology*