title: Mathematical models of sleep regulation.
abstract: The level of EEG slow-wave activity (SWA) is determined by the duration of prior sleep and waking. SWA is a marker of nonREM sleep intensity and may serve as an indicator of sleep homeostasis. The two-process model of sleep regulation posits the interaction of the homeostatic Process S and the circadian Process C. Also models of neurobehavioral functions (three-process model; interactive models of alertness and cognitive throughput) are based on the concept of an interaction between homeostatic and circadian factors. Whether the interaction is linear or non-linear is still unresolved. Models may serve as a guiding principle for specifying the relationship between processes occurring at the macroscopic and microscopic level of analysis.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, CH-8057 Zurich, Switzerland. acherman@pharma.unizh.ch
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Achermann
authors.forename: Alexander A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Borbély
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D006801:Humans; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*