title: Quality of sleep and P300 amplitude in primary insomnia: a preliminary study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the cortical arousal level in subjects with primary insomnia varies according to their quality of nighttime sleep.
  
  
  METHODS
  The P300 ERP was recorded each day, before and after sleep actigraphically monitored for 1 week. For each participant, the nights of worst- and best-quality sleep were identified.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seven subjects with primary insomnia and 7 control subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The P300 amplitudes were compared by considering group (insomnia vs control), night (worst vs best), and moment of recording (before vs after sleep) as factors. The subjects with insomnia showed higher P300 amplitudes, as compared with amplitudes of control subjects, only for the worst night of sleep.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results indicate a relationship between variations in sleep quality and cortical arousal level in subjects with primary insomnia.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Rome, La Sapienza, Italy. alessandra.devoto@uniroma1.it
authors.forename: Alessandra
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Devoto
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Manganelli
authors.forename: Fabio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Lucidi
authors.forename: Caterina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lombardo
authors.forename: Paolo Maria
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Russo
authors.forename: Cristiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Violani
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology*; D018913:Event-Related Potentials, P300 / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D017286:Polysomnography; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology*