Study objectives: To replicate and expand upon past research by evaluating sleep and wake electroencephalographic spectral activity in samples of frequent nightmare (NM) recallers and healthy controls.
Methods: Computation of spectral activity for sleep (non-REM and REM) and wake electroencephalogram recordings from 18 frequent NM recallers and 15 control participants.
Results: There was higher "slow-theta" (2-5 Hz) for NM recallers than for controls during wake, non-REM sleep and REM sleep. Differences were clearest for frontal and central derivations and for REM sleep cycles 2-4. There was also higher beta activity during NREM sleep for NM recallers. Findings partially replicate past research by demonstrating higher relative "slow-theta" (3-4Hz) for NM recallers than for controls.
Conclusions: Findings are consistent with a neurocognitive model of nightmares that stipulates cross-state anomalies in emotion processing in NM-prone individuals.
Keywords: EEG spectal analysis; REM sleep; nightmares; parasomnias; theta.
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