EEG-based assessment of wakefulness regulation in patients with mental disorders

Sleep disturbances are common symptoms of mental disorders and have been investigated using e.g. the Multiple Sleep Latency Test' (MSLT) (1). However, the MSLT does not measure the degree of wakefulness before sleep onset, information that might be diagnostically valuable. Different stages can be observed from full wakefulness to sleep onset in the electroencephalogram (EEG) (2–4). Specific types of wakefulness regulation are characterized by a distinct temporal passing through these wakefulness stages and accumulate in affective mental disorders (5,6). In a consecutive process Hegerl et al. develop an algorithm that automatically classifies short EEG segments into different wakefulness stages, based on the frequency and topographical distribution of the neuroelectric activity (7,8). Two psychiatric patient groups could be discriminated based upon their wakefulness regulation (7). Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder showed hardly declines, those with Borderline personality disorder early declines to low wakefulness stages. Extending the sample current data will be presented. 1) Carskadon MA et al, Sleep 1986; 9: 519–524 2) Roth B, Electroenc Clin Neurophysiol 1961; 13: 395–399 3) Bente D, Habil 1964 4) Marzano C et al, Sleep 2007; 30: 610–616 5) Small JG et al, J Affect Dis 1999; 53: 217–224 6) Ulrich G et al, Eur Psychiatr 1999; 17: 217–229 7) Hegerl U et al, Eur Arch Psychiatr Clin Neurosci 2008; 258: 137–143 8) Olbrich O et al, NI 2009; 45: 319–332