Cited by 239Neural dynamics and brain functionSleep and Wakefulness ResearchNeuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research

Laminar analysis of slow wave activity in humans

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Csercsa, Richárd, Dombovári, Balázs, Fabó, Dániel, Wittner, Lucia, Erőss, Loránd, Entz, László, Sólyom, András, Rásonyi, György +14 more·2010·Brain

Abstract

Brain electrical activity is largely composed of oscillations at characteristic frequencies. These rhythms are hierarchically organized and are thought to perform important pathological and physiological functions. The slow wave is a fundamental cortical rhythm that emerges in deep non-rapid eye movement sleep. In animals, the slow wave modulates delta, theta, spindle, alpha, beta, gamma and ripple oscillations, thus orchestrating brain electrical rhythms in sleep. While slow wave activity can enhance epileptic manifestations, it is also thought to underlie essential restorative processes and facilitate the consolidation of declarative memories. Animal studies show that slow wave activity is composed of rhythmically recurring phases of widespread, increased cortical cellular and synaptic activity, referred to as active- or up-state, followed by cellular and synaptic inactivation, referred to as silent- or down-state. However, its neural mechanisms in humans are poorly understood, since the traditional intracellular techniques used in animals are inappropriate for investigating the cellular and synaptic/transmembrane events in humans. To elucidate the intracortical neuronal mechanisms of slow wave activity in humans, novel, laminar multichannel microelectrodes were chronically implanted into the cortex of patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy undergoing cortical mapping for seizure focus localization. Intracortical laminar local field potential gradient, multiple-unit and single-unit activities were recorded during slow wave sleep, related to simultaneous electrocorticography, and analysed with current source density and spectral methods. We found that slow wave activity in humans reflects a rhythmic oscillation between widespread cortical activation and silence. Cortical activation was demonstrated as increased wideband (0.3-200 Hz) spectral power including virtually all bands of cortical oscillations, increased multiple- and single-unit activity and powerful inward transmembrane currents, mainly localized to the supragranular layers. Neuronal firing in the up-state was sparse and the average discharge rate of single cells was less than expected from animal studies. Action potentials at up-state onset were synchronized within +/-10 ms across all cortical layers, suggesting that any layer could initiate firing at up-state onset. These findings provide strong direct experimental evidence that slow wave activity in humans is characterized by hyperpolarizing currents associated with suppressed cell firing, alternating with high levels of oscillatory synaptic/transmembrane activity associated with increased cell firing. Our results emphasize the major involvement of supragranular layers in the genesis of slow wave activity.

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  • At the neocortical level, the slow oscillation in terms of EEG rhythms strongly modulates the amplitude of faster beta and gamma frequencies, which is reduced to a minimum during the hyperpolarizing down-phase of the slow oscillation.

    “At the neocortical level, the slow oscillation in terms of EEG rhythms strongly modulates the amplitude of faster beta and gamma frequencies which is reduced to a minimum during the hyperpolarizing down-phase of the slow oscillation (224,240,828,829).”

    From About Sleep's Role in Memory (2013) · cites this paper as [240]

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Research works printed but not linked: 3

  1. Berger H. U ¨ber das Elektroenkephalogramm des Menschen. Arch Psychiatr Nervenkr 1929; 87: 527-70.
  2. Luczak A, Bartho P, Marguet SL, Buzsaki G, Harris KD. Sequential struc- ture of neocortical spontaneous activity in vivo. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2007; 104: 347-52.
  3. Meskenaite V. Calretinin-immunoreactive local circuit neurons in area 17 of the cynomolgus monkey, Macaca fascicularis. J Comp Neurol 1997; 379: 113-32.

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Authors
Csercsa, R., Dombovári, B., Fabó, D., Wittner, L., Erőss, L., Entz, L., Sólyom, A., Rásonyi, G., Szűcs, A., Kelemen, A., Jakus, R., Juhos, V., Grand, L., Magony, A., Halász, P., Freund, T. F., Maglóczky, Z., Cash, S. S., Papp, L., Karmos, G., Halgren, E., & Ulbert, I.
Affiliations
  • Hungarian Academy of Sciences (HU)
  • Pázmány Péter Catholic University (HU)
  • Országos Idegsebészeti Tudományos Intézet (HU)
  • Unified Szent István and Szent László Hospital (HU)
  • HUN-REN Institute of Experimental Medicine (HU)
  • Massachusetts General Hospital (US)
  • University of California San Diego (US)
Venue
Brain
Published
2010-07-23
Volume
133
Issue
9
Pages
2814-2829
ISSN
  • 0006-8950 (ISSN-L)
  • 1460-2156
OpenAlex
W2125813953
Cited by
239
References
96
Citations by year
2026: 5 · 2025: 14 · 2024: 18 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 16 · 2021: 9 · 2020: 13 · 2019: 16 · 2018: 10 · 2017: 10 · 2016: 9 · 2015: 18 · 2014: 17 · 2013: 28 · 2012: 21
FWCI
13.77
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Brain (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Funders
  • Danish Cancer Society Research Center
  • Agence Nationale de la Recherche
  • Hungarian Scientific Research Fund
  • Nemzeti Kutatási és Technológiai Hivatal
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neuroscience and Neuropharmacology Research
Keywords
slow-wave activity, sleep spindles, slow-wave sleep, cortical oscillations, supragranular layers, intracortical recording, drug-resistant epilepsy, seizure localization, membrane currents, current source density, electrocorticography
MeSH terms
Action Potentials, Analysis of Variance, Animals, Brain, Brain Mapping, Electroencephalography, Electrophysiology, Epilepsy, Humans, Neurons, Periodicity, Spectrum Analysis

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