Cerebral blood flow velocity fluctuates significantly across sleep stages, peaking during REM sleep with distinct rhythmic oscillations.
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REM flow velocity peaks should not alter sleep management; leaves open cerebrovascular implications pending controlled studies.
In 10 normal young adults, middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity was measured continuously over one night by transcranial Doppler sonography. Polysomnography was used to assess the different sleep stages and waking state. During rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, middle cerebral artery blood flow velocity was higher than in any other sleep stage and wakefulness. During the waking state the velocity was higher than in sleep stage 2. Spontaneous rhythmic oscillations of cerebral blood flow velocity were found related to different stages of sleep. A fast Fourier's transformation of the Doppler wave forms revealed a periodicity of 20-75 seconds, which was most prominent during REM sleep and to a lesser degree during sleep stages 1, 2 and 3 and the waking state. These waves may correspond to intracranial pressure changes referred to as B-waves.
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Droste et al. (1993) studied this question.
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