Sleep endophenotypes of schizophrenia: slow waves and sleep spindles in unaffected first-degree relatives.

ABSTRACT: Sleep spindles and slow waves are the main brain oscillations occurring in non-REM sleep. Several lines of evidence suggest that spindles are initiated within the thalamus, whereas slow waves are generated and modulated in the cortex. A decrease in sleep spindle activity has been described in Schizophrenia (SCZ), including chronic, early course, and early onset patients. In contrast, slow waves have been inconsistently found to be reduced in SCZ, possibly due to confounds like duration of illness and antipsychotic medication exposure. Nontheless, the implication of sleep spindles and slow waves in the neurobiology of SCZ and related disorders, including their heritability, remains largely unknown. Unaffected first-degree relatives (FDRs) share a similar genetic background and several neuro

SUBMITTER: D'Agostino A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5807540 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature