Search

Body movements during sleep stages 2 and REM were measured using an artifact method to determine the effects of a tone pulse given every 22 sec, 24 hfs a day, over a period of 30 consecutive days in 10 Navy recruits, aged 19 to 23. The tone pulse produced no significant increase in the number of body movements during stage 2, but it increased body movements in REM sleep to a significant but small (3 movement increase per night) extent. The percentages of body movements observed in the first 7 see after the tone pulse in sleep stages 2 and REM were significantly higher than those observed during the epochs 8-14 and 15-21 see, and those observed to the pseudostimulus. The tone pulse used in this study redistributed or regulated the appearance of the body movements to the proximity of the noise, but did not increase the total number of body movements which appeared to be under endogenous control. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Electrophysiological and self-report data were obtained from 10 and 20 Ss, respectively, during 15 days of baseline, 30 days of 24-hr per day exposure to a 660 msec, 3.5K Hz tone pulse with a 22 sec interstimulns interval (10 days each at 80, 85, and 90 dB), and during a 10-day post-exposure period. A self-reported increase in difficulty falling asleep was not substantiated by objective sleep latency measures. Changes in total hours of sleep, number of awakenings, and percent time for sleep stages were of small magnitude and not consistently related to stimulus intensity. All 10 monitored Ss gave clear EEG and autonomic responses to the stimulus, with no evidence of response extinction over the 30-day exposure period. There was no change in average all-night heart rate. Total number of body movements during the night did not change. However, the movements that did occur, tended to be triggered by the stimulus, with most movements closely following the tone pulse. The youth and good health of the Ss, and the 24-hr per day exposure, favoring rapid adaptation to the stimulus, are suggested to account for the lack of disruption of sleep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reaction time, body movement, heart rate, and skin resistance of Mongoloid and "normal" control children were evaluated under baseline and distraction conditions. Relative to controls, Mongoloids demonstrated (1) slower reaction time under both conditions, (2) a reduced skin resistance response and fewer heart rate fluctuations during the baseline period, and (3) fewer skin resistance fluctuations during the distraction condition. Furthermore, skin resistance fluctuations were negatively correlated with reaction time, and heart rate fluctuations, although not significant, were in the same direction. These findings offer some support for the theoretical assertions of Lacey and Lacey (1958) that spontaneous activity is related to motor impulsivity, cortical activity, and general skeletal-motor functions. Body movement was negatively related to these measures of spontaneous activity and thus cannot be invoked as an explanation for the findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A description is given, with illustrations, of a simple improvement in method which was introduced in the course of one of the Institute's investigations, and which led to an increase of approximately 40 per cent. in output. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]