Neurobiological sleep research: New insights using functional imaging techniques

Functional neuroimaging techniques provide an excellent opportunity to investigate dynamic aspects of information processing during sleep in humans. At the Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, a method for simultaneous recordings of the electroencephalogram (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during sleep has been established. Subject to the respective sleep stage, acoustic stimuli led to different regional activation or deactivation patterns in cortical and subcortical brain regions, allowing conclusions on stimuli processing during sleep. Future studies and further developments of this technique will lead to a substantial progress regarding the functional neuroanatomy of sleep and the effects of sleep deprivation and psychopharmacological drugs on cognitive functioning.