[Mathematical modeling of sleep-wake rhythms]

Abstract

So far, sleep researches have been improved by tight collaborations between behavioral and modeling studies. From the novel point of view, we developed the thermoregulatory model of sleep control, which reproduces the well-known features of human sleep-waking cycles. The biphasic daily pattern of sleepiness and the resulting behavior during sleep deprivation are mechanistically interpreted by reducing them into the behavior of the model elements. In addition, a physiological mechanism underlying REM (rapid eye movement sleep) regulation is modelled based on the recent physiological knowledge, which could be a novel explanation instead of the reciprocally interacting model of REM generation (McCarley et al, 1975). Our model successfully produces the limit cycle of REM-related neuronal activities.