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delta wave

 
Dictionary: delta wave
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n.
A slow brain wave, having a frequency of fewer than six cycles per second, that emanates from the forward portion of the brain and is associated with deep sleep in normal adults. Also called delta rhythm.


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Medical Dictionary: delta wave
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n.
  1. A slurring of the R-wave upstroke in an electrocardiogram as seen in Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
  2. See delta rhythm.
WordNet: delta rhythm
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Note: click on a word meaning below to see its connections and related words.

The noun has one meaning:

Meaning #1: the normal brainwave in the encephalogram of a person in deep dreamless sleep; occurs with high voltage and low frequency (1 to 4 hertz)
  Synonym: delta wave

Wikipedia: Delta wave
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For other uses, see Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
Delta waves, an EEG (electroencephalograph) one second sample

A delta wave is a high amplitude brain wave with a frequency of 1–4 Hertz which can be recorded with an electroencephalogram[1] (EEG) and is usually associated with slow-wave sleep.

Delta wave activity occurs most frequently during stage N3 slow-wave sleep (SWS), accounting for 20% or more of the EEG record during this stage.[2] These waves are believed to originate in the thalamus in coordination with the reticular formation.[3]

Contents

Throughout the lifespan

Analysis of the waking EEG of a newborn infant indicates that delta wave activity is predominant in that age, and still appears in a waking EEG of five-year-olds.[4] Delta wave activity during slow-wave sleep declines during adolescence, with a drop of around 25% reported between the ages of 11 and 14 years.[5]

Disorders

High delta wave activity during the waking state is not common in healthy adults.[citation needed] However, multiple studies have indicated the presence of increased delta activity in adults during states of intoxication or delirium and in those diagnosed with dementia or schizophrenia.[6]

See also

References

  1. ^ Walker, Peter (1999). Chambers dictionary of science and technology. Edinburgh: Chambers. pp. 312. ISBN 0-550-14110-3. 
  2. ^ Iber C, Ancoli-Israel S, Chesson A, and Quan SF for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. The AASM Manual for the Scoring of Sleep and Associated Events: Rules, Terminology and Technical Specifications, 1st ed.: Westchester, Illinois: American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 2007.
  3. ^ Gross, Richard E. (1992). Psychology: the science of mind and behaviour. London: Hodder & Stoughton. pp. 112–113. ISBN 034056136x. 
  4. ^ Taylor, Eric; Rutter, Michael (2002). Child and adolescent psychiatry. Oxford: Blackwell Science. pp. 162. ISBN 0-632-05361-5. 
  5. ^ "Brain Wave Changes In Adolescence Signal Reorganization Of The Brain". ScienceDaily. 08-12-2006. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/12/061207160458.htm. Retrieved 2008-03-24. 
  6. ^ Hales, Robert E.; Yudofsky, Stuart C. (2007). The American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook of Neuropsychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, Fifth Edition (American Psychiatric Press Textbook of Neuropsychiatry). American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc. ISBN 1-58562-239-7. 
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Sleep
Sleep stages
Brain waves
Alpha wave · Beta wave · Gamma wave · Delta wave · Theta rhythm · K-complex
Sleep disorders
Benign phenomena
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Copyrights:

Dictionary. The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition Copyright © 2007, 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Updated in 2009. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.  Read more
Medical Dictionary. The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company.  Read more
WordNet. WordNet 1.7.1 Copyright © 2001 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.  Read more
Wikipedia. This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Delta wave".  Read more