Gender and age differences in polysomnography findings and sleep complaints of patients referred to a sleep laboratory

Our objective was to examine the effet of gender on the sleep pattern of patients referred to a sleep laboratory. The data (questionnaires and polysomnographic recordings) were collected from a total of 2365 patients (1550 men and 815 women). The polysomnography permits an objective assessment of the sleep pattern. We included only polysomnography exams obtained with no more than one recording system in order to permit normalization of the data. Men had a significantly higher body mass index than women (28.5 ± 4.8 vs 27.7 ± 6.35 kg/m²) and had a significantly higher score on the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (10.8 ± 5.3 vs 9.5 ± 6.0), suggesting daytime sleepiness. Women had a significantly higher sleep latency than men, as well as a higher rapid eye movement (REM) latency. Men spent more time in stages 1 (4.6 ± 4.1 vs 3.9 ± 3.8) and 2 (57.0 ± 10.5 vs 55.2 ± 10.1) of non-REM sleep than women, whereas women spent significantly more time in deep sleep stages (3 and 4) than men (22.6 ± 9.0 vs 19.9 ± 9.0). The apnea/hypopnea and arousal indexes were significantly higher and more frequent in men than in women (31.0 ± 31.5 vs 17.3 ± 19.7). Also, periodic leg movement index did not differ significantly between genders, but rather differed among age groups. We did not find significant differences between genders in the percentage of REM sleep and sleep efficiency. The results of the current study suggest that there are specific gender differences in sleep pattern.1067107

Giant Gravitons - with Strings Attached (III)

We develop techniques to compute the one-loop anomalous dimensions of operators in the ${\cal N}=4$ super Yang-Mills theory that are dual to open strings ending on boundstates of sphere giant gravitons. Our results, which are applicable to excitations involving an arbitrary number of open strings, generalize the single string results of hep-th/0701067. The open strings we consider carry angular momentum on an S$^3$ embedded in the S$^5$ of the AdS$_5\times$S$^5$ background. The problem of computing the one loop anomalous dimensions is replaced with the problem of diagonalizing an interacting Cuntz oscillator Hamiltonian. Our Cuntz oscillator dynamics illustrates how the Chan-Paton factors for open strings propagating on multiple branes can arise dynamically.Comment: 66 pages; v2: improved presentatio

Non-holomorphic multi-matrix gauge invariant operators based on Brauer algebra

We present an orthogonal basis of gauge invariant operators constructed from some complex matrices for the free matrix field, where operators are expressed with the help of Brauer algebra. This is a generalisation of our previous work for a signle complex matrix. We also discuss the matrix quantum mechanics relevant to N=4 SYM on S^{3} times R. A commuting set of conserved operators whose eigenstates are given by the orthogonal basis is shown by using enhanced symmetries at zero coupling.Comment: 29 pages, typos corrected, references adde

Electrified BPS Giants: BPS configurations on Giant Gravitons with Static Electric Field

We consider D3-brane action in the maximally supersymmetric type IIB plane-wave background. Upon fixing the light-cone gauge, we obtain the light-cone Hamiltonian which is manifestly supersymmetric. The 1/2 BPS solutions of this theory (solutions which preserve 16 supercharges) are either of the form of spherical three branes, the giant gravitons, or zero size point like branes. We then construct specific classes of 1/4 BPS solutions of this theory in which static electric field on the brane is turned on. These solutions are deformations about either of the two 1/2 BPS solutions. In particular, we study in some detail 1/4 BPS configurations with electric dipole on the three sphere giant, i.e. BIons on the giant gravitons, which we hence call BIGGons. We also study BPS configurations corresponding to turning on a background uniform constant electric field. As a result of this background electric field the three sphere giant is deformed to squashed sphere, while the zero size point like branes turn into circular or straight fundamental strings in the plane-wave background, with their tension equal to the background electric field.Comment: 32 pages, 1 eps figure; v2: Presentation of derivation of light-cone Hamiltonian improved, Refs adde

Changes In Motor Behavior During Pregnancy In Rats: The Basis For A Possible Animal Model Of Restless Legs Syndrome [alterações No Comportamento Motor De Ratas Prenhes: Bases Para Um Possível Modelo Animal Da Síndrome Das Pernas Inquietas]

PURPOSE: Pregnant women have a 2-3 fold higher probability of developing restless legs syndrome (RLS – sleep-related movement disorders) than general population. This study aims to evaluate the behavior and locomotion of rats during pregnancy in order to verify if part of these animals exhibit some RLS-like features. METHODS: We used 14 female 80-day-old Wistar rats that weighed between 200 and 250 g. The rats were distributed into control (CTRL) and pregnant (PN) groups. After a baseline evaluation of their behavior and locomotor activity in an open-field environment, the PN group was inducted into pregnancy, and their behavior and locomotor activity were evaluated on days 3, 10 and 19 of pregnancy and in the post-lactation period in parallel with the CTRL group. The serum iron and transferrin levels in the CTRL and PN groups were analyzed in blood collected after euthanasia by decapitation. RESULTS: There were no significant differences in the total ambulation, grooming events, fecal boli or urine pools between the CTRL and PN groups. However, the PN group exhibited fewer rearing events, increased grooming time and reduced immobilization time than the CTRL group (ANOVA, p<0.05). CONCLUSION: These results suggest that pregnant rats show behavioral and locomotor alterations similar to those observed in animal models of RLS, demonstrating to be a possible animal model of this sleep disorder.3610436441Allen, R.P., Walters, A.S., Montplaisir, J., Hening, W., Myers, A., Bell, T.J., Restless legs syndrome prevalence and impact: REST general population study (2005) Arch Intern Med, 165 (11), pp. 1286-1292McCrink, L., Allen, R.P., Wolowacz, S., Sherrill, B., Connolly, M., Kirsch, J., Predictors of health-related quality of life in sufferers with restless legs syndrome: A multi-national study (2007) Sleep Med, 8 (1), pp. 73-83Trenkwalder, C., Paulus, W., Restless legs syndrome: Pathophysiology, clinical presentation and management (2010) Nat Rev Neurol, 6 (6), pp. 337-346Phillips, B., Young, T., Finn, L., Asher, K., Hening, W.A., Purvis, C., Epidemiology of restless legs symptoms in adults (2000) Arch Intern Med, 160 (14), pp. 2137-2141Manconi, M., Govoni, V., De Vito, A., Economou, N.T., Cesnik, E., Mollica, G., Pregnancy as a risk factor for restless legs syndrome (2004) Sleep Med, 5 (3), pp. 305-308Goodman, J.D., Brodie, C., Ayida, G.A., Restless leg syndrome in pregnancy (1988) BMJ, 297 (6656), pp. 1101-1102Eriksson, L., Edén, S., Holst, J., Lindstedt, G., Von Schoultz, B., Diurnal variations in thyrotropin, prolactin and cortisol during human pregnancy (1989) Gynecol Obstet Invest, 27 (2), pp. 78-83Walters, A.S., Toward a better definition of the restless legs syndrome. The International Restless Legs Syndrome Study Group (1995) Mov Disord, 10 (5), pp. 634-642Lee, K.A., Zaffke, M.E., Baratte-Beebe, K., Restless legs syndrome and sleep disturbance during pregnancy: The role of folate and iron (2001) J Womens Health Gender Based Med, 10 (4), pp. 335-341Garcia-Borreguero, D., Larrosa, O., Granizo, J.J., De La Llave, Y., Hening, W.A., Circadian variation in neuroendocrine response to L-dopa in patients with restless legs syndrome (2004) Sleep, 27 (4), pp. 669-673Manconi, M., Govoni, V., De Vito, A., Economou, N.T., Cesnik, E., Casetta, I., Restless legs syndrome and pregnancy (2004) Neurology, 63 (6), pp. 1065-1069Balendran, J., Champion, D., Jaaniste, T., Welsh, A., A common sleep disorder in pregnancy: Restless legs syndrome and its predictors (2011) Aust N Z J Obstet Gynaecol, 51 (3), pp. 262-264Ekbom, K.A., (1945) Restless legs. Acta Med Scand, 121, pp. 7-123Ekbom, K.A., Restless legs syndrome (1960) Neurology, 10, pp. 868-873Bonduelle, M., Restlessness, J.B., (1953) Bull Med, 67 (12), p. 316Manconi, M., De Vito, A., Economou, N.T., Govoni, V., Casetta, I., Granieri, E., Restless leg syndrome in pregnancy: Preliminary epidemiological results in 130 women (2002) J Sleep Res, 11, pp. 126-149Allen, R.P., Picchietti, D., Hening, W.A., Trenkwalder, C., Walters, A.S., Montplaisi, J., Restless legs syndrome: Diagnostic criteria, special considerations, and epidemiology. A report from the restless legs syndrome diagnosis and epidemiology workshop at the National Institutes of Health (2003) Sleep Med, 4 (2), pp. 101-119Ondo, W.G., He, Y., Rajasekaran, S., Le, W.D., Clinical correlates of 6-hydroxydopamine injections into A11 dopaminergic neurons in rats: A possible model for restless legs syndrome (2000) Mov Disord, 15 (1), pp. 154-158Esteves, A.M., De Mello, M.T., Lancellotti, C.L., Natal, C.L., Tufik, S., Occurrence of limb movement during sleep in rats with spinal cord injury (2004) Brain Res, 1017 (1-2), pp. 32-38Esteves, A.M., Mello, M.T., Squarcini, C.F., Lancellotti, C.L., Comparoni, A., Tufik, S., Sleep patterns over 15-day period in rats with spinal cord injury (2007) Spinal Cord, 45 (5), pp. 360-366Esteves, A.M., Squarcini, C.F., Lancellotti, C.L., Tufik, S., De Mello, M.T., Characteristics of muscle fibers in rats with limb movements during sleep after spinal cord injury (2012) Eur Neurol, 67 (2), pp. 107-115Ondo, W.G., Zhao, H.R., Le, W.D., Animal models of restless legs syndrome (2007) Sleep Med, 8 (4), pp. 344-348Qu, S., Le, W., Zhang, X., Xie, W., Zhang, A., Ondo, W.G., Locomotion is increased in a11-lesioned mice with iron deprivation: A possible animal model for restless legs syndrome (2007) J Neuropathol Exp Neurol, 66 (5), pp. 383-388Baier, P.C., Ondo, W.G., Winkelmann, J., Animal studies in restless legs syndrome (2007) Mov Disord, 22, pp. 459-465Lopes, C., Esteves, A.M., Frussa-Filho, R., Tufik, S., De Mello, M.T., Evaluation of periodic limb movements in a putative animal model of restless leg syndrome (2012) Mov Disord, 27 (3), pp. 413-420Esteves, A.M., Lopes, C., Frussa-Filho, R., Frank, M.K., Cavagnolli, D., Arida, R.M., Spontaneously hypertensive rats: Possible animal model of sleep-related movement disorders (2013) J Mot Behav, 45 (6), pp. 487-493Howard-Jones, N., A CIOMS ethical code for animal experimentation (1985) WHO Chron, 39 (2), pp. 51-56Long, J.A., Evans, H.M., The oestrous cycle in the rat and its associated phenomena, , Berkeley: University of California1922. (Memoirs of University of California, 6)Mandl, A.M., The phases of the oestrous cycle in the adult white rat (1951) J Exp Biol, 28 (4), pp. 576-584Marcondes, F.K., Bianchi, F.J., Tanno, A.P., Determination of the estrous cycle phases of rats: Some helpful considerations (2002) Braz J Biol, 62 (4A), pp. 609-614Manconi, M., Hutchins, W., Feroah, T.R., Zucconi, M., Ferini-Strambi, L., On the pathway of an animal model for restless legs syndrome (2007) Neurol Sci, 28, pp. S53-60Fukushiro, D.F., Calzavara, M.B., Trombin, T.F., Lopez, G.B., Abílio, V.C., Andersen, M.L., Effects of environmental enrichment and paradoxical sleep deprivation on open-field behavior of amphetamine-treated mice (2007) Physiol Behav, 92 (4), pp. 773-779Earley, C.J., Connor, J.R., Beard, J.L., Malecki, E.A., Epstein, D.K., Allen, R.P., Abnormalities in CSF concentrations of ferritin and transferrin in restless legs syndrome (2000) Neurology, 54 (8), pp. 1698-1700Mizuno, S., Mihara, T., Miyaoka, T., Inagaki, T., Horiguchi, J., CSF iron, ferritin and transferrin levels in restless legs syndrome (2005) J Sleep Res, 14 (1), pp. 43-4

Half-BPS Giants, Free Fermions and Microstates of Superstars

We consider 1/2-BPS states in AdS/CFT. Using the matrix model description of chiral primaries explicit mappings among configurations of fermions, giant gravitons and the dual-giant gravitons are obtained. These maps lead to a `duality' between the giant and the dual-giant configurations which is the reflection of particle-hole duality of the fermion picture. These dualities give rise to some interesting consequences which we study. We then calculate the degeneracy of 1/2-BPS states both from the CFT and string theory and show that they match. The asymptotic degeneracy grows exponentially with the comformal dimension. We propose that the five-dimensional single charge `superstar' geometry should carry this density of states. An appropriate stretched horizon can be placed in this geometry and the entropy predicted by the CFT and the string theory microstate counting can be reproduced by the Bekenstein-Hawking formula up to a numerical coefficient. Similar M-theory examples are also considered.Comment: 21 pages, v2:typos corrected and references adde

Branes, Anti-Branes and Brauer Algebras in Gauge-Gravity duality

We propose gauge theory operators built using a complex Matrix scalar which are dual to brane-anti-brane systems in $AdS_5 \times S^5$, in the zero coupling limit of the dual Yang-Mills. The branes involved are half-BPS giant gravitons. The proposed operators dual to giant-anti-giant configurations satisfy the appropriate orthogonality properties. Projection operators in Brauer algebras are used to construct the relevant multi-trace Matrix operators. These are related to the ``coupled representations'' which appear in 2D Yang-Mills theory. We discuss the implications of these results for the quantum mechanics of a complex matrix model, the counting of non-supersymmetric operators and the physics of brane-anti-brane systems. The stringy exclusion principle known from the properties of half-BPS giant gravitons, has a new incarnation in this context. It involves a qualitative change in the map between brane-anti-brane states to gauge theory operators. In the case of a pair of sphere giant and anti-giant this change occurs when the sum of the magnitudes of their angular momenta reaches $N$.Comment: 52 pages, 10 figure

Thermal Giant Graviton with Non-commutative Dipole Field

Using the type II near-extremal 3D-branes solution we apply the T-duality and smeared twist to construct the supergravity backgrounds which dual to the 4D finite temperature non-commutative dipole field theories. We first consider the zero-temperature system in which, depending on the property of dipole vectors it may be N=2, N=1 or N=0 theory. We investigate the rotating D3-brane configurations moving on the spactimes and show that, for the cases of N=2 and N =1 the rotating D3-brane could be blowed up to the stable spherical configuration which is called as giant graviton and has a less energy than the point-like graviton. The giant graviton configuration is stable only if its angular momentum was less than a critical value of $P_c$ which is an increasing function of the dipole strength. For the case of non-supersymmetric theory, however, the spherical configuration has a larger energy than the point-like graviton. We also find that the dipole field always render the dual giant graviton to be more stable than the point-like graviton. The relation of dual giant graviton energy with its angular momentum, which in the AdS/CFT correspondence being the operator anomalous dimension is obtained. We furthermore show that the temperature does not change the property of the giant graviton, while it will render the dual giant graviton to be unstable.Comment: Latex 20 pages, add comments about BPS bound below (3.8

Fermions from Half-BPS Supergravity

We discuss collective coordinate quantization of the half-BPS geometries of Lin, Lunin and Maldacena (hep-th/0409174). The LLM geometries are parameterized by a single function $u$ on a plane. We treat this function as a collective coordinate. We arrive at the collective coordinate action as well as path integral measure by considering D3 branes in an arbitrary LLM geometry. The resulting functional integral is shown, using known methods (hep-th/9309028), to be the classical limit of a functional integral for free fermions in a harmonic oscillator. The function $u$ gets identified with the classical limit of the Wigner phase space distribution of the fermion theory which satisfies u * u = u. The calculation shows how configuration space of supergravity becomes a phase space (hence noncommutative) in the half-BPS sector. Our method sheds new light on counting supersymmetric configurations in supergravity.Comment: 28 pages, 2 figures, epsf;(v3) eq. (3.3) clarified and notationally simplified; version to appear in JHE

Giants On Deformed Backgrounds

We study giant graviton probes in the framework of the three--parameter deformation of the AdS_5 x S^5 background. We examine both the case when the brane expands in the deformed part of the geometry and the case when it blows up into AdS. Performing a detailed analysis of small fluctuations around the giants, the configurations turn out to be stable. Our results hold even for the supersymmetric Lunin-Maldacena deformation.Comment: LaTex, 28 pages, uses JHEP3; v2: minor corrections, references added; v3: final version accepted for publication in JHE