In a study, researchers monitored EEG, EMG, and EOG recordings from sleeping participants across the night. They observed periods of fast, low-amplitude brain waves accompanied by rapid eye movements and near-paralysis of skeletal muscles. When awakened during these periods, 87 percent of participants reported vivid story-like dreams, compared with 25 percent in other stages.
If the researchers selectively deprived participants of this stage for several nights, the most likely outcome on a subsequent uninterrupted night would be
- A
Complete elimination of dreaming the following week
- B
Increased Stage N3 (slow-wave) sleep without REM rebound
- Ccheck_circle
A REM rebound effect with increased proportion of REM sleep
- D
Permanent loss of REM sleep across future nights
Explanation
Selective REM deprivation typically leads to REM rebound, in which the brain compensates by spending a larger-than-usual fraction of recovery sleep in REM.