https://doi.org/10.1140/epjs/s11734-026-02318-7
Regular Article
Mathematical modeling of intermittency in sleep spindle development during human NREM sleep
1
Institute of Physics, Saratov State University named after N.G. Chernyshevsky, Astrakhanskaya St., 83, 410012, Saratov, Russian Federation
2
Center for Coordination of Fundamental Scientific Activities, National Medical Research Center for Therapy and Preventive Medicine, Petroverigsky Lane, 10, 101000, Moscow, Russian Federation
a
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Received:
28
January
2026
Accepted:
15
April
2026
Published online:
25
April
2026
Abstract
This paper examines chaotic intermittency in electroencephalographic signals recorded during stage 2 slow-wave sleep in humans. A group of 103 healthy volunteers was divided according to the characteristics of their biological rhythms: early (30), late (40), and intermediate (33) chronotypes. Sleep spindles and the intervals between them were considered as turbulent and laminar phases of EEG dynamics, the duration distribution of which corresponds to an exponential law, suggesting the presence of ring-type intermittency. Phenomenological modeling based on Rössler’s nonlinear dynamic systems allows us to compare the distribution characteristics of laminar and turbulent phases with a coupling parameter inaccessible to direct observation in a living system. Thus, in groups of participants with early and late chronotypes, the influence of the thalamus on the cerebral cortex in the left hemisphere exceeds that in the right. In addition, the early chronotype group demonstrated an increased influence of the thalamus on the occipital region of the cerebral cortex compared to the frontal and central regions.
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© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to EDP Sciences, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2026
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
