OCULOMOTOR CONTROL - A POSSIBLE FUNCTION OF REM SLEEP

Hypothesized that REM sleep provides a mechanism for establishment of the neuromuscular pathways serving binocularly coordinated eye movements in both phylogenesis and ontogenesis; and that throughout mammalian life REM sleep periodically innervates the oculomotor system during extended sleep to maintain facilitation of binocularly coordinated eye movement into subsequent wakefulness. Positive correlations between amounts of REM sleep and of conjugate eye mobility in phylogenesis are described. The possibilities of rapid plastic changes with lack of innervation of the oculomotor system during NREM sleep are suggested. Consistent with the hypothesis are the high degree of organization of the REMs and their reciprocal relationships with prior waking eye movements, the effects of sleep deprivation, and the neurophysiological mechanisms of REM sleep. (5 p. ref.) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved). © 1969 American Psychological Association.