Francesca Siclari

Speaker: Francesca Siclari, Head of the department Sleep and Dreams group. Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience.

Title: Cognitive features and EEG correlates of somnambulistic experiences.

Abstract:
Sleepwalking is an enigmatic condition resulting from incomplete awakenings out of slow wave sleep during which individuals in an altered state of consciousness. only few studies have systematically explored what sleepwalkers actually experience. Based on structured interviews with patients, I will describe the main cognitive features of this state and then present high-density EEG correlates of somnambulistic experiences. I will show how in this condition, normally integrated aspects of consciousness, including memory, reflective consciousness, control over behavior and perception of the environment, disintegrate to varying degrees, providing valuable insight into how the brain creates a plausible representation of reality.