Effect of Ethanol on Human Sleep EEG Using Correlation Dimension Analysis

Our study was designed to investigate the influence of alcohol on sleep using the correlation dimension (D2) analysis. Polysomnography (PSG) was performed in 10 adult human males during a baseline night (BL-N) and an ethanol (0.8 g/kg body weight) night (Et-N). The mean D2 values during the Et-N and BL-N decreased significantly from wakefulness to stages 1, 2, and 3+4 of nonrapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep, and increased during REM sleep. The mean D2 of the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) during stage 2 during the Et-N was significantly higher than during BL-N. In addition, the mean D2 values of the sleep EEG for the second, third and fourth sleep cycles during the Et-N were significantly higher than during the BL-N. These significant differences between BL-N and Et-N were not recognized by spectral and visual analyses. Our results suggest that D2 is a potentially useful parameter for quantitative analysis of the effect of ethanol on sleep EEGs throughout the entire night.