| sleep terror | A disorder allied to nightmare, occurring in children, in which the child awakes screaming with fright, the distress persisting for a time during a state of saemiconsciousness. Synonym: pavor nocturnus, sleep terror. (05 Mar 2000) |
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| delta sleep-inducing peptide | <chemical> A nonapeptide that is found in neurons, peripheral organs, and plasma. This neuropeptide induces mainly delta sleep in mammals. In addition to sleep, the peptide has been observed to affect electrophysiological activity, neurotransmitter levels in the brain, circadian and locomotor patterns, hormonal levels, psychological performance, and the activity of neuropharmacological drugs including their withdrawal. Chemical name: Delta sleep-inducing peptide (12 Dec 1998) |
| obstructive sleep apnoea | A form of sleep apnoea which occurs as the result of a physical occlusion of the oropharyngeal airway during sleep. (27 Sep 1997) |
| electric sleep | A condition of convulsions and unconsciousness induced by the passage of an electric current through the brain. (05 Mar 2000) |
| electrotherapeutic sleep therapy | Treatment by inducing sleep by means of nonconvulsive electric stimulation of the brain. (05 Mar 2000) |
| twilight sleep | Formerly a method of producing sleep for delivery by a combination of morphine and scopolamine. (05 Mar 2000) |
| light sleep | A condition of half sleep. Synonym: light sleep. Origin: dys-+ G. Nystaxis, drowsiness (05 Mar 2000) |
| accelerated idioventricular rhythm | A transient and intermittent type of arrhythmia with episodes lasting from a few seconds to a minute which usually occurs in patients with acute myocardial infarction or with digitalis toxicity. Suppressive therapy is rarely necessary because the ventricular rate is generally less than 100 beats per minute. (12 Dec 1998) |
| agonal rhythm | An idioventricular rhythm, characterised by unusually wide and bizarre ventricular complexes, often seen in moribund patients. (05 Mar 2000) |
| alpha rhythm | Brain waves in the encephalogram which have a frequency of 8 to 13 per second. They are typical of the normal person awake and in a quiet resting state, and occur principally in the occipital region. (12 Dec 1998) |
| atrioventricular junctional rhythm | The cardiac rhythm when the heart is controlled by the A-V junction (including node); arising in the A-V junction, the impulse ascends to the atria and descends to the ventricles, each at varying speeds depending on site of the pacemaker. Synonym: A-V junctional rhythm, nodal bradycardia, nodal rhythm. (05 Mar 2000) |
| A-V junctional rhythm | The cardiac rhythm when the heart is controlled by the A-V junction (including node); arising in the A-V junction, the impulse ascends to the atria and descends to the ventricles, each at varying speeds depending on site of the pacemaker. Synonym: A-V junctional rhythm, nodal bradycardia, nodal rhythm. (05 Mar 2000) |
| basic electrical rhythm | A slow wave of depolarisation of smooth muscle from the fundus to the pylorus that coordinates gastric peristalsis and emptying. (05 Mar 2000) |
| Berger rhythm | Brain waves in the encephalogram which have a frequency of 8 to 13 per second. They are typical of the normal person awake and in a quiet resting state, and occur principally in the occipital region. (12 Dec 1998) |
| beta rhythm | <neurology> Brain waves in the electroencephalogram which have a frequency of 18 to 30 per second. They are typical during periods of intense activity of the nervous system, and occur principally in the parietal and frontal regions. (12 Dec 1998) |