Delta wave

[citation needed] This discrepancy does not become apparent until early adulthood (in the 30s or 40s in humans), with males showing greater age-related reductions in delta wave activity than females.

[14] Infants have been shown to spend a great deal of time in slow-wave sleep, and thus have more delta wave activity.

[15] Delta wave activity during slow-wave sleep declines during adolescence, with a drop of around 25% reported between the ages of 11 and 14 years.

[18] Regional delta wave activity not associated with NREM sleep was first described by W. Grey Walter, who studied cerebral hemisphere tumors.

Delta wave disruptions may present as a result of physiological damage, changes in nutrient metabolism, chemical alteration, or may also be idiopathic.

Disruptions in delta activity is seen in adults during states of intoxication or delirium and in those diagnosed with various neurological disorders such as dementia or schizophrenia.

The drug Rotigotine, developed for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, has been shown to increase delta power and slow-wave sleep.

[23] A recent study has shown that the right frontal and central delta wave dominance, seen in healthy individuals, is absent in patients with schizophrenia.

[25] Low-voltage irregular delta waves, have also been found in the left temporal lobe of diabetic patients, at a rate of 56% (compared to 14% in healthy controls).

They later showed that depriving the body of delta wave sleep activity also induced musculoskeletal pain and fatigue.

W. Grey Walter was the first person to use delta waves from an EEG to locate brain tumors and lesions causing temporal lobe epilepsy.

[30] Neurofeedback has been suggested as a treatment for temporal lobe epilepsy, and theoretically acts to reduce inappropriate delta wave intrusion, although there has been limited clinical research in this area.

[clarification needed] Delta wave activity has also been purported to aid in declarative and explicit memory formation.