[2] The waves begin as electrical pulses from the pons, then move to the lateral geniculate nucleus residing in the thalamus, and end in the primary visual cortex of the occipital lobe.
Despite the focus of the research, PGO waves have been found to exist in other mammalian species including humans and nonhuman primates, such as the macaque and baboon.
Although scientists know they exist, PGO waves have not been detected in healthy humans due to the ethical concerns about accessing these areas where the readings need to be taken from.
Due to the similarities with the animal models, we can infer that PGO waves are happening at the same frequency in human EEGs.
[9] From this point, the neurons branch out in a network that leads the phasic electrical signal toward the lateral geniculate nucleus and the occipital lobe.
[9] The neuronal cells that allow for the transfer of PGO waves from the pons to the other parts of the brain reside on the rostral portion of the peribrachial area.
[6] The neurons within the vestibular nuclei region of the brain have been shown to provide excitatory bouts of PGO wave generation when stimulated.
The neurons within the amygdala region of the brain have also been shown to provide excitatory bouts of PGO wave generation when electrically stimulated.
[16] The REM sleep cycle length causes the frequency of PGO waves to be phase locked[clarification needed].
[6] The basal ganglia are a group of nuclei in the brains of vertebrates, situated at the base of the forebrain and strongly connected with the cerebral cortex, thalamus and pons.
The main components of the basal ganglia are the striatum, pallidum, substantia nigra, and subthalamic nucleus (or subthalamus).
As stated earlier, the density of the PGO waves coincides with the amount of eye movement measured in REM sleep.
Neurophysiological studies have indicated a relationship between increased P-wave density during post-training REM sleep and learning performance.
[22] Since dreaming occurs during REM sleep, the PGO waves are theorized to be the signals that make the brain start to recount the experiences from the previous day.
Another area of potential research interest involves PGO waves during lucid dreaming, active imagination and hallucination.