Introduction The term ‘slow wave oscillation’ (SWO) describes the observation of cortical and subcortical neural signals that alternate spontaneously between periods associated with intense activity and relative quiescence, referred to as the Up and the Down states, respectively (Contreras & Steriade, 1995; Destexhe et al., 2007; Steriade et al., 1993; Timofeev et al., 2000). The phenomenon has been reported in humans and animals during sleep, as well as under certain levels of anaesthesia.
