Electroencephalographic (EEG) Activity and Sleep

The direct effects of CNS stimulants on EEG activity have been shown
to be alerting or activating as determined by the qualitative
techniques of visual inspection. The desynchronized pattern of EEG
activity, characterized by a slight decrease in amplitude and an
increase in predominant frequency, has been quantified by the use of
voltage integration procedures (Goldstein et al. 1963). Although
the use of power spectral analysis has not been employed extensively
to assess the EEG effects of this class of compounds, a report by
Gibbs and Maltby (1943) did describe a shift in the spectrum to
higher frequencies following benzedrine.