User:Elosh Swahelum

Visuospatial Sketching (VS) Visuospatial Sketching (VS) is the conscious feeling of habitually outlining shapes, normally in linear form., in your mind. It is a condition that is sometimes, but not only, experienced during the early stages of sleep.

Despite several neurological studies, scientists have failed to determine an accurate cause for the condition. Some believe that it occurs during the early stages of sleep when chemical changes are occuring in the brain, and the balance between melatonin and seratonin is inconsistent. It has also been linked to certain persons with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

However, recent studies have shown that subjects have reported symptoms of VS during their everyday life, and when they are fully conscious. Early data gathered at Columbia University only provided information from sleep studies.

It was not until recent years that studies were carried out on subjects who were fully conscious and awake. These more recent studies, carried out at Yale University, have raised more questions surrounding the cause of the condition.

During an 8 week study carried out at Yale University, 12 subjects who reported regular symptoms of VS were asked to participate in various studies that would test stress levels, anxiety, blood sugar levels, cortisol levels, seratonin, and melatonin levels. The results were compared with 12 other subjects who never experienced the symptoms. The results were found to be "successful, but in-conclusive."

The first study group (those experiencing VS), had relatively low levels of stress and anxiety compared to the second group. The first group also had lower cortisol levels. Statistically, the differences were insignificant, but the differences were noted. The melatonin and seratonin levels of both groups differed more significantly, pointing to the possibility that the balance between these chemicals may be an important factor in the condition of VS.

Within the group of those who experienced the symptoms, the chemical balances were no different in those who experienced Nocturnal VS (symptoms before sleep), and those who reported symptoms fully conscious and awake.

MRI images were also taken to record activity in different areas of the brain. For the group reporting symptoms of VS, activity of the cerebellum and the cingulate sulcus was higher than normal. Activity was also recorded as being 'highly active' in the cerebral cortex, and the pre-frontal cortex, linking the condition to sight, and working memory. Higher activity was also reported in the hippocalmus, leading researchers to believe that the cause of VS may be linked to childhood habits and deeper memories.

Although the study did not provide any conclusive evidence to explain the direct cause of VS they did show that it may be due to the subfunctional memory, and the imbalance of seratonin and melatonin activated in the brain.