Sleep Enhancement Research Articles

Brain dopamine receptors and sleep in the rat: Effects of stimulation and blockade

A high dose of apomorphine, a stimulator of brain dopamine receptors, caused a reduction in total sleep, intermediate sleep and a delayed appearance of paradoxical sleep. With a lower dose, a small and not significant trend toward an increase of paradoxical sleep was observed. Spiroperidol, considered as a specific blocker of dopamine receptors, produced a dose-dependent increase of total sleep and a decrease of paradoxical sleep. Chlorpromazine induced a different effect, that is clear enhancement of paradoxical sleep. Taken together, these results indicate that an activation of dopamine systems in the brain is partly involved not only in behavioral activation, but also in corticl activation of waking and paradoxical sleep. The effect of chlorpromazine on paradoxical sleep cannot be attributed to the antidopaminergic properties of this drug.

Sleep and time zone changes. A study in acute sleep reversal.

Alterations occurred in the overnight sleep patterns of four healthy male subjects before and after trans-Atlantic flights in both directions. On the first night after a London/San Francisco flight, stage 4 sleep was enhanced, and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep was depressed, although the distribution of both types of sleep during the night was not altered. Early morning waking was a feature of the first five nights in the new time zone, particularly in the older subjects. Similar changes occurred after the return flight. There was no evidence of enhancement of REM sleep and the alteration in the distribution of REM sleep which has been noted in laboratory studies of sleep reversal. However, the changes found were in accord with travellers' complaints. No definite evidence of circadian effects due to alteration in time zone were demonstrated.

Characteristics of sleep following sexual activity and wheel running in male rats

The EEG sleep patterns of 12 male rats were studied for 4 hr following each of three different conditions: sexual activity, wheel running and no manipulation. Sexual activity was followed by substantial increases in sleep as indicated by several measures. Wheel running produced some enhancement of sleep, but significantly less than did sexual activity. Sleep following sexual activity generally was characterized by fewer, relatively long episodes, whereas that following wheel running was characterized by more short episodes.