Non-rapid eye movement sleep

About: Non-rapid eye movement sleep is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 8661 publications have been published within this topic receiving 389465 citations. The topic is also known as: NREM.

Acute Reversal of the Sleep-Waking Cycle in Man: Effect on Sleep Stage Patterns

Abstract: PAST studies of the sleep-waking circadian cycle in man emphasized the temporal relationship to other rhythmic physiological and chemical functions. 1 It was implicitly assumed in these studies that sleep is a unitary process. Recent evidence, however, clearly indicates that sleep is composed of recurring short-term physiologic events. 2,3 In man, during each daily sleep period, a consistent sequence of sleep patterns occurs, characterized by four or five recurrent 90-minute cycles. Future studies of circadian phase relationships between sleep and physiologic variables should take into account the qualitative and quantitative differences between sleep stage patterns. We have begun to study the time relation of sleep stages and neuroendocrine processes. 4 The method of cycle phase shift of 180° (sleep-waking cycle inversion) has been used in man. 5-8 This report describes the changes in sleep pattern when normal young adults were subjected to an acute inversion of sleep-waking cycles in

β1-adrenergic antagonists and melatonin reset the clock and restore sleep in a circadian disorder, Smith-Magenis syndrome

Abstract: First described by Smith et al 1 in 1982, Smith-Magenis syndrome (SMS) is a contiguous gene syndrome ascribed to interstitial deletions of chromosome 17p11.2. Clinical features include infantile hypotonia, characteristic craniofacial appearance, brachydactyly, short stature, ocular anomalies, deep, hoarse voice, early speech delay, mental retardation, and behavioural disturbances.2,3 Behavioural problems include hyperactivity, attention deficit, self-injury, temper tantrums, and major sleep disturbance.4 These symptoms have a major impact on the children and their families. The diagnosis is based on high resolution karyotype analysis and fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH).5 Sleep disturbances occur in all cases and are predictive of maladaptive behaviour, increased by mental retardation and cognitive delay. The specific pattern of sleep disturbance in SMS includes early sleep onset, frequent awakenings, and early waking.6,7 Moreover, “sleep attacks” at the end of the day are consistent features of the disease and may represent the endogenous sleep onset of the patients. The children could therefore be regarded as having a sleep phase advance. Normally, melatonin secretion increases soon after onset of darkness, peaks at midnight, and gradually falls during the second half of the night. Interestingly, all SMS patients display a phase shift of their circadian rhythm of melatonin, with a diurnal secretion of the hormone8–10 (fig 1). Tantrums and tiredness occur when melatonin rises in the morning and children have naps and sleep attacks when melatonin peaks at midday and in the evening. Sleep is fragmented with prolonged nocturnal awakenings and early waking when melatonin is low during the night (fig 1). This clinical and biological sleep phase advance supports the existence of an aberrant biological clock in SMS. Figure 1 (A) Inversion of serum melatonin rhythm in SMS (solid lines) as compared to age matched controls (dotted lines). (B) Sleep-wake patterns correlated with melatonin …