Marked Increase in REM Sleep Produced by a New Antipsychotic Compound

Abstract

Until now there has been no literature on the investigation of sleep or REM conditions during sleep while under treatment with W. 1854. The following investigation is based on the clinical observation, that patients treated with W. 1854 reported increased dream activity.In 1967 the first report was presented (1,4) on the effects of the test compound HF 1854 manufactured by Sandoz-Wander AG, Bern. It involved a special type of neuroleptic which showed no cataleptic characteristics in its pharmacological effects and which is not an apomorphine antagonist. It possesses peripheral anti-cholinergic and antiadrenergic characteristics and in this respect has a substantially stronger effect than previously known neuroleptics. In terms of arousal reaction and because of the muscle relaxing effect with decerebrized cats, a strong inhibiting effect on the reticular formation could be demonstrated in animal studies (11).Retrospective and prospective investigations in our clinic ( 2 ) showed, that in over 50% of the patients treated with this drug, a more-orless pronounced temporary increase in body temperature occurred in the first two weeks. The temperature increase is not dependent on the dosage, as long as the drug is given in amounts (150-800 mgs./day) which are antipsychotically effective. The duration of the temperature increase amounts to 4-8 days and the temperature then returns to normal even if medication is continued.Although no systematic investigations have been carried out, the general clinical impression is that a remission of psychotic symptoms coincides with the temperature increase and with the intensified dream activity. * 100-I29/HF I854 (Clorapine) Sandor-Wander AG., Berne/Suisse, (8-Chlor-I I (4'-rnethyl)-piperazino-5-dibenzo b, 3 1,4-diazepin = W. 1854 MATERIAL AND METHODOLOGYPolygraphic sleep recordings (EEG, EOG, EMG) were carried out throughout the whole night with continual measurement (6-10) hours) with 5 patients ( 3 men, 2 women). Four of these patients showed neurotic disturbances, one female patient, 26, had been suffering from a paranoid-hallucinatory psychosis for a week. As a rule, the recordings took place one or two nights before administration of the compound and, in the first, fifth and tenth night of administration or in the night after the drug-induced temperature increase. Each patient's temperature was measured daily at 6 P.M. by rectum, None of the patients was treated with any drugs before the beginning of the test series. The non-psychotic patients received a small dosage of W. 1854 (up to 250 mgrs./day ), the psychotic patients a medium dosage of 300 to 500 mgrs./day. RESULTSAt the beginning of the presumably drug-induced temperature increase-which could be observed in our patients between the fifth and twelfth day-a considerable increase in the percentage of REM sleep occurred, amounting to 85% of the total sleeping time (See Table 1 ) .For technical reasons, no sleep recording could be carried out with patient E. 11. (32 years old) in the night after the drug-induced temperatu...

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