Neuropharmacology of The Sleep-Waking Cycle

Transmitter amines in depression

“…Significant differences for the DA metabolite homovanillic acid (HVA) were in the opposite direction (see below). The 5HIAA results are reasonably consistent with evidence for roles of 5HT in sleep (Jouvet, 1977), motor activity (Marsden & Curzon, 1976) and responsiveness to stimuli (Waldbillig et al 1981). This suggests that the abnormality of 5HT metabolism has causal significance for symptomatology (see below for discussion of the HVA findings).…”

Biological factors in obsessive-compulsive disorders.

“…Depletion of CNS 5-HT in laboratory animals may provide evidence for a model of behavior associated with decreased serotonergic transmission. In cats, decreased availability of 5-HT by reserpine reduces 5-HT storage by acting on the storage vessicles and allowing increased intracellular catabolism, thus interfering with Stage-II sleep and reduction in REM efficiency (Jouvet, 1978). In Insel, Gillin, et al (1982), OCD sleep study, Stage-II sleep and decreased REM efficiency were two of the variables found to differ between OCD patients and normals.…”

Modulatory role of serotonin in neural information processing: Implications for human psychopathology.

“…At high levels of activity, central 5-HT facilitates the formation of neural synchrony. For example, EEG synchronization may be elicited by low-frequency stimulation of the DR (Gardner, 1985;Kayama et al, 1989), ventricular application of 5-HT (Jouvet, 1977;Koella & Czicman, 1966), or low doses of 5-HTP (Delorme, Froment, & Jouvet, 1966;Kayama, et al, 1989), whereas 5-HT depletion is associated with EEG desynchronization (Mushiake et al, 1988). Serotonin appears to be necessary for the formation of deep slow-wave sleep and may actually impede the formation of paradoxical sleep (Sallanon, Janin, Buda, & Jouvet, 1983).…”