Posted by zeugma on March 29, 2006, at 20:06:04
In reply to Re: 5ht2 antagonists, posted by linkadge on March 29, 2006, at 19:45:57
Do you know if melatonin has effects on REM?
5-HT2 antagonists increase slow wave sleep without affecting REM.
NE reuptake inhibitors specifically block REM:http://www.sro.org/pdf/863.pdf
5HT reuptake inhibitors have very interesting effects on sleep. At first they diminish REM strongly, but mice lacking the serotonin transporter eventually experience increased REM, and I believe this is responsible in some cases for SSRI poop-out/apathy syndromes:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12598736&query_hl=13&itool=pubmed_docsumSSRI's can also cause REM behavior dosorder, which essentially is a process where the REM mechanism and the atonia-inducing mechanism become uncoupled, and people act out their dreams in ways which are not at all amusing. Before the advent of SSRI's, REM behavior disorder was mostly limited to older patients with Parkinson's disease, which is the medical disorder most linked to depression. I do not believe it is a coincidence that REM process derangements and depression are often found in Parkinson's disease. in fact, narcolepsy-like syndromes occur in Parkinson's too, and narcoleptic symptoms reflect a REM process disorder:
-z
poster:zeugma
thread:626219
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20060329/msgs/626319.html