Premenstrual dysphoric disorder and changes in frontal alpha asymmetry.

Objective: Since the clinical picture of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD) in the Luteal phase of the menstrual cycle is characterized by extreme negative affect, we predicted and obtained a change in frontal cortical EEG alpha asymmetry, which has been shown to be an index of affect.

Method: We observed two monthly cycles for five women diagnosed as having PMDD and one monthly cycle for five non-PMDD control subjects.

Results: Asymmetry percent scores for the five PMDD women, and for the five control subjects before and after the Luteal phase were typically within the normal non-depressed range, however the asymmetry scores for the PMDD group fell into the negative range during the Luteal period while the control subjects remained stable.

REM sleep reduction, mood regulation and remission in untreated depression.

The contribution of increased rapid eye movement (REM) pressure through repeated, mild, reduction of (REM) sleep to remission from untreated depression was studied over a 5-month period in 20 depressed and 10 control volunteers. Sixty percent of the depressed subjects were in remission at the end of the study. Sixty-four percent of the variance in remission could be accounted for by four variables: the initial level of self-reported symptoms, the reported diurnal variability in mood, the degree of overnight reduction in depressed mood following interruptions of REM sleep and the quality of dream reports from these awakenings.

Circadian phase-shifting effects of nocturnal exercise in older compared with young adults.

Exercise can phase shift the circadian rhythms of young adults if performed at the right time of day. Similar research has not been done in older adults. This study examined the circadian phase-delaying effects of a single 3-h bout of low-intensity nocturnal exercise in older (n = 8; 55-73 yr old) vs.

Individual differences in the phase and amplitude of the human circadian temperature rhythm: with an emphasis on morningness-eveningness.

We studied the relationship between the phase and the amplitude of the circadian temperature rhythm using questionnaires that measure individual differences in personality variables, variables that relate to circadian rhythms, age and sex. The ambulatory core body temperature of 101 young men and 71 young women was recorded continuously over 6 days. The temperature minimum (Tmin) and amplitude (Tamp) were derived by fitting a complex cosine curve to each day's data for each subject.

Intermittent bright light and exercise to entrain human circadian rhythms to night work.

Bright light can phase shift human circadian rhythms, and recent studies have suggested that exercise can also produce phase shifts in humans. However, few studies have examined the phase-shifting effects of intermittent bright light, exercise, or the combination. This simulated night work field study included eight consecutive night shifts followed by daytime sleep/dark periods (delayed 9 h from baseline).