Agonist-like effects of the benzodiazepine receptor antagonist RO 15-1788.

The present study investigated the effects of the benzodiazepine receptor antagonist RO 15-1788 on the ability to resist sleep after 1 night of sleep deprivation. Repeated administrations of RO 15-1788 to 6 subjects significantly decreased their ability to resist sleep in comparison with repeated administration of 100 mg of vitamin C, and with a nontreatment condition. Most of the hypnotic effect occurred 80-100 min after drug ingestion.

Sleep apnea syndrome: is it a contributing factor to the sex differential in mortality?

Sleep apnea syndrome is a relatively common disease, with an overwhelmingly male predominance. The female:male ratio is about 1:15-20, depending on the specific age group. In light of findings linking sleep apnea syndrome to essential hypertension, it is hypothesized that the syndrome may contribute to the sex differential in mortality.

Differential effects of awakening from REM and NONREM sleep on dichotic listening performance as a function of handedness.

Fourteen right-handed and fourteen left-handed males were wakened from REM and NONREM sleep and tested on the dichotic listening test with verbal stimuli. For right-handers there was a significant right ear advantage (REA) only after REM wakenings, which was equal in magnitude to the REA obtained during waking. Left-handers showed significant REA after both wakening conditions, as well as during waking.

Hypernychthemeral sleep-wake cycle: some hidden regularities.

A patient with a sleep-wake cycle greater than 24 h recorded his sleep-onset and wake times for 4 years. During this time the patient found himself unable to maintain a 24-h sleep-wake schedule. The lengths of his sleep-wake periods (subjective days) and his sleep periods were highly variable.

Ultrashort sleep-waking schedule. III. 'Gates' and 'forbidden zones' for sleep.

Three experiments which utilized an ultrashort sleep-waking cycle were conducted to investigate the 24 h structure of sleepiness after 1 night of sleep deprivation under 2 experimental conditions: instructing subjects to attempt to fall asleep or instructing subjects to attempt to resist sleep. Six subjects participated in experiment 1. At 19.

Preliminary clinical experience with imipramine HCl in the treatment of sleep apnea syndrome.

In the last 2 years we have systematically treated 31 sleep apnea patients with 25-50 mg imipramine HCl given 30 min before bedtime. Imipramine treatment was attempted for nonoverweight patients with negative ear, nose and throat (ENT) findings and for patients who had not responded to weight reduction or ENT surgery (in all patients the apneas were not considered life threatening). Thirteen of the 31 (41.

Paroxysmal awakenings from sleep associated with excessive daytime somnolence: a form of nocturnal epilepsy.

We describe 14 hypersomniac patients whose polysomnographic recordings revealed abnormal EEG patterns consisting of paroxysmal epileptic discharges during stages 2 and 3 of NREM sleep, associated with arousals, fragmentation of sleep, and reduction in sleep efficiency, particularly REM sleep. Three patients who received anticonvulsants showed clinical and polysomnographic documented improvement in sleep patterns. These patients probably had a unique form of nocturnal epilepsy-related sleep disorder, manifested by paroxysmal wakenings from sleep.

The role of the sympathetic nervous system in the regulation of ultradian rhythms in urine excretions.

The effects of alpha and beta adrenoreceptors blockade and surgical kidney denervation on ultradian rhythmicity in urine excretion were investigated in four dogs. Pharmacological treatments and surgical denervation of the kidneys suppressed the ultradian rhythmicity in urine flow but did not completely eliminate the ultradian rhythms in urinary osmolality and in electrolyte concentrations. These findings suggest that the autonomic nervous system plays a major role in the regulation of the ultradian rhythms in water excretion in dogs.

Recurrent hypothermia, hypersomnolence, central sleep apnea, hypodipsia, hypernatremia, hypothyroidism, hyperprolactinemia and growth hormone deficiency in a boy--treatment with clomipramine.

A boy referred at the age of 4 years because of obesity and under observation for 16 years, was found to be suffering from a hypothalamic syndrome of unknown origin characterized by progressive obesity, polyphagia, deficiency of growth and thyroid hormone, hyperprolactinemia, hypodipsia, hypernatremia and hyperosmolality without diabetes insipidus. At ages 11 and 16 there were 3 day episodes of spontaneous muscular weakness, hypersomnolence and hypothermia associated with central sleep apnea and severe bradycardia. Subsequently, decreased ventilatory responsiveness to carbon dioxide (CO2) was found as a consequence of blunted neural drive.

Cardiac arrhythmias during sleep in morbidly obese sleep-apneic patients before and after gastric bypass surgery.

Fourteen morbidly obese patients scheduled for gastric bypass surgery were diagnosed preoperatively as suffering from sleep apnea syndrome. There were 13 males and 1 female aged 24 to 59 years. Mean preoperative excessive body weight was 222 +/- 38%; mean apnea index prior to surgery was 84 +/- 44.

Day-night variations in urine excretions and hormones in dogs: role of autonomic innervation.

Under controlled light-dark cycle (LD 12:12) and two hydratory conditions, mongrel dogs display marked day-night variations in urine flow and in its constituents. Diurnal peaks were found in urine flow and sodium excretion, while nocturnal peaks were observed in osmolality and potassium excretion. Diuretic responses, after fluid intake, were consistently faster and higher during the day than during the night.

Obstructive sleep apnoea probably related to a foreign body.

A 2-year-old child was admitted because of sudden onset of symptoms compatible with obstructive sleep apnoea. Physical examination revealed slightly hypertrophic tonsils. A polygraphic study showed 150 apnoeic episodes of obstructive type during 8 h night sleep.

The effect of surgical weight reduction on sleep quality in obesity-related sleep apnea syndrome.

Obesity-related sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) was diagnosed in 13 patients evaluated for gastric bypass surgery. A diagnostic sleep study was performed whenever a specially designed questionnaire revealed characteristic signs of sleep disturbances. Pretreatment polyhypnographic recordings of patients with SAS demonstrated considerable reduction of deep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep stages with a correspondent prolongation of wake within sleep or non-REM sleep stages I and II.

Periodic leg movements in sleep: effect of clonazepam treatment.

Periodic leg movements in sleep were diagnosed in 8 patients with insomnia and in 12 patients with hypersomnia. Polysomnography did not reveal any difference in the number of leg movements in these groups, the mean duration of a leg movement, or the number of activity epochs. Those with insomnia, however, had a shorter intermovement interval than those with hypersomnia, with more leg movements in each activity epoch.

Cognitive asymmetry and dreaming: lack of relationship.

The present study investigated the relationship between cognitive laterality and dream recall, dream characteristics, and eye movement density in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Fifty-two right-handed males, age 20-30 years, were tested on a six-test battery of which three tests measure right hemisphere function and three tests measure left hemisphere function. Based on their performance, 14 subjects were selected for a sleep laboratory study.

A hypernychthemeral sleep-wake syndrome: a treatment attempt.

The wake and sleep-onset times of a patient with a sleep-wake cycle longer than 24 hr were recorded by the patient for 4 years. During this time, the patient found himself unable to maintain a 24-hr sleep-wake schedule. When treated with 1-2 mg clonazepam, taken nightly, he was able to become entrained to a 24-hr day.

Nothing new under the moon. Historical accounts of sleep apnea syndrome.

A systematic review of the 19th-century literature related to sleep disorders revealed that patients with obstructive sleep apnea were vividly described in the second half of the century. Also, there were documented observations on the linkage between airway obstructions and noisy snoring, nocturnal insomnia, and excessive somnolence. The coining of the term "pickwickian" to describe an obese somnolent patient was made in 1889 during a clinical presentation of a patient with sleep apnea.

Cognitive asymmetries after waking from REM and NONREM sleep: effects of delayed testing and handedness.

The present paper describes two experiments designed to investigate cognitive asymmetry after awakening from REM and NONREM sleep as a function of time after the awakening and handedness. Two groups of 9 right-handed male subjects each participated in the first experiment. Subjects were awakened from REM and NONREM sleep and after 35 min (Group 1), or 75 min (Group 2), tested on a 6-test battery designed to measure cognitive asymmetry.

Prevalence of sleep apnea syndrome among patients with essential hypertension.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the prevalence of sleep apnea syndrome (SAS) among patients with essential hypertension. Sixteen of 50 patients with essential hypertension were suspected of having SAS based on their responses to a sleep questionnaire. Whole-night polysomnographic recordings revealed that 11 of the 16 patients, which is 22% of the initial sample, had SAS as defined by the occurrence of at least 10 apneas lasting 10 seconds each per hour of polygraphically defined sleep.

Auditory middle latency-evoked potentials during sleep apnea.

Auditory middle-latency evoked potentials (AMEP) were recorded in 10 subjects with predominantly central sleep apnea. AMEP were recorded during: waking; non-rapid eye movement (non-REM) sleep between apneic episodes; first half of apneas; and second half of apneas. Latencies of vertex positive peaks Po and Pa were determined, and the effect of the apnea phase on these latencies was evaluated.

Cognitive asymmetries after wakings from REM and NONREM sleep in right-handed females.

Eleven right-handed females were awakened from REM and NONREM sleep and tested on three tests designed to measure functions attributed to the left hemisphere and on three tests designed to measure right hemisphere function. A significant shift in cognitive profile was found in the direction of right hemisphere dominance after waking from REM sleep, and left hemisphere dominance after waking from NONREM sleep. Comparison of the cognitive shifts in females to that observed in males revealed a significant interaction of gender and awakening condition.