Risperidone augmentation decreases rapid eye movement sleep and decreases wake in treatment-resistant depressed patients.

Background: The atypical antipsychotic agent risperidone has beneficial effects on mood in patients with schizophrenia. This study aimed to assess whether risperidone produced typical antidepressant-like effects in the polysomnogram of healthy subjects and in depressed patients unresponsive to antidepressant medication.

Method: We measured the effect of a single dose of risperidone (1 mg) on the polysomnogram of 8 healthy volunteers in a placebo-controlled, double-blind, crossover design.