Abstract
Physostigmine (1.0 mg) or placebo were administered intravenously over 1-h period to seven male normal volunteers beginning 35 min after sleep onset. The results indicate that physostigmine induced the onset of REM sleep but did not significantly alter the duration of individual REM sleep periods. Physostigmine significantly shortened the REM latency and the duration of the second non REM period. After inducing the onset of the first REM period(s), physostigmine also appeared to advance succeeding REM-nonREM sleep cycles relative to sleep onset even when the duration of each cycle was unaffected.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Agnew, H. W., Webb, W. B., Williams, R. L.: Comparison of stage four and 1-REM deprivation. Percept, Mot. Skills 24, 851–858 (1967)
Amatruda, T. T., Black, D. A., McKenna, T. M., McCarley, R. W., Hobson, J. A.: Sleep cycle control and cholinergic mechanisms: differential effecgs of carbachol at pontine brain stem sites. Brain Res. 98, 501–505 (1975)
George, R., Haslett, W. L., Jenden, D. J.: A cholinergic mechanism in the brain stem reticular formation: induction of paradoxical sleep. Int. J. Neuropharmacol. 3, 541–552 (1964)
Gillin, J. C., Mendelson, W. B., Sitaram, N., Wyatt, R. J.: The neuropharmacology of sleep and wakefulness. Annu. Rev. Pharmacol. Toxicol. (in press, 1978)
Hobson, J. A., McCarley, R. W., McKenua, T. M.: Cellular evidence bearing on the pontine brain stem hypothesis of desynchronized sleep control. Prog. Neurociol. 6, 155–376 (1976)
Jouvet, M.: Cholinergic mechanisms and sleep. In: Cholinergic mechanisms, P. G. Waser, ed., pp. 455–476. New York: Raven 1975
Jouvet, M.: Recherches sur les structures nerveuses et les mecanismes responsables des differentes phases du sommeil physiologique. Arch. Ital. Biol. 100, 125–206 (1962)
Karczmar, A. G., Longo, V. G., Scott de Carolis, A.: A pharmacological model of paradoxical sleep: the role of cholinergic and monoamine systems. Physiol. Behav. 5, 175–182 (1970)
Mitler, M. M., Dement, W. C.: Cataplectic-like behavior in cats after microinjection of carbachol in pontine reticular formation. Brain Res. 68, 335–343 (1974)
Rechtschaffen, A., Kales, A.: A manual of standard techniques and scoring system for sleep states of human subjects. NIH Publication No. 204, Bethesda, Maryland 1968
Sitaram, N., Mendelson, W. B., Wyatt, R. J., Gillin, J. C.: The time-dependent induction of REM sleep and arousal by physostigmine infusion during normal human sleep. Brain Res. 122, 562–567 (1977)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Gillin, J.C., Sitaram, N., Mendelson, W.B. et al. Physostigmine alters onset but not duration of REM sleep in man. Psychopharmacology 58, 111–114 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00426799
Received:
Accepted:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00426799