Biological psychiatry
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Biological psychiatry · Jun 2001
Complex insomnia: insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing in a consecutive series of crime victims with nightmares and PTSD.
Sleep disturbance in posttraumatic stress disorder is very common. However, no previous posttraumatic stress disorder studies systematically examined sleep breathing disturbances, which might influence nightmares, insomnia, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. ⋯ In an uncontrolled study, insomnia and sleep-disordered breathing were extremely prevalent in this small and select sample of crime victims. Research is needed to study 1) prevalence of sleep-disordered breathing in other posttraumatic stress disorder populations using appropriate controls and nasal pressure transducers and 2) effects of sleep treatment on posttraumatic stress symptoms in trauma survivors with comorbid obstructive sleep apnea or upper airway resistance syndrome. In the interim, some posttraumatic stress disorder patients may benefit from sleep medicine evaluations.
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Biological psychiatry · Feb 2001
Chronic cold exposure potentiates CRH-evoked increases in electrophysiologic activity of locus coeruleus neurons.
Chronic stress exposure can produce sensitization of norepinephrine release in the forebrain in response to subsequent stressors. Furthermore, the increase in norepinephrine release in response to the stress-related peptide corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) is potentiated by prior chronic stress exposure. To explore possible mechanisms underlying these alterations in norepinephrine release, we examined the effect of chronic stress on the electrophysiologic activity of locus coeruleus (LC) neurons in response to centrally applied CRH. ⋯ These data, in combination with previous data, suggest that the sensitivity of LC neurons to excitatory inputs is increased following chronic cold exposure. The altered functional capacity of LC neurons in rats after continuous cold exposure may represent an experimental model to examine the role of central noradrenergic neurons in anxiety and mood disorders.
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Biological psychiatry · Dec 2000
Comparative StudyDiurnal fluctuation of sleep propensity and hormonal secretion across the menstrual cycle.
The fact that most women experience sleep changes across the menstrual cycle is thought to be associated with changes in circadian rhythms; however, few studies have investigated this relationship. ⋯ The findings suggest that the amplitude of circadian oscillation may be dampened in the luteal phase. Increased daytime sleepiness in the luteal phase may be associated with increased daytime slow-wave sleep, due possibly to changes in thermoregulation in the luteal phase.