REM sleep and depression: common neurobiological control mechanisms

Author: McCarley, R.W. Description: The author summarizes clinical data showing parallels between REM sleep and depressive phenomena; e.g., patients with endogenous depression show a first REM period that has a shorter than normal latency and a higher density of eye movement. The author discusses evidence for his hypothesis that the following commonalities in neurobiological control systems generate these parallels: 1) brainstem norepinephrine and serotonin systems suppress both REM sleep and depressive phenomena, 2) acetylcholine systems promote both REM and depressive phenomena, and 3) in control of depressive phenomena, as acetylcholine…

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Functional neuroanatomy of human rapid-eye-movement sleep and dreaming

Author: Maquet, P.; Peters, J.; Aerts, J.; Delfiore, G.; Degueldre, C.; Luxen, A.; Franck, G. Description: Rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep is associated with intense neuronal activity, ocular saccades, muscular atonia and dreaming. The function of REM sleep remains elusive and its neural correlates have not been characterized precisely in man. Here we use positron emission tomography and statistical parametric mapping to study the brain state associated with REM sleep in humans. We report a group study of seven subjects who maintained steady REM sleep during brain scanning and recalled dreams upon…

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Early Life Socioeconomic Disparities in Children’s Sleep: The Mediating Role of the Current Home Environment

Author: Doane, L.D.; Breitenstein, R.S.; Beekman, C.; Clifford, S.; Smith, T.J.; Lemery-Chalfant, K. Description: Despite identified concurrent socioeconomic disparities in children’s sleep, little research has examined pathways explaining such associations. This study examined the quality of the home environment as a direct predictor of sleep and potential mediator of associations between early life socioeconomic status and objective and subjective indicators of sleep in middle childhood. A socioeconomically and ethnically diverse sample of 381 twin children (50% female; 46.6% lower middle class or living at or below the poverty line; 26%…

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Blocking blue light during mania – markedly increased regularity of sleep and rapid improvement of symptoms: a case report

Author: Henriksen, T.E.G.; Skrede, S.; Fasmer, O.B.; Hamre, B.; Gronli, J.; Lund, A. Description: OBJECTIVE: Available pharmacological treatment of mania is insufficient. Virtual darkness therapy (blue light-blocking treatment by means of orange-tinted glasses) is a promising new treatment option for mania. The basis for this might be the recently identified blue light-sensitive retinal photoreceptor, which is solely responsible for light stimulus to the circadian master clock. This is the first case report describing the clinical course of a closely monitored, hospitalized patient in a manic episode first receiving clear-lensed, and…

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Suprachiasmatic nucleus in sleep-wake regulation

Author: Moore, R.Y. Description: The evolution of animals is a consequence of selective specialization of cells, tissues, functional systems, and behavior. The objective of all life is successful reproduction and maintenance of the species. In order to accomplish this, all animals have evolved a division of behavior into two fundamental behavioral states: one characterized by the elaboration of adaptive behavior (activity) and the other by rest and behavioral quiescence (rest). In mammals, these states are designated wake and sleep. Activity and rest, wake and sleep, occur in precise 24-h cycles…

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Disparities in Sleep Health and Potential Intervention Models: A Focused Review

Author: Billings, Martha E.; Cohen, Robyn T.; Baldwin, Carol M.; Johnson, Dayna A.; Palen, Brian N.; Parthasarathy, Sairam; Patel, Sanjay R.; Russell, Maureen; Tapia, Ignacio E.; Williamson, Ariel A.; Sharma, Sunil Description: Disparities in sleep health are important but underrecognized contributors to health disparities. Understanding the factors contributing to sleep heath disparities and developing effective interventions are critical to improving all aspects of heath. Sleep heath disparities are impacted by socioeconomic status, racism, discrimination, neighborhood segregation, geography, social patterns, and access to health care as well as by cultural beliefs,…

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Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Sleep Health and Potential Interventions Among Women in the United States

Author: Jackson, Chandra L.; Powell-Wiley, Tiffany M.; Gaston, Symielle A.; Andrews, Marcus R.; Tamura, Kosuke; Ramos, Alberto Description: While essential for health and wellness, the various dimensions of sleep health are generally not equitably distributed across the population, and reasons for racial/ethnic sleep disparities are not fully understood. In this review, we describe racial/ethnic sleep disparities and subsequent implications for health from prior and recently conducted epidemiological and clinical studies as well as the potential sleep interventions presented at the 2018 Research Conference on Sleep and the Health of Women…

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Are sleep patterns influenced by race/ethnicity – a marker of relative advantage or disadvantage? Evidence to date

Author: Johnson, Dayna A.; Jackson, Chandra L.; Williams, Natasha J.; Alcantara, Carmela Description: Sleep is a fundamental necessity of life. However, sleep health and sleep disorders are not equitably distributed across racial/ethnic groups. In fact, growing research consistently demonstrates that racial/ethnic minorities are more likely to experience, for instance, shorter sleep durations, less deep sleep, inconsistent sleep timing, and lower sleep continuity in comparison to Whites. However, racial/ethnic disparities in reports of sleepiness and sleep complaints are inconsistent. Racial/ethnic groups have significant heterogeneity, yet within-group analyses are limited. Among the…

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The continuing problem of human African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness)

Author: Kennedy, P.G.E. Description: Human African trypanosomiasis, also known as sleeping sickness, is a neglected disease, and it continues to pose a major threat to 60 million people in 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Transmitted by the bite of the tsetse fly, the disease is caused by protozoan parasites of the genus Trypanosoma and comes in two types: East African human African trypanosomiasis caused by Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and the West African form caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense. There is an early or hemolymphatic stage and a late or encephalitic…

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Distinct associations between energy balance and the sleep characteristics slow wave sleep and rapid eye movement sleep

Author: Rutters, F.; Gonnissen, H. K.; Hursel, R.; Lemmens, S. G.; Martens, E. A.; Westerterp-Plantenga, M. S. Description: CONTEXT: Epidemiologically, an inverse relationship between body mass index (BMI) and sleep duration is observed. Intra-individual variance in the amount of slow wave sleep (SWS) or rapid eye movement (REM) sleep has been related to variance of metabolic and endocrine parameters, which are risk factors for the disturbance of energy balance (EB). OBJECTIVE: To investigate inter-individual relationships between EB (EB= energy intake-energy expenditure|, MJ/24 h), SWS or REM sleep, and relevant parameters…

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