Citation

Ulke C, Sander C, Jawinski P, Mauche N, Huang J, Spada J, Wittekind D, Mergl R, Luck T, Riedel-Heller S, Hensch T, Hegerl U. World J. Biol. Psychiatry 2017; 18(8): 633-640.

Affiliation

c Depression Research Center, German Depression Foundation , Leipzig , Germany.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, World Federation of the Societies of Biological Psychiatry, Publisher Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/15622975.2016.1224924

PMID

27557150

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Although patients with depression often suffer from sleep disturbances, most of them are not sleepy. Upregulation of brain arousal has been proposed as pathophysiological mechanism explaining sleep disturbances, inner tension, autonomic hyperarousal and anhedonia in depression. The aim of the current study was to examine the association between nighttime sleep disturbances and brain arousal regulation the next day in depressed vs. non-depressed subjects.

METHODS: 28 elderly subjects (21 female; age = 70.5±4.4) with depressive syndromes without psychotropic medication, and 28 controls (22 female; age = 70.9±4.5), underwent a 15-min resting electroencephalogram (EEG); the Vigilance Algorithm Leipzig provided an objective measure of brain arousal regulation. Sleep disturbances were assessed by a validated and self-rated sleep questionnaire.

RESULTS: In the depressive group, but not in controls, more sleep disturbances were associated with a higher brain arousal stability score (high score corresponds to upregulation) the next day (sleep onset latency: rs=.69, p<.0001; sleep quality: rs=-.59, p<.001).

CONCLUSIONS: The data confirm the hypothesis that in persons with depressive syndromes sleep disturbances are related to upregulation of brain arousal the next day. This finding is in line with the concept that dysregulation of brain arousal is a central pathophysiological aspect in depression.

Language: en