REM sleep reduction, mood regulation and remission in untreated depression.
Rosalind Cartwright, Erin Baehr, Jennifer Kirkby, S R Pandi-Perumal, Julie Kabat
Psychiatry Research December 1, 2003 DOI: 10.1016/s0165-1781(03)00236-1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 30 |
| Population | 20 depressed and 10 control volunteers |
| Intervention | Repeated |
| Duration | 5-month period |
| Topics | Depression |
| Keywords | Humans Polysomnography Remission induction Affect Dreams Sleep, rem Time factors Adult Female Interviews as topic Surveys and questionnaires |
| Key findings | Sixty percent of depressed participants were in remission after five months of repeated, mild REM sleep reduction. Four variables accounted for 64 percent of remission variance: initial self-reported symptoms, diurnal mood variability, overnight mood improvement after REM interruptions, and dream report quality. The authors propose that increased REM pressure is beneficial for those who can construct well-organized dreams. |
Abstract
The contribution of increased rapid eye movement (REM) pressure through repeated, mild, reduction of (REM) sleep to remission from untreated depression was studied over a 5-month period in 20 depressed and 10 control volunteers. Sixty percent of the depressed subjects were in remission at the end of the study. Sixty-four percent of the variance in remission could be accounted for by four variables: the initial level of self-reported symptoms, the reported diurnal variability in mood, the degree of overnight reduction in depressed mood following interruptions of REM sleep and the quality of dream reports from these awakenings. Increased REM pressure is beneficial for those who are able to construct well-organized dreams.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on depression, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Metacognitive awareness and prevention of relapse in depression: Empirical evidence. Residually depressed patients and nondepressed controls; recovered depressed patients | 2002 | Observational cohort with intervention components | |
| Psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression: fMRI-measured brain mechanisms. Patients with treatment-resistant depression | 2017 | Observational cohort | n = 19 |
| Antidepressant effects of a single dose of ayahuasca in patients with recurrent depression: a preliminary report Patients with a depressive disorder | 2015 | Observational study | |
| Concomitant BDNF and sleep slow wave changes indicate ketamine-induced plasticity in major depressive disorder Patients with treatment-resistant major depressive disorder | 2012 | Observational cohort | n = 30 |
| Altered peripheral immune profiles in treatment-resistant depression: response to ketamine and prediction of treatment outcome Healthy controls and actively depressed patients with treatment-resistant depression... | 2017 | Observational cohort | n = 59 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- Incorporation of recent waking-life experiences in dreams correlates with frontal theta activity in REM sleep Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience May 29, 2018
- The Functional Role of Dreaming in Emotional Processes. Frontiers in Psychology 2019
- Maternal representations in the dreams of pregnant women: a prospective comparative study. Frontiers in Psychology August 27, 2013