Using REM sleep architecture to predict clinical responsiveness to antidepressant drugs

It is generally acknowledged that major depressive illness reflects a deficiency/imbalance in brain neurotransmitter systems that is effectively"rebalanced" by antidepressant drugs. Since the same brain neurotransmitter systems affected in depressive illness regulate the cycling and differential amount of REM and NREM sleep, the cyclical alternation of REM and NREM sleep is characteristically disrupted in major depressive illness. Preliminary data suggest that acute (6–8 days into treatment) changes in the amount of REM sleep present and REM-NREM sleep cycling can provide an advance "window" for predicting an eventual clinical response on antidepressant pharmacotherapy.