REM CHANGES IN NARCOLEPSY WITH SELEGILINE

The purpose of this study was to establish the effects of selegiline H Cl on sleep parameters in narcolepsy and to contrast these effects wit h the effects of methylphenidate. Eleven subjects with narcolepsy were studied drug-free and while receiving selegiline (15-30 mg/day) by po lysomnography. The methylphenidate-treated group consisted of 11 age-m atched subjects with narcolepsy. On overnight polysomnography, compare d to pretreatment values, selegiline treatment resulted in a significa nt increase in rapid eye movement (REM) latency (138.1 +/- 62.8 vs. 48 .7 a 42.3 minutes, p < 0.05) and sleep stage changes per hour. The inc rease in REM latency in subjects treated with methylphenidate was marg inally significant (116.9 +/- 78.3 vs. 54.3 +/- 23.7 minutes, p = 0.05 4). Maintenance of wakefulness testing during treatment revealed the m ethylphenidate-treated group to be significantly more alert than the s elegiline-treated group (18.4 +/- 1.9 vs. 9.4 +/- 4.8 minutes, p < 0.0 01); a retrospective survey of subjects treated with selegiline found that a majority reported clinical improvement with selegiline treatmen t. These results suggest that selegiline should be considered for furt her investigation as a treatment for narcolepsy.