ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAPHIC SLEEP STUDIES IN DEPRESSED-PATIENTS DURING LONG-TERM RECOVERY

Analytic electroencephalographic (EEG) sleep procedures were used to e xamine specific changes in rapid eye movement (REM) and slow wave slee p (SWS) as they unfolded during depressive illness and recovery. The s ubjects were 15 patients with recurrent depression who remained well d uring 3 years of nonpharmacologic maintenance treatment without a recu rrent episode of major depression. The analyses were performed on EEG sleep studies conducted before acute treatment, after 3 months in main tenance treatment. and every 3 months thereafter for 3 full years of m aintenance treatment. There was no change between the index sleep and sleep during the first year of maintenance treatment as determined by period analysis or visual inspection of REM sleep parameters, except t hat average REM counts decreased over time. Thus,it is possible that R EM parameters may represent one indicator of long-term recovery from d epression. Finally, a significantly higher amount of 12-20 Hz spectral power er density was found during the index episode than during the p eriod of remission.