5-Hydroxytryptamine-2 antagonist increases human slow wave sleep.
Ritanserin, a specific 5-HT2 antagonist, was given to volunteers in a double-blind placebo controlled sleep study. Slow wave sleep doubled in duration at the expense of stage 2. The finding that a serotonin antagonist changed the architecture of sleep without producing insomnia is of fundamental importance and calls for a re-examination of traditional theories of sleep control which assign a facilitatory role to serotonin.
D000328:Adult; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010880:Piperidines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011930:Reaction Time / Q000187:drug effects; D016713:Ritanserin; D012701:Serotonin / Q000502:physiology; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000187:drug effects*; D013268:Stimulation, Chemical
D010880:Piperidines; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D016713:Ritanserin; D012701:Serotonin