Microstructure of sleep in depressed patients according to the cyclic alternating pattern.
BACKGROUND
The aim of this study was to evaluate the microstructure of the EEG sleep of depressed subjects by cyclic alternating pattern (CAP) analysis.


METHODS
78 patients affected by major depression and 18 control subjects matched for age and sex underwent a full night polysomnographic study.


RESULTS
A significant increase in CAP rate (60 versus 35%) was found in the patients group compared to controls while no significant difference was found with the traditional analysis.


CONCLUSIONS
In depressed subjects CAP analysis is able to show a microstructural sleep impairment, which is not evident at the macrostructural level, providing an objective measure of sleep disturbance in those patients.
Farina
Benedetto
B
Institute of Psychiatry, Catholic University of Sacred Heart, via Alexander Fleming 110, 00191, Rome, Italy. bennifarina@mclink.it
Della Marca
Giacomo
G
Grochocinski
Victoria J
VJ
Mazza
Marianna
M
Buysse
Daniel J
DJ
Di Giannantonio
Massimo
M
Francesco Mennuni
Gioacchino
G
De Risio
Sergio
S
Kupfer
David J
DJ
Frank
Ellen
E
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D012893:Sleep Wake Disorders / Q000209:etiology*