Twelve of the patients became significantly less depressed after sleep deprivation. The remaining 24 depressed patients who still showed signs of depression after sleep deprivation had unusually low metabolic activity in two of the same areas of the brain, the cingulate and medial prefrontal cortex. These patients had no changes in metabolic rates after sleep deprivation. By examining these areas further, we may eventually be able to tailor antidepressant treatments and design new therapies that work more effectively than current medicines. Currently, antidepressant medications take two to six weeks to have any effect on depressed patients and do not work on all patients.
Sleep deprivation creates significant changes within one day, but the effects wear off a day later.
The researchers next want to explore possible ways to prolong the benefits of sleep deprivation. The researchers worked for five years on this study. The Regents of the University of California. All rights reserved.