Differential effect of an anticholinergic antidepressant on sleep-dependent memory consolidation.

ABSTRACT:

Study objectives

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is considered critical to the consolidation of procedural memory - the memory of skills and habits. Many antidepressants strongly suppress REM sleep, however, and procedural memory consolidation has been shown to be impaired in depressed patients on antidepressant therapy. As a result, it is important to determine whether antidepressive therapy can lead to amnestic impairment. We thus investigated the effects of the anticholinergic antidepressant amitriptyline on sleep-dependent memory consolidation.

Design

Double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, parallel-group study.

Setting

Sleep laboratory.

Participants

Twenty-five healthy men (mean age: 26.8 ± 5.6 y).

Interventions

75 mg amitriptyline versus place

SUBMITTER: Goerke M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3985094 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature