DIFFERENTIAL EFFECTS OF CHLORPROMAZINE AND PHENOBARBITAL ON EEG SLEEP PATTERNS

The effects of repeated (up to 5 nights) administration of chlorpromazine (CPZ) and phenobarbital (PB) on EEG sleep patterns were studied in three severely ill chronic schizophrenic patients and three patients with sociopathic character disorders. PB reduced awakenings, delayed REM onset, and reduced the eye-movement activity of REM sleep to a greater extent than CPZ. CPZ reduced muscle artifact during sleep (an indicator of partial arousal) to a greater extent than PB. The two drugs had opposite effects on stage 4 EEG, this variable being increased above baseline levels by CPZ and being reduced below these levels by PB. These observations suggest new hypotheses regarding the mechanisms involved in the therapeutic action of CPZ and the neurophysiological changes which underlie drug-withdrawal delirium. © 1969.