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Abstract
Gender-related differences in electroencephalographic (EEG) sleep were examined in
151 pairs of men and women with major depression, all outpatients, matched for age
and severity of depression. Across five decades (age 21–69), depressed men had less
slow-wave sleep than did depressed women. Gender differences were small with respect
to visually scored measures of slow-wave sleep time and percent, but moderate for
gender differences in automated measures of slow-wave density. The time constant of
the polygraph prramplifier significantly affected both visually scored and automatically
scored slow-wave sleep. Other measures, such as REM sleep latency, first REM period
duration, sleep efficiency, and early morning awakening, showed robust age effects,
but no main effects for gender or gender-by-age interactions. Gender effects on slow-wave
sleep and delta-wave counts in depression parallel gender effects seen in healthy
aging. The possibility of occult alcohol use by depressed male outpatients cannot
be definitely excluded as a partial explanation of the current findings. However,
covarying for past alcohol abuse did not negate the statistical significance of the
observed gender effects on slow-wave sleep and delta-wave density. The possibility
of gender differences in slow-wave regulatory mechanisms is suggested, but similarity
in temporal distribution of delta-wave density between the first and second non-rapid-eye-movement
(NREM) periods does not support gender differences in slow-wave sleep regulation.
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Article info
Publication history
Received in revised form:
April 4,
1990
Received:
January 17,
1990
Identification
Copyright
© 1990 Published by Elsevier Inc.