Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide decelerates nonrem-rem cycles and
modulates hormone secretion during sleep in men .
Murck, H., J. Guldner, M. Colla-M[umlaut]uller, R. M. Frieboes, T.
Schier, K. Wiedemann, F. Holsboer, and A. Steiger.
Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, Clinical Institute, Department
of Psychiatry, D-80804 Munich, Germany
APStracts 3:0122R, 1996.
Centrally administered vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP)
promotes rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep in rats, rabbits and cats. We
studied the effect of 4 x 10 [mu]g VIP (experiment 1, n = 7) and of 4
x 50 [mu]g VIP (experiment 2, n = 10) administered hourly as
intravenous boluses between 22:00 and 01:00 h on the sleep EEG and on
secretion of plasma ACTH, cortisol, growth hormone and prolactin in
humans. In experiment 2 the sleep cycles were decelerated during the
first three cycles due to increased duration of both REM sleep and
nonREM sleep periods and there was a tendency to increased REM:nonREM
ratios. With the low VIP dosage prolactin levels were decreased
during the whole night whereas with the high dosage they were
increased during the first half of the night. In experiment 2 the
cortisol nadir was advanced, after midnight the serum cortisol levels
were enhanced and the growth hormone peak was blunted. It appears
that VIP may have a phase-advancing effect on sleep cycles and on
cortisol secretion, possibly through actions that involve the
suprachiasmatic nucleus.
Received 28 April 1995; accepted in final form 22 March 1996.
APS Manuscript Number R257-5.
Article publication pending Am. J. Physiol. (Regulatory Integrative
Comp. Physiology).
ISSN 1080-4757 Copyright 1996 The American Physiological Society.
Published in APStracts on 1 April 96