Past Issues

Objective: The present study was undertaken to evaluate the relationship between objective and subjective sleep measures in patients with schizophrenia receiving risperidone relative to haloperidol-treated controls. Methods: In this cross-sectional observational study, sleep architecture and the Chinese version of Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (CPSQI) scores were compared for patients with schizophrenia receiving either risperidone (n = 17) or haloperidol (n = 18). All patients were diagnosed according to the relevant DSM-IV criteria, and clinical symptoms were evaluated by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). Polysomnography (PSG) was used to assess sleep architecture, and its correlation with the CPSQI was also investigated. Results: No differences were demonstrated comparing the two treatment groups in terms of their demographic characteristics, medication dosage, sleep architecture, or scores on the BPRS and the CPSQI and its sub-factors. Total and non-slow wave sleep times were negatively correlated with sleep latency (p<0.05, p<0.05), sleep disturbance (p<0.05, p<0.05) and global CPSQI scores (p<0.05, p<0.05) respectively, while positive correlation was demonstrated for subjective perception of extended sleep latency and objective measures of this prolongation (p<0.01). Conclusions: The main pharmacological difference between risperidone and haloperidol is the more potent 5-HT2 receptor blockade provided by the former. Our lack of signifi cant results indicates that further studies are needed to determine the mechanisms of 5-HT2 receptor antagonist involvement in sleep architecture. Sleep measures in our sample of patients with schizophrenia were consistent with objective and subjective fi ndings in initial and maintenance sleep. Global subjective sleep quality assessment was associated with total sleep time.