The Role of Dopamine Metabolism in the Antidepressant Effects of Sleep Deprivation and Sertraline in Depressed Patients

This study evaluates the efficacy of sleep deprivation treatment in accelerating antidepressant responses when administered during the first week of medications and augmenting a sustained response with chronobiological interventions. Sleep deprivation and chronobiological augmentation may offer a rapid and sustained antidepressant response in mood disorder patients treated with medication, sleep deprivation, bright light therapy and sleep phase advance compared with medication only. The chronobiological treatment is rapid, non-invasive and has few side effects and could be of significant clinical benefit.