The relevance of pharmacological studies to sleep research in psychiatry.

The involvement of central serotonergic mechanisms in the organisation of human sleep has been confirmed in several single and multiple-dose clinico-pharmacological studies with the specific serotonin-S2-antagonist ritanserin. The pronounced thymosthenic effect observed with this compound in patients suffering from dysthymia, generalized anxiety disorder and negative symptoms of schizophrenia can possibly be attributed to a restoration of the energetic function during the night as a consequence of a dramatic increase in slow wave sleep during treatment with ritanserin.