Psychosomatic Medicine 32:301-308 (1970)
© 1970 American Psychosomatic Society

Abnormalities in Skin Potential Fluctuations During the Sleep of Acute Schizophrenic Patients

¹ Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Boston, Mass.; National Institute of Mental Health, Building 10, Room 4S-223, Bethesda, Md 20014
² Massachusetts Mental Health Center, Boston, Mass.

Address for reprint requests: Dr. R. Wyatt, National Institute of Mental Health, Building 10, Room 4S-223, Bethesda, Md 20014

Spontaneous skin potential fluctuations (SPF) were recorded during the sleep of 8 acute schizophrenic patients and 6 normal volunteers. While in normals the SPFs decreased during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep and were most numerous during Stages III and IV, the acute schizophrenics had the greatest number of SPFs during REM sleep and waking, and fewest during Stages III and IV sleep. It is hypothesized that this effect represents a lack of normal control during REM sleep in the acute schizophrenic patients. It may be related to the recently reported failure of acute schizophrenics to have post-REM-deprivation supranormal levels of REM seen in normals. It is also possibly connected to a hypothesized serotonergic REM system.