Which polysomnographic finding is characteristically seen in patients with major depressive disorder compared with healthy controls?
- A Prolonged REM latency and increased slow-wave sleep
- B Increased total sleep time with normal REM architecture
- C Shortened REM latency and reduced slow-wave sleep in the first NREM period ✓
- D Absence of stage N2 sleep with preserved REM latency
Correct answer: C. Shortened REM latency and reduced slow-wave sleep in the first NREM period
Explanation
Depression produces a characteristic sleep architecture profile: shortened REM latency, increased REM density, and reduced slow-wave sleep concentrated in the first NREM period, along with early morning awakening. These changes resemble premature aging of sleep and support the cholinergic-noradrenergic imbalance hypothesis. Option A describes the opposite pattern, and options B and D describe findings not associated with depression, making them implausible distractors.
Reference: Kaplan and Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry, 12th ed.
High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP
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