Delta Wave - Pharmacology

Pharmacology

While most drugs that affect sleep do so by stimulating sleep onset, or disrupting REM sleep, a number of chemicals and drugs have been shown to alter delta wave activity.

• Delta sleep-inducing peptide, as the name suggests, induces delta wave EEG activity.
• Alcohol reduces SWS delta wave activity, thereby restricting the release of growth hormone (GH) by the pituitary.
• The muramyl peptide, muramyl dipeptide (MDP, N-acetylmuramyl-L-alanyl-D-isoglutamine) has been shown to increase delta wave activity during slow wave sleep.
• The drug Gabapentin, a drug used to control epileptic seizures, increases delta-wave activity and slow wave sleep in adults.
• While hypnotic drugs increase slow wave sleep, they do not increase delta wave activity, and instead increase spindle activity during slow wave sleep.
• Gamma-hydroxy butyrate (GHB) increases delta slow-wave sleep as well as sleep-related growth hormone (GH).