Alcohol, Slow Wave Sleep, and the Somatotropic Axis

• Published in: Alcohol (Fayetteville, N.Y.) Vol. 18; no. 2; pp. 109 - 122
• Main Author: Lands, William E.M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01.06.1999; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects; Alcoholism - physiopathology; Alcoholism and acute alcohol poisoning; Biological and medical sciences; Cholecystokinin; Cytokines; Female; Growth Hormone-Releasing Hormone - drug effects; Human Growth Hormone - drug effects; Humans; Leptin; Low-dose alcohol; Male; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep; Sleep - drug effects; Slow wave sleep (SWS); Somatostatin; Somatotropin; Thalamus; Toxicology; Withdrawal; Somatotropin; Cytokines; Withdrawal; Leptin; Low-dose alcohol; Thalamus; Slow wave sleep (SWS); Cholecystokinin; Somatostatin; Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep; Human; Ethanol; Somatotropin releasing factor; Alcoholism; Peptide hormone; Somatotropin hormone; Rapid eye movement sleep; Slow wave sleep; Hypothalamic hormone; Chronic; Hormone releasing factor
• ISSN: 0741-8329; 1873-6823
• DOI: 10.1016/S0741-8329(98)00073-1

When alcohol is a large proportion of daily nutrient energy, the network of signals for energy homeostasis appears to adapt with abnormal patterns of sleep and growth hormone (GH) release along with gradual acquisition of an addictive physical dependency on alcohol. Early relapse during treatment of alcoholism is associated with a lower GH response to challenge, perhaps reflecting an altered balance of somatostatin (SS) to somatotropin releasing hormone (GHRH) that also affects slow wave sleep (SWS) in dependent patients. Normal patterns of sleep have progressively shorter SWS episodes and longer rapid eye movement (REM) episodes during the overall sleep period, but the early sleep cycles of alcoholics have truncated or non-existent SWS episodes, and the longer REM episodes occur in early cycles. During SWS delta wave activity, the hypothalamus releases GHRH, which causes the pituitary to release GH. Alcohol-dependent patients have lower levels of SWS power and GH release than normal subjects, and efforts to understand the molecular basis for this maladaptation and its relation to continued alcohol dependence merit encouragement. More needs to be learned about the possibility of decreasing alcohol dependency by increasing SWS or enhancing GHRH action. Published by Elsevier Science Inc.