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After discussing the validity of the experimental procedures involved, Vogel presents a critical review of the various findings of studies on the effects of REM sleep deprivation in animals (rats, mice, and cats) and in humans. Among the findings in animals is that REM sleep deprivation in rats increases waking cortical excitability and enhances stimulus-evoked sexual and aggressive behavior. In uncontrolled studies of REM sleep deprivation in cats, increases in sexual, eating, and grooming behavior were found. In the section dealing with humans, Vogel concisely clears up the 'original—and mistakenly persistent—notion that REM deprivation is dream elimination'. He points out that visual and hallucinatory mental activity is frequently reported from NREM sleep and that REM reports can be distinguished from NREM reports 90% of the time. Studies have also shown that frequent dreaming occurs at sleep onset in the absence of REM sleep. Only total sleep deprivation would produce dream elimination. The author shows that the deleterious psychological effects of REM sleep deprivation found in early studies was an erroneous finding that has since been disclaimed and explained as an artifact of the procedures. Significantly, REM sleep amounts in schizophrenics are not remarkably different from those in nonschizophrenics, and REM sleep in hallucinating schizophrenics is not remarkably different from that of nonhallucinating schizophrenics or nonschizophrenic controls. However, a number of studies of schizophrenics did not show a normal REM rebound following experimental REM deprivation.
In the last section of this review, Vogel includes a summary of his own recent report (which appears on pp. 765-777 of the same issue) and of other papers on REM sleep deprivation and depression. The hypothesis that REM sleep deprivation, which increases REM pressure, alleviates depression is tested. The results support the hypothesis for endogenous but not for reactive depression. It