Sleep Med Psychophysiol.  2013 Jun;20(1):5-9.

Relationship between Sleep, Suicide, and Serotonin

Affiliations
  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Ilsan Paik Hospital, Inje University College of Medicine, Goyang, Korea. medipark@hanmail.net

Abstract

One of hypothesis is that sleep loss related to a decrease in serotonergic activity plays a significant role in attempted suicide. A growing evidence suggests that central serotonergic activity plays a key role in the etiology of suicide. It has been reported that the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA), the main metabolite of serotonin, were reduced in suicide attempters. In addition, there is evidence that tryptophan hydroxylase is associated with suicide. The association between sleep and suicide was also suggested by some researchers. Several recent studies have showed the association between sleep disturbance and suicide rates in patients with mental disorders and in a general population. In addition, it has been suggested that serotonin plays a role in maintaining arousal and regulating muscle tone and in regulating some of the phasic events of REM sleep. Especially, it is well-known that 5-HT2 receptors are related to slow wave sleep. In conclusion, it is clear that sleep, serotonin activity, and suicide are linked, although the direction of causation needs clarification. In future, large population-based cohort studies are needed to demonstrate the direction of causation in the relationships between sleep, serotonin activity, and suicide.

Keyword

Sleep; Suicide; Serotonin

MeSH Terms

Arousal
Cohort Studies
Humans
Mental Disorders
Muscles
Serotonin
Sleep, REM
Suicide
Suicide, Attempted
Tryptophan Hydroxylase
Serotonin
Tryptophan Hydroxylase
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