Flunitrazepam effects on human sleep EEG spectra: Differences in NREM, REM and individual responses

Flunitrazepam (FNZ) (4 mg), an intermediate type benzodiazepine (BDZ) hypnotic was administered orally to five healthy male subjects (Ss) for seven consecutive nights. Sleep EEG from the baseline night (BLN), the initial drug night (IDN), the fourth and the seventh drug nights (4DN, 7DN) was subjected to fast Fourier transform (FFT) analysis. During NREM sleep of 4DN and 7DN sigma band (11.0-12.5 Hz) activity was similarly enhanced in every S. In REM of 4DN and 7DN the beta band (23.0-3-9.0 Hz) was enhanced, but with larger variations among Ss. High intra-individual consistency of the relative EEG power patterns on 4DN and 7DN was observed. These results suggest that 1) EEG responses to FNZ are different in sleep states; explorations of these differences may provide better understandings of sleep mechanisms, and 2) individual variations in EEG responses may reflect individual variations of the BDZ receptor system. These methods may be useful for exploring receptor changes in neuropsychiatric disorders.