Baseline predictors to the response to slow wave sleep suppression in patients with major depressive disorder

Diplôme Master Baseline predictors to the response to slow wave sleep suppression in patients with major depressive disorder eng 2026-06-03 author Zappellaz Estelle 423886 director Nissen Christoph 974582 Département de psychiatrie (PSYAT) director Feher Kristoffer 983936 Département de psychiatrie (PSYAT) director Henckaerts Pauline Annette 841118 Département de psychiatrie (PSYAT) 38 Closed-loop auditory stimulation (CLAS) has emerged as a non-invasive tool to modulate sleep over the past few years. Selective suppression of slow wave sleep (SWS) has been proposed to produce fast-acting antidepressant effects in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD), and to be a less demanding and more sustainable alternative to therapeutic sleep deprivation for MDD. However, the mechanisms underlying these effects remain poorly understood. The present work investigated the efficacy of SWS modulation using CLAS in MDD population and explored potential baseline predictors of response. Fourteen patients diagnosed with MDD participated in a repeated-measures protocol comprising four sleep laboratory nights: adaptation, baseline, and two counterbalanced experimental nights (SWS suppression and sham). The effect of auditory closed-loop SWS suppression on sleep was evaluated using high-density electroencephalography (EEG), and depressive symptoms were assessed before and after each night using Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS). SWS suppression was achieved using a closed-loop auditory stimulation automatically delivering pink noises upon SWS detection. We were able to observe a trend towards reduced N3 percentage during the stimulation night in the intention-to-treat sample, while remaining sleep parameters were stable across the sham and stimulation nights. No clear baseline predictors of response were identified, although a higher medication load appeared to be associated with a smaller N3 percentage reduction following stimulation. Taken together, these findings suggest that selective SWS suppression via CLAS is feasible and can be achieved without any major disruption to overall sleep quality, with promising therapeutic implications for individuals with MDD. Dewey 616.8 Master’s degree in Neuroscience 53 Département de neurosciences fondamentales 21A false 1452 Recherche sur le sommeil en psychiatrie 1069 c5e6f6e8-9504-40b8-824c-e41b7ee7742f Master thesis Restricted Zappellaz_Estelle_Master's_thesis_2.pdf 1602252 application/pdf a51dea07cd0fa9cf3ab4afd8d20f4af32e78fd0b61f2f4995a6ceb9419c97b17 restrictedAccess Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine fondamentale / Département de neurosciences fondamentales

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Baseline predictors to the response to slow wave sleep suppression in patients with major depressive disorder				2026	1	0

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