The effects of delta-sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP) on wakefulness and sleep patterns in the cat.
Susić. V V; Masirević. G G; Totić. S S
Key Findings
- DSIP reduced the time it took for cats to fall asleep (sleep latency).
- Total sleep time and deep slow‑wave sleep (S2) increased significantly, while light slow‑wave sleep (S1) decreased.
- REM sleep amount, timing, and episode characteristics were unchanged by DSIP.
- The deep‑sleep boost began within the first hour after injection, peaked at >50% of total sleep, and persisted for up to 7 hours.
Practical Outcomes
- The data suggest DSIP can enhance deep sleep without affecting REM, which is attractive for anyone looking to improve sleep quality. However, the study used an invasive brain‑ventricle injection in cats, so the results don’t directly translate to typical human dosing routes (e.g., subcutaneous or nasal). Biohackers may view DSIP as a promising deep‑sleep aid, but more human‑focused research is needed before reliable protocols can be recommended.
Summary
In a study where a synthetic sleep peptide (DSIP) was injected straight into the brain of cats, the animals fell asleep faster and spent a lot more time in deep, restorative sleep (the S2 stage). Light sleep went down, but REM sleep stayed the same. The effect started within the first hour and lasted for several hours before fading.
Abstract
The effect of a single injection of synthetic delta-sleep-inducing peptide (DSIP, 7 nmol/kg) into the lateral ventricle of 10 cats was investigated by monitoring the sleep-wake cycle during an 8 h period. A significant decrease in sleep latency and a significant increase in total sleep and in total slow wave sleep (SWS) was found following DSIP administration. The increase in sleep resulted exclusively from a significant increase in deep slow wave sleep (S2), while light slow wave sleep (S1) was significantly decreased. Neither the total amount of REM sleep, nor hourly values of REM sleep were affected by DSIP application. Additional measures of REM sleep, like REM sleep latency, mean episode number and mean episode length were not different from those found in control conditions. DSIP was immediately effective since the amount of S2 increased to more than 50% in the first postinjection hour and the difference from the control value was highly significant. The increase in S2 was maintained over 7 h, and disappeared by the eighth hour. The increase in S2 was caused by a prolongation of S2 episodes and not by their more frequent occurrence. The results obtained suggest a sleep-facilitating property of DSIP.
Study Information
pubmed
1987
1987-06-30T00:00:00.000Z
10.1016/0006-8993(87)90006-0
9
36