Sleep patterns of the monkey and brain serotonin concentration: effect of p-chlorophenylalanine.

The amount of time that monkeys (Macaca mulatta) slept was reduced after they were given p-chlorophenylalanine, a selective depletor of serotonin in animal tissues. The time spent in the rapid eye movement stage of sleep was unchanged, but the time in other sleep stages decreased. Seven regions of the brain had a 31 to 46 percent decrease in serotonin content; the concentration of cerebellar serotonin increased by 44 percent.