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EldestPort t1_iuie3xy wrote

Reply to comment by confuzzled21 in Eli5 What are the long term consequences of drugs that suppress REM sleep? by muted_Log_454

>I'm not sure there's been any studies regarding long term use of specific drugs on memory, but there could be some out there.

Here is an interesting one

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MotherMaintenance342 t1_iuioylz wrote

Doesn't seem like it's based on specific drugs though, which strengthens their point. Not a bad study, but still not as precise as desired.

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EldestPort t1_iujzyl2 wrote

Yes that is true! I did a little extra digging and found some more studies. This one, 'Pharmacological REM sleep suppression paradoxically improves rather than impairs skill memory', found that SSRIs did not, in fact, affect the creation of new memories. The study 'Sleep and cognition at baseline and the effects of REM sleep diminution after 1 week of antidepressive treatment in patients with depression' similarly found 'no negative effects of a decrease in REM sleep on memory performance in patients taking antidepressants' in their study using SSRIs and SNRIs. Both studies here may imply that new memories can be created during sleep even in the absence of REM sleep.

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