Pulling an all-nighter works as an antidepressant: study

health

by Brooke Kato

University students, rejoice! Staying up all night might be more beneficial than getting an A.

The familiar “melancholy but tired” feeling from just one night of sleep deprivation may actually have an antidepressant effect. According to research It was conducted by a team from Northwestern University.

Study author Evgenia Kozorovitsky, associate professor of neurobiology, said that while chronic sleep deprivation has been studied in detail, scientists have found that short-term sleep deprivation is “comparable to a student staying up all night before an exam.” He said he was interested in investigating the impact.

“We found that sleep deprivation causes powerful antidepressant effects and rewires the brain,” Kozolovitzki said. stated in a statement.

“This is an important reminder that our casual activities, like sleepless nights, can fundamentally change our brains in just a few hours.”

The study, published Thursday in the journal Neuron, analyzed the effects of short-term sleep deprivation on mice to identify the brain regions that control sleep-induced behavioral changes, or lack thereof.

Mice without a predisposition to mood disorders and placed in an environment that was stressful enough to remain awake exhibited hyperactive, hypersexual, and aggressive behavior compared to sleeping mice. Ta.

When researchers studied the activity of dopamine neurons, which control reward responses in the brain, mice that experienced sleep deprivation also had higher activity.

To narrow down which of the four dopamine-producing regions were affected by sleep deprivation, researchers “silenced” them. medial prefrontal cortex.

Conversely, there was no antidepressant effect.

“This means that the prefrontal cortex is a clinically relevant region when looking for therapeutic targets,” Kozorowitsky says.

“But this also confirms the idea that has recently been building in the field: dopamine neurons play a very important but completely different role in the brain,” added Kozorovitsky. “They’re not a monolithic group that just predicts rewards.”

Even after one night of sleep deprivation, the antidepressant effects lasted for several days and even increased neuroplasticity.

But while the short-lasting benefits are likely the result of evolution, Kozolovitzky says, it’s not a panacea.

After all, chronically not getting enough sleep is associated with health problems such as decreased cognitive function and poor long-term mental health.

“The effects of antidepressants are temporary and we know the importance of good sleep,” said Professor Kozorovitsky, adding that her team’s research could help better match antidepressants to patients. I believe it will be.

“I think it would be better to go to the gym or go for a walk.”