Article courtesy of ScienceDaily (Nov. 4, 2010).
Researchers at the Allen Institute for Brain Science and SRI International have published the most systematic study to date of the effects of sleep deprivation on gene expression in the brain. The findings have implications for improving the understanding and management of the adverse effects of sleep deprivation on brain function.
The study, available in Frontiers in Neuroscience, has created an extensive and detailed map of gene activity, known as gene expression, in the mouse brain across five behavioral conditions including sleeping, waking and sleep deprivation. Activity of approximately 220 genes responding to these conditions was examined in detail, down to the cellular level, throughout the brain. Additionally, seven brain areas were examined by DNA microarray analysis, which reports the expression levels of tens of thousands of genes and allows a genome-wide analysis of the consequences of sleep deprivation.
"Although most people experience occasional sleep deprivation and recognize its impact on their mood and behavior, there is little scientific understanding of how sleep loss actually affects brain function," said Thomas Kilduff, Ph.D., senior director of the Center for Neuroscience at SRI International. "This pioneering study documents how extending wakefulness affects gene expression in specific brain regions and describes a 'molecular anatomical signature' of sleep deprivation. Our findings may contribute to treatments that will help improve sleep quality and reduce problems arising from sleep deprivation."