Sleeplessness affects the functioning of the brain differently for everyone.
According to a new study at the University of Pennsylvania, the key to predicting how someone is affected by sleep loss may be found in microRNAs.
Sleep Disturbances In Women
The physical, emotional and hormonal changes that occur in women during puberty, menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause can cause Sleep Disturbances
Advertisement
‘The effect of sleep deprivation on the brain varies from person to person. Cognitive impairment in memory and attention after sleep deprivation are different for everyone.’
Tweet it Now
MiRNAs are small non-coding RNAs and are key regulators of gene expression, which guides information in a gene to be made into a functional protein. MiRNAs typically repress expression of their target messenger RNAs, preventing translation into proteins.
This study is the first to find that microRNAs in the blood are changed by total sleep deprivation (TSD) for 39 hours, and by psychological stress, and can predict the resulting cognitive performance in adults. The authors say the findings can be used to identify who is most at risk for the negative effects of sleep deprivation, and thus should receive medical assistance to prevent those effects.
![Insomnia Symptom Evaluation]( "Insomnia Symptom Evaluation")
Insomnia may be due to physiological, psychological, physical or environmental factors. Insomnia should be treated promptly in order to improve the quality of life and prevent other health problems.
In the study, 32 healthy adults participated in a five-day experiment consisting of two, 8-hour baseline nights, followed by 39 hours of total sleep deprivation (TSD), in which they were not allowed to sleep, and followed by two, 8-to-10-hour recovery nights.
Subjects underwent testing for attention, memory, and cognitive throughput, i.e., how fast and accurate the brain performs of cognitive tests, were administered throughout the experiment to measure cognitive performance. Blood samples were taken at six-time points and miRNAs from plasma were analyzed.
Compared to the pre-study time point, 10 miRNAs showed changes in their expression level in subjects who experienced TSD alone compared to 18 miRNAs with expression level changes in these subjects when they experienced TSD and psychological stress.
Notably, from the miRNA blood sample taken before the study began, 14 miRNAs reliably predicted behavioral attention performance during TSD, 7 miRNAs reliably predicted cognitive throughput performance during TSD and 10 miRNAs reliably predicted memory performance.
"These findings show for the first time that miRNAs can track responses to total sleep deprivation and its detrimental combination with psychological stress and predict robust individual differences in various types of cognitive performance," said senior author Namni Goel, Ph.D, an associate professor of Psychology in Psychiatry. "As such, miRNAs are viable biomarkers of sleep deprivation, psychological stress, and cognitive vulnerability in humans and can be used to identify individuals ahead of time who are in need of countermeasures or interventions such as caffeine or naps to mitigate or prevent impairments associated with insufficient sleep."
Source: Eurekalert
Insomnia Symptom Evaluation
Insomnia may be due to physiological, psychological, physical or environmental factors. Insomnia should be treated promptly in order to improve the quality of life and prevent other health problems.
Advertisement
In the study, 32 healthy adults participated in a five-day experiment consisting of two, 8-hour baseline nights, followed by 39 hours of total sleep deprivation (TSD), in which they were not allowed to sleep, and followed by two, 8-to-10-hour recovery nights.
Subjects underwent testing for attention, memory, and cognitive throughput, i.e., how fast and accurate the brain performs of cognitive tests, were administered throughout the experiment to measure cognitive performance. Blood samples were taken at six-time points and miRNAs from plasma were analyzed.
Compared to the pre-study time point, 10 miRNAs showed changes in their expression level in subjects who experienced TSD alone compared to 18 miRNAs with expression level changes in these subjects when they experienced TSD and psychological stress.
Notably, from the miRNA blood sample taken before the study began, 14 miRNAs reliably predicted behavioral attention performance during TSD, 7 miRNAs reliably predicted cognitive throughput performance during TSD and 10 miRNAs reliably predicted memory performance.
"These findings show for the first time that miRNAs can track responses to total sleep deprivation and its detrimental combination with psychological stress and predict robust individual differences in various types of cognitive performance," said senior author Namni Goel, Ph.D, an associate professor of Psychology in Psychiatry. "As such, miRNAs are viable biomarkers of sleep deprivation, psychological stress, and cognitive vulnerability in humans and can be used to identify individuals ahead of time who are in need of countermeasures or interventions such as caffeine or naps to mitigate or prevent impairments associated with insufficient sleep."
Source: Eurekalert
Sleep Disorder: Sleepwalking
Sleepwalking or "Somnambulism," is a type of parasomnia and has medico-legal implications
Advertisement
 Sleep Deprivation can lead to a Host of Serious Health ProblemsWhether you have trouble sleeping or trouble staying asleep, it's important that you address the causes of sleep deprivation and cultivate good sleep habits. | Advertisement
|
Advertisement
Recommended Readings
Latest Mental Health News
Teens using smartphones for more than 4 hours per day had adverse mental health issues than those who used them for fewer hours a day.
The Canadian government has launched 988, a new three-digit suicide crisis helpline to provide suicide prevention support.
Lactobacillus unveils new avenues for therapies targeting anxiety, depression, and various mental health conditions.
Neuroimaging exposes alterations in connectivity among individuals dealing with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), stated study.
Proenkephalin, a chemical molecule present in the brain's hypothalamus, is linked to emotionally driven overeating in response to stress and threats.