Altered hippocampal transcriptome dynamics following sleep deprivation.

Widespread sleep deprivation is a continuing public health problem in the United States and worldwide affecting adolescents and adults. Acute sleep deprivation results in decrements in spatial memory and cognitive impairments. The hippocampus is vulnerable to acute sleep deprivation with changes in gene expression, cell signaling, and protein synthesis. Sleep deprivation also has long lasting effects on memory and performance that persist after recovery sleep, as seen in behavioral studies from invertebrates to humans. Although previous research has shown that acute sleep deprivation impacts gene expression, the extent to which sleep deprivation affects gene regulation remains unknown. Using an unbiased deep RNA sequencing approach, we investigated the effects of acute sleep deprivation on gene expression in the hippocampus. We identified 1,146 genes that were significantly dysregulated following sleep deprivation with 507 genes upregulated and 639 genes downregulated, including protein coding genes and long non-coding RNAs not previously identified as impacted by sleep deprivation. Notably, genes significantly upregulated after sleep deprivation were associated with RNA splicing and the nucleus. In contrast, downregulated genes were associated with cell adhesion, dendritic localization, the synapse, and postsynaptic membrane. Furthermore, we found through independent experiments analyzing a subset of genes that three hours of recovery sleep following acute sleep deprivation was sufficient to normalize mRNA abundance for most genes, although exceptions occurred for some genes that may affect RNA splicing or transcription. These results clearly demonstrate that sleep deprivation differentially regulates gene expression on multiple transcriptomic levels to impact hippocampal function.

"Moments of Failure": Coping With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Sleep Deprivation, and Being Overweight: A Qualitative Hermeneutic-Phenomenological Investigation Into Participant Perspectives.

BACKGROUND: People living with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often have to cope with additional comorbid disorders. In daily practice, practitioners observe that ADHD not only causes a decline in participants' quality of life, but the presence of sleep and eating disorders also has an impact on daily functioning. The aims of this study are to give meaning to the experiences of participants who are living with ADHD and sleep deprivation and are overweight and to provide additional knowledge and data that will inform integrated treatment in the long term. The following research questions were formulated: METHOD: A qualitative design based on a Parse research method provided the best research framework to answer our questions. The method aims for data saturation, employing six steps in which data collection alternates with data analysis. This iterative process with double hermeneutics enlarges participants' perspectives on their experiences. RESULTS: Participants' daily life is continuously influenced by their experiences with (binge) eating, irregular sleeping patterns, and loss of emotional control. These complex phenomena are often caused by their ADHD, because of underdeveloped coping skills. An everyday struggle with life and difficulty making choices are the leading themes in participant narratives. Continuous feelings of failure, referred to in this report as everyday "failure moments," cause negative self-esteem and negative body image. According to participants, standardized care should include opportunities for participants to tell their life stories as well as an individualized analysis of how ADHD core symptoms affect daily decision making, taking into account sleeping and eating patterns. CONCLUSION: The experience of failure moments, the struggle with making choices, and negative self-esteem and body image all develop in a different way for each participant. When professionals treat participants by solely focusing on the core symptoms using a one-dimensional cognitive behavioral approach, they may overlook underlying (biological) interactions.

Short Daytime Naps Briefly Attenuate Objectively Measured Sleepiness Under Chronic Sleep Restriction.

Study Objectives: Napping is a useful countermeasure to the negative effects of acute sleep loss on alertness. The efficacy of naps to recover from chronic sleep loss is less well understood. Methods: Following 2 baseline nights (10 hours' time-in-bed), participants were restricted to 7 nights of 5-hour sleep opportunity. Ten adults participated in the No-Nap condition, and a further 9 were assigned to a Nap condition with a daily 45-minute nap opportunity at 1300 h. Sleepiness was assessed using the multiple sleep latency test and a visual analogue scale at 2-hour intervals. Both objective and subjective indexes of sleepiness were normalized within subject as a difference from those at baseline prior to sleep restriction. Mixed-effects models examined how the daytime nap opportunity altered sleepiness across the day and across the protocol. Results: Short daytime naps attenuated sleepiness due to chronic sleep restriction for up to 6-8 hours after the nap. Benefits of the nap did not extend late into evening. Subjective sleepiness demonstrated a similar short-lived benefit that emerged later in the day when objective sleepiness already returned to pre-nap levels. Neither measure showed a benefit of the nap the following morning after the subsequent restriction night. Conclusions: These data indicate a short daytime nap may attenuate sleepiness in chronic sleep restriction, yet subjective and objective benefits emerge at different time scales. Because neither measure showed a benefit the next day, the current study underscores the need for careful consideration before naps are used as routine countermeasures to chronic sleep loss.

Stair walking is more energizing than low dose caffeine in sleep deprived young women.

INTRODUCTION: The acute energizing effect of exercise and caffeine has never been examined in a single study of adults with chronic sleep deprivation but evidence from a study of this type could help individuals choose between these two common alertness-enhancing options. AIM: The apriori primary aim of this experiment was to compare the influence of 10-min of low-to-moderate intensity stair walking to the consumption of capsules containing 50mg caffeine or flour (placebo) on feelings of energy in physically active, college female caffeine users with chronic insufficient sleep. Effects on secondary outcomes related to feelings of energy also were assessed. MATERIAL-METHOD: A repeated measures crossover experiment was conducted with 18 college women (18-23years) who reported (i) daily caffeine consumption that was not extreme (40-400mg), (ii) typical leisure time physical activity that was not extreme (at least 2 weekly mild 15-min or longer bouts and no >5 strenuous 15-min or longer bouts), and (iii) sleeping <45h per week. Mood states (POMS-BF), focused on energy feelings (vigor), as well as working memory (N-back), sustained attention (CPT), simple reaction time (SRT), and motivation to complete the cognitive tasks were measured before and after a 10-min exercise condition (20min seated rest followed by 10min of low-to-moderate intensity stair walking) and compared to both a caffeine condition (50mg caffeine capsule followed by 30min of seated rest) and a similar flour (placebo) capsule condition. Condition (exercise, caffeine, placebo)×Time (Baseline, Post-1, Post-2, and for mood Post-3) ANCOVAs (controlling for Condition order) tested the hypothesized effects. RESULTS: Condition×Time interactions showed that stair walking increased POMS-BF vigor at Post-1 compared to both placebo and caffeine. Other interactions were not significant. CONCLUSION: A brief bout of low-to-moderate intensity stair walking has transient energizing effects that exceed a low dose of caffeine for active young women with chronic insufficient sleep.

Sleep loss and recovery after administration of drugs related to different arousal systems in rats.

Sleep is homeostatically regulated suggesting a restorative function. Sleep deprivation is compensated by an increase in length and intensity of sleep. In this study, suppression of sleep was induced pharmacologically by drugs related to different arousal systems. All drugs caused non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep loss followed by different compensatory processes. Apomorphine caused a strong suppression of sleep followed by an intense recovery. In the case of fluoxetine and eserine, recovery of NREM sleep was completed by the end of the light phase due to the biphasic pattern demonstrated for these drugs first in the present experiments. Yohimbine caused a long-lasting suppression of NREM sleep, indicating that either the noradrenergic system has the utmost strength among the examined systems, or that restorative functions occurring normally during NREM sleep were not blocked. Arousal systems are involved in the regulation of various wakefulness-related functions, such as locomotion and food intake. Therefore, it can be hypothesized that activation of the different systems results in qualitatively different waking states which might affect subsequent sleep differently. These differences might give some insight into the homeostatic function of sleep in which the dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems may play a more important role than previously suggested.

Recovery of endocrine and inflammatory mediators following an extended energy deficit.

CONTEXT: Due to current operational requirements, elite soldiers deploy quickly after completing arduous training courses. Therefore, it is imperative that endocrine and inflammatory mediators have fully recovered. OBJECTIVE: Our objective was to determine whether a short-term (2-6 wk) recovery period was sufficient to restore endocrine and inflammatory homeostasis after sustained energy deficit. DESIGN: Before and immediately after the course, serum concentrations of inflammatory and endocrine markers were taken along with anthropometric measures prior to and immediately after the Army Ranger course. In addition, nine soldiers were assessed between 2 and 6 weeks after the course. SETTING: This research occurred in a field setting during an intensive 8-week military training course characterized by high-energy expenditure, energy restriction, and sleep deprivation (U.S. Army Ranger School). PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-three male soldiers (23.0 ± 2.8 y; 177.6 ± 7.9 cm; 81.0 ± 9.6 kg, 16.8 ± 3.9% body fat) participated in this study. INTERVENTIONS: There were no interventions used in this research. OUTCOME MEASURES AND RESULTS: Significant changes occurred in circulating total testosterone (-70%), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (-33%), total IGF-1 (-38.7%), free IGF-1 (-41%), IGF binding protein (IGFBP-6; -23.4%), sex-hormone binding globulin (+46%), thyroid stimulating hormone (+85%), IGFBP-1 (+534.4%), IGFBP-2 (+98.3%), IGFBP-3 (+14.7%), IL-4 (+135%), IL-6 (+217%), and IL-8 (+101%). Significant changes in body mass (-8%), bicep (-14%), forearm (-5%), thigh (-7%), and calf (-2%) circumferences, sum of skinfolds (-52%), and percentage body fat (-54%). All anthropometric, inflammatory, and hormonal values, except T3, were restored to baseline levels within 2-6 weeks after the course. CONCLUSIONS: Endocrine markers and anthropometric measures were degraded, and inflammatory mediators increased after an extended energy deficit. A short-term recovery of 2-6 weeks was sufficient to restore these mediators.

Spatial and reversal learning in the Morris water maze are largely resistant to six hours of REM sleep deprivation following training.

This first test of the role of REM (rapid eye movement) sleep in reversal spatial learning is also the first attempt to replicate a much cited pair of papers reporting that REM sleep deprivation impairs the consolidation of initial spatial learning in the Morris water maze. We hypothesized that REM sleep deprivation following training would impair both hippocampus-dependent spatial learning and learning a new target location within a familiar environment: reversal learning. A 6-d protocol was divided into the initial spatial learning phase (3.5 d) immediately followed by the reversal phase (2.5 d). During the 6 h following four or 12 training trials/day of initial or reversal learning phases, REM sleep was eliminated and non-REM sleep left intact using the multiple inverted flowerpot method. Contrary to our hypotheses, REM sleep deprivation during four or 12 trials/day of initial spatial or reversal learning did not affect training performance. However, some probe trial measures indicated REM sleep-deprivation-associated impairment in initial spatial learning with four trials/day and enhancement of subsequent reversal learning. In naive animals, REM sleep deprivation during normal initial spatial learning was followed by a lack of preference for the subsequent reversal platform location during the probe. Our findings contradict reports that REM sleep is essential for spatial learning in the Morris water maze and newly reveal that short periods of REM sleep deprivation do not impair concurrent reversal learning. Effects on subsequent reversal learning are consistent with the idea that REM sleep serves the consolidation of incompletely learned items.

Effects of a month-long napping regimen in older individuals.

OBJECTIVES: To examine the effects of a month-long nap regimen using one of two durations (45 minutes or 2 hours) on nighttime sleep and waking function in a group of healthy older participants and to assess the degree to which healthy older individuals are willing and able to adhere to such napping regimens. DESIGN: Three laboratory sessions, with 2-week at-home recording interspersed, using a between-participants approach. SETTING: Laboratory of Human Chronobiology at Weill Cornell Medical College and participants' homes. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-two healthy men and women aged 50 to 88 (mean 70). MEASUREMENTS: Polysomnography (sleep electroencephalography), actigraphy, sleep diaries, neurobehavioral performance, sleep latency tests. RESULTS: With the exception of adherence to the protocol, there were few differences between short and long nap conditions. Napping had no negative effect on subsequent nighttime sleep quality or duration, resulting in a significant increase in 24-hour sleep amounts. Such increased sleep was associated with enhanced cognitive performance but had no effect on simple reaction time. Participants were generally able to adhere better to the 45-minute than the 2-hour nap regimen. CONCLUSION: A month-long, daily nap regimen may enhance waking function without negatively affecting nighttime sleep. Using 2-hour naps in such a regimen is unlikely to meet with acceptable adherence; a regimen of daily 1-hour naps may be more desirable for effectiveness and adherence.

Sleep physiology in recovery from burnout.

This study aimed to investigate the role of sleep physiology in recovery from burnout, in particular the relation between sleep and changes in fatigue and whether those changes would be related to return to work. 23 white-collar workers on long-term sick leave (>3 months) due to a burnout related diagnosis and 16 healthy controls were subjected to polysomnographic recordings at baseline and after 6-12 months' rehabilitation. Occupational status, subjective sleep quality, fatigue, anxiety and depression were assessed. Recovery from burnout was accompanied by improved sleep continuity. Significant interaction effects were seen for number of arousals, sleep fragmentation, sleep latency, sleep efficiency and time of rising. The burnout group improved significantly on all symptom variables although the post-treatment levels did not reach the levels of the controls. Recovery from fatigue was related to a reduction of the arousal from sleep and was the best predictor of return to work.

La privación del sueño como método de estudio en el sonambulismo en adultos. A propósito de un caso / Sleep deprivation as diagnostic methodo in adult sleepwalkers

Introducción: : El sonambulismo es considerado como una alteración del sueño benigna en niños, si bien, cuando se presenta en adultos puede producir algún daño en el que lo padece o en los otros. Este trastorno del sueño es más difícil de detectar en los laboratorios del sueño que en el ambiente habitual del paciente, lo cual hace difícil establecer el diagnóstico mediante polisomnografía. El grupo de Montplaisir (Neurology 2002) basándose en el conocimiento de que los sonámbulos presentan un menor control o consolidación del sueño lento estudiaron el efecto que la privación del sueño producía en pacientes sonámbulos y los compararon con controles encontrando que una privación del sueño de 38 horas antes del estudio polisomnográfico nocturno aumentaba la frecuencia y complejidad de los episodios de sonambulismo en el registro. Caso clínico: Se presenta un caso estudiado mediante PSG nocturna precedido de 38 horas de privación de sueño de un varón de 29 años con episodios de sonambulismo con una periocidad de tres episodios o más a la semana desde hace 8 meses. La historia clínica reveló sueño insuficiente y mala higiene del sueño debido a su trabajo como músico de banda. No se detectaron otras alteraciones del sueño ni otras patologías. Se registraron dos episodios de despertares bruscos acompañados de movimientos desde sueño lento compatibles con el diagnóstico de sonambulismo en al adulto. Conclusión: La privación del sueño es una herramienta a tener en cuenta en el estudio del sonambulismo en los laboratorios de estudios de trastornos del sueño facilitando el diagnóstico al inducir episodios registrables (AU)

Introduction: Sleepwalking is considered a benign sleep disturbance in children, although when present in adults can result in injury to the sleeper and to others. This sleep disorder is more difficult to detect in the laboratory of sleep that in the patient’s normal environment, making it difficult to establish the diagnosis through polysomnographie. The group Montplaisir (Neurology 2002) based on the knowledge that sleepwalking presented less control or consolidation of slow sleep studied the effect of sleep deprivation in patients sleepwalking and compared with controls, finding that sleep deprivation for 38 hours before the study PSG increased the frequency and complexity of episodes of sleepwalking in the registry. Case Report: It is presented a case studied by PSG night preceded by 38 hours of sleep deprivation of a man 29year old with episodes of sleepwalking with a frequency of three or more episodes per week for 8 months. The medical history revealed insufficient sleep and poor sleep hygiene due to his work as a musician band. Other sleep disorders and diseases weren’t detected. There were two episodes of sudden waking from slow sleep with movements compatible with a diagnosis of sleepwalking in the adult. Conclusion: The sleep deprivation is a tool to be taken into account in the study of sleepwalking in the laboratories of sleep disorders’studies facilitating the diagnosis for inducing somnambulistic episodes (AU)

Enhancement of sleep stability with Tai Chi exercise in chronic heart failure: preliminary findings using an ECG-based spectrogram method.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the effects of a 12-week Tai Chi exercise program on sleep using the sleep spectrogram, a method based on a single channel electrocardiogram (ECG)-derived estimation of cardiopulmonary coupling, previously shown to identify stable and unstable sleep states. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 24-h continuous ECG data obtained in a clinical trial of Tai Chi exercise in patients with heart failure. Eighteen patients with chronic stable heart failure, left ventricular ejection fraction