Researchers have identified the pathway in the brain that causes cognitive impairment when we haven't gotten enough sleep. In a new study, Penn State biologists and neuroscientists found that when mice were deprived of sleep, a particular enzyme built up in the brain's hippocampus. The hippocampus is the region of the brain linked to learning and the formation of memories. Giving the mice a drug to reduce the enzyme counteracted some of the negative effects of sleeplessness. Principal investigator Ted Abel and his colleagues published their results in the scientific journal Nature. From the University of Pennsylvania:
“Millions of people regularly obtain insufficient sleep,” Abel said. “Our work has identified a treatment in mice that can reverse the cognitive impact of sleep deprivation. Further, our work identifies specific molecular changes in neurons caused by sleep deprivation, and future work on this target protein promises to reveal novel therapeutic approaches to treat the cognitive deficits that accompany sleep disturbances seen in sleep apnea, Alzheimer’s disease and schizophrenia.”
"Fighting Sleep, Penn Researchers Reverse the Cognitive Impairment Caused By Sleep Deprivation"
