The Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor: Missing Link Between Sleep Deprivation, Insomnia, and Depression.

The Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor: Missing Link Between Sleep Deprivation, Insomnia, and Depression. Neurochem Res. 2019 Nov 28;: Authors: Rahmani M, Rahmani F, Rezaei N Abstract The brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mediates the plasticity-related changes that associate with memory processing during sleep. Sleep deprivation and chronic stress are associated with propensity to depression, anxiety, and insomnia. We propose a model by which explain alterations in the CNS and serum expression of BDNF associated with chronic sleep deprivation, depression, and insomnia. Mild sleep deprivation activates the cerebral cortex and brainstem to generate the physiologic drive for non-rapid eye movement (NREM) and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep drive respectively, associated with BDNF upregulation in these regions. This physiological response loses effectiveness with longer episodes or during chronic of total or selective REM sleep loss, which are associated with impaired hippocampal BDNF expression, impaired memory and cognition. Chronic sleep deprivation and insomnia can act as an external stressors and result in depression, characterized by hippocampal BDNF downregulation along with disrupted frontal cortical BDNF expression, as well as reduced levels and impaired diurnal alterations in serum BDNF expression. Acute REM sleep deprivation breaks the cycle by restoration of hippocampal, and possibly restoration of cortical and serum ex...
Source: Neurochemical Research - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Neurochem Res Source Type: research