Physiological Impacts of Sleep Deprivation in Rodent Models
Summary
Sleep deprivation in rodent models evokes a constellation of physiological disturbances encompassing neuroendocrine, metabolic, cardiovascular and immunological systems. Acute loss of sleep triggers activation of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis, with sustained elevation of corticosterone levels that drive alterations in glucose metabolism, appetite-regulating hormones and inflammatory mediators. Chronic restriction or selective deprivation of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep disrupts synaptic plasticity, reflected in altered brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) expression in the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex, and predisposes to anxiety-like and depressive-like behaviours. Metabolic studies reveal a negative energy balance, reduced adipose depots and muscle atrophy accompanied by shifts in lipid profiles and insulin-sensitivity. Proteomic and metabolomic analyses further demonstrate perturbations in pathways governing energy homeostasis, cardiovascular function and neuronal signalling. Collectively, these models illuminate mechanisms by which insufficient sleep contributes to obesity, diabetes, mood disorders and cardiovascular disease, offering translational insights for therapeutic interventions.
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Physiological Impacts of Sleep Deprivation in Rodent Models publication trend
The graph below shows the total number of articles in physiological impacts of sleep deprivation in rodent models across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).
Technical terms
Corticosterone: The principal glucocorticoid in rodents released during stress, modulating energy balance, immune responses and sleep homeostasis.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF): A neurotrophin crucial for synaptic plasticity, learning and memory, sensitive to alterations in sleep architecture.
Proteomics: The large-scale study of protein expression and interactions within biological samples, used to identify biomarkers of disease states.
Adipose tissue: Specialized connective tissue that stores energy as fat and secretes adipokines influencing metabolism and inflammation.
REM sleep deprivation: A method that selectively disrupts rapid eye movement sleep in rodents, often via platform or treadmill protocols, to study its physiological consequences.
References
- Chronic sleep restriction during juvenility alters hedonic and anxiety-like behaviours in a sex-dependent fashion in adolescent Wistar rats. Frontiers in Neuroscience (2024).
- Sleep Deprivation and Central Appetite Regulation. Nutrients (2022).
- Role of Corticosterone on Sleep Homeostasis Induced by REM Sleep Deprivation in Rats. PLOS ONE (2013).
- Proteomic analysis of rat serum revealed the effects of chronic sleep deprivation on metabolic, cardiovascular and nervous system. PLOS ONE (2018).
- Negative Energy Balance Induced by Paradoxical Sleep Deprivation Causes Multicompartmental Changes in Adipose Tissue and Skeletal Muscle. International Journal of Endocrinology (2015).
- Sleep deprivation affects inflammatory marker expression in adipose tissue. Lipids in Health and Disease (2010).
- Serum and Brain Metabolomic Variations Reveal Perturbation of Sleep Deprivation on Rats and Ameliorate Effect of Total Ginsenoside Treatment. International Journal of Genomics (2017).
- Type of diet modulates the metabolic response to sleep deprivation in rats. Nutrition & Metabolism (2011).
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