Not Getting Enough Sleep? Your Brain Starts Eating Itself

Your brain's maintenance team is called astrocytes and microglia cells. These cells are found in every corner of the brain and 'trim' unnecessary parts, remove 'waste', and ensure the brain functions smoothly. But a new study uncovered an almost chilling discovery: maintenance cells begin to eat healthy brain cells in mice suffering from sleep deprivation. If this happens in mice, it is likely true for other mammals, including humans.

The study, conducted by four Italian researchers, examined what happens to these cells in mice suffering from chronic sleep deprivation. The research involved three groups of mice, where one group of mice slept as much as they wanted, a second group was deprived of sleep for eight extra hours, and the third group was kept awake for five days to simulate chronic sleep deprivation.

In the group that suffered from chronic sleep deprivation, the researchers discovered that the brain's maintenance cells, both astrocytes and microglia, began acting frantically. Instead of operating only where maintenance was required, they started trimming even healthy synapses in the brain. Such activity was observed in 8% of all mice whose sleep was delayed by eight hours and in 13.5% of mice with chronic sleep deprivation. "We demonstrated for the first time that parts of healthy synapses in the brain are literally eaten due to sleep loss," say the researchers.

Assuming what happens to sleep-deprived mice happens to humans too, the lesson is clear: chronic sleep deprivation should be avoided. Not only does no one want to lose healthy brain cells due to late hours, previous studies have already found a link between hyperactivity of microglia cells and degenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's.