Acute sleep deprivation, increased release of the happy hormone dopamine → enhanced synaptic plasticity → maintenance of alertness → euphoria
Entered 2023.11.04 18:10 Views 58 Entered 2023.11.04 18:10 Modified 2023.11.04 09:33 Views 58
Frequently working overnight shifts is very harmful to your health. The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) under the World Health Organization (WHO) has designated overnight shift work as a Group 2A (presumed carcinogen). However, research has shown that working all night long can alleviate depression and make you feel happier. [사진=게티이미지뱅크]Research has shown that ‘acute sleep deprivation’, which occurs when you stay up all night, can have positive effects on health, such as increasing happiness and alleviating depression.
A research team at Northwestern University in the U.S. revealed that mouse experiments showed that acute (short-term) sleep deprivation increases dopamine secretion and reorganizes the brain, improving mood to the point of dizzyness.
Professor Yevgenia Kozorowitsky, a neurobiologist and corresponding author of the study, said, “Most people who happen to work all night feel physically exhausted and tired, but their brains feel happy, dazed, and giddy.” This is the ‘punch-drunk effect’ and is caused by the release of dopamine and the influence of the prefrontal cortex.
The research team caused mild acute sleep deprivation in mice and then examined their behavior and brain activity. As a result, dopamine secretion increased in mice during acute sleep deprivation, and synaptic plasticity (possibility of recovery of function) was also enhanced. A synapse is a junction of brain neurons and is a connection point that transmits signals from one neuron to another neuron. Mice were shown to remain in a state of high mood for several days due to brain reorganization. The mice tested did not have the genetic factors associated with mood disorders in humans.
“Acute sleep deprivation increases the release of the ‘happy hormone’ dopamine, and this dopamine signal enhances the plasticity of neural connections with the prefrontal cortex, producing a powerful anti-depression effect for several days,” said Dr. Ming-Jeong Wu, a postdoctoral researcher and first author of the study. “I pay,” he said. This is the first time that the cause of the punch-drunk effect has been identified.
The all-night cramming that students do the day before an exam can be considered ‘acute sleep deprivation.’ Temporarily staying awake for short periods of time without sleep can have positive effects. However, cramming frequently and continuously is not good for your health. [사진=게티이미지뱅크]There has been quite a bit of research on chronic sleep deprivation, but there has been little research on acute sleep deprivation, such as when students stay up all night cramming before exams.
The research team examined four areas of the brain responsible for dopamine release: prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, hypothalamus, and dorsal striatum. Monitoring dopamine release after acute sleep loss revealed that three of the four regions (prefrontal cortex, nucleus accumbens, and hypothalamus) were involved in dopamine release.
However, when dopamine responses were silenced in the medial prefrontal cortex, the depression-relieving effect disappeared. The amygdala and hypothalamus appeared to be most involved in hyperactivity, but had little to do with its effectiveness in alleviating depression. Most related behaviors, including hyperactivity and increased sexual desire, disappeared within a few hours after acute sleep deprivation, but the depression-relieving effect lasted for several days.
It is unclear why sudden, acute sleep deprivation has this effect on the brain. The research team assumed that evolution was at work. Acute sleep deprivation activates the organism in some way. Although not sleeping for long periods of time can have various harmful effects on a daily basis, temporarily staying awake for short periods of time without sleep can have positive effects.
Professor Kozorowitsky said, “But there is no need to deliberately work all night to brighten a depressed mood. “The depression-relieving effect of acute sleep deprivation is temporary, and a good night’s sleep is very important,” he said. She emphasized, “Going to the gym or taking a walk is better than working late at night.”
The results of this study are expected to help find new antidepressant targets. The results of this study (Dopamine pathways mediating affective state transitions after sleep loss) were published in the online edition of the journal Neuron.
2023-11-04 09:11:54
#stay #night #while.. #Depression #pops #happiness #swells
