Brain devours itself if sleep deprived; study finds

A new study shows whenever it feels like a person is exhausted and lacking in brain capacity it might be due to the chronic sleep deprivation which can literally make the brain eat itself.

Michele Bellesi of Marche Polytechnic University in Italy conducted the research and examined the brains of four types of mice: mice that had regular sleep, with spontaneous wake, with sleep deprivation and with chronic sleep deprivation.

The research published in Journal of Neuroscience stated that Bellesi used block-face scanning software in order to calculate the synapses and cell processes in the animal’s frontal cortex. Closely observing the astrocytes cell, the researchers discovered that the sleep-deprived mice demonstrated more activity with these cells. The result showed that the astrocytes start to break down more of the brain’s debris, Independent reports.

“We show for the first time that portions of the synapses are literally eaten by astrocytes because of sleep loss. It is not necessarily a bad thing as it could just be the brain’s way of cleaning up old brain debris,” Mr Bellesi told the New Scientist.

Researchers also looked into microglial cells and their effects which cover 15% of brain cells. The results showed that these cells, which are also found in the spinal cord, hunt around for plaques, unnecessary or damaged neurons or brain agents.

Also, chronic sleep deprivation ended up in greater indications of the activation of the microglial cells. In short term, the brain ‘eating’ cells could prove to be beneficial as they wipe out harmful debris and could protect healthy brain connections. However when considered in long term, they can cause harm. Bellesi warned that these results were more concerning since the low-level constant activation of these cells can end up in serious brain disorders. He concluded, “We already know that sustained microglial activation has been observed in Alzheimer’s and other forms of neurodegeneration.”