Tuesday, 19 March, 2024
HomeNeuroscienceSleep loss causes permanent loss of brain cells

Sleep loss causes permanent loss of brain cells

Sleep loss may be more serious than previously thought, causing a permanent loss of brain cells, reports [s]BBC News[/s]. According to a study in [b]The Journal of Neuroscience[/b], in mice, prolonged lack of sleep led to 25% of certain brain cells dying. If the same is true in humans, it may be futile to try to catch up on missed sleep, say US scientists. [b]Prof Sigrid Veasey of the Centre for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology[/b] is quoted as saying: 'We now have evidence that sleep loss can lead to irreversible injury. This might be in a simple animal but this suggests to us that we are going to have to look very carefully in humans.' She said the next step was to examine the brains of shift workers after death for evidence of any loss of brain cells.

[link url=http://www.bbc.com/news/health-26630647]Full BBC News report[/link]
[link url=http://www.jneurosci.org/content/34/12/4418.short?sid=bb5d6ef6-7f7c-4442-bae6-6fab872d77c1]Journal of Neuroscience abstract only[/link]

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