Sleep Helps Repair the Brain, Creates More Brain Cells

Getting adequate rest every night is an essential part of your everyday health. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, those experiencing sleep insufficiencies are more likely to suffer from chronic diseases including hypertension, diabetes, depression and obesity, cancer, increased mortality and reduced quality of life and productivity.

A recent study by researchers from Wisconsin University shows that the rate of production of immature oligodendrocytes has increased by 50 percent when they monitored mice during their sleeping hours. 

The findings show that genes that promote the myelin formation were turned on tduring sleep. Yet in contrast, genes linked to cell death and cellular stress response turned on when the animals stayed awake.

"These findings hint at how sleep or lack of sleep might repair or damage the brain," Mehdi Tafti, PhD, of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland and who was not involved with this study, said via a press release.

The study also found that the reproduction of these brain precursor cells (OPCs) double during sleep, especially during rapid eye movement (REM).

"For a long time, sleep researchers focused on how the activity of nerve cells differs when animals are awake versus when they are asleep," lead study author Dr. Chiara Cirelli said, via the BBC. "Now it is clear that the way other supporting cells in the nervous system operate also changes significantly depending on whether the animal is asleep or awake."

Researchers believe their latest findings suggest that chronic sleep loss could possibly aggravate symptoms of multiple sclerosis or other diseases that damage the myelin sheath.

New research will look at patterns between sleep and MS symptoms.

More information regarding the study can be found via The Journal of Neuroscience.