A crucial stage often overlooked: researchers have discovered what influences brain development during childhood.

A recent study has highlighted the critical role of sleep for the young brain: early deprivation can lead to cognitive impairments with long-lasting effects, especially during developmental stages. Researchers found that young mice deprived of sleep faced significant difficulties in forming the neural connections essential for memory and learning. In contrast, adult mice showed minimal effects, suggesting that the need for sleep changes with age: the young brain relies on sleep for fundamental growth and cognitive functions, while adults use sleep more for recovery and maintenance, according to PsyPost.

Graham Diering, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of the study, emphasizes that "sleep is increasingly understood as a fundamental foundation of health" by scientists and society, particularly during brain development. His team investigated why sleep appears especially crucial for young mammals. "In this study, we asked whether sleep could serve unique functions during brain development," Diering explained, noting that young animals are more vulnerable to sleep loss than adults, which may make children particularly susceptible to the developmental consequences of sleep deprivation.

The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, also links sleep patterns to various complications, such as autism spectrum disorder. Diering's team observed a high level of sleep disruption in children with autism and other developmental disorders, prompting further exploration of this issue. Previous studies from his lab showed that young mice with genetic predispositions and sleep disturbances in early life later exhibited autism-like behaviors. This finding underscores how genetic vulnerability and sleep deprivation can jointly impact neurodevelopment, potentially opening pathways for treatments aimed at regulating sleep.

In the study, scientists monitored mice at three life stages—juvenile, adolescent, and adult—using a piezoelectric system that recorded sleep and wake patterns non-invasively. Behavioral tests, such as a new object recognition task, demonstrated that young sleep-deprived mice struggled with their responsibilities, showing declines in memory and learning ability. Molecular analysis indicated that sleep deprivation hindered the production of proteins necessary for synapse development in young mice but had no significant impact on adults.

This age-related effect suggests that while sleep in adults supports maintenance, in the young brain, it plays an even more crucial role in ongoing structural growth and refinement of its circuits. The researchers' study raises new questions about the broader implications of sleep in the development of a young person, particularly regarding its role in preventing or mitigating various disorders. Diering notes: "You can't 'make up' for lost sleep," meaning that sleep missed during development can have long-term consequences, as we cannot go back and recover lost rest. Future research may explore how prolonged sleep loss interacts with genetic risk for autism and other conditions, potentially leading to sleep-based interventions to support child development, the scientists believe.

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