Abstract:
Sleep maintains the function of the entire
body through homeostasis. Chronic sleep deprivation
(CSD) is a prime health concern in the modern world.
Previous reports have shown that CSD has profound
negative effects on brain vasculature at both the cellular
and molecular levels, and that this is a major cause of
cognitive dysfunction and early vascular ageing. However, correlations among sleep deprivation (SD), brain
vascular changes and ageing have barely been looked
into. This review attempts to correlate the alterations in
the levels of major neurotransmitters (acetylcholine,
adrenaline, GABA and glutamate) and signalling molecules (Sirt1, PGC1α, FOXO, P66shc, PARP1) in SD and
changes in brain vasculature, cognitive dysfunction and
early ageing. It also aims to connect SD-induced loss in
the number of dendritic spines and their effects on
alterations in synaptic plasticity, cognitive disabilities
and early vascular ageing based on data available in
scientific literature. To the best of our knowledge, this
is the first article providing a pathophysiological basis to
link SD to brain vascular ageing.