The busy pace of life that has spread today, in which you have to know how to combine hard working hours with an intense social life , makes many want more than ever those moments of rest that involve sleeping. The hours we spend in bed are often the best way to refuel and prepare for another day . But, sometimes, that same rhythm that exhausts us is the one that prevents us from recovering: stress, negativity, depression … A new study has found a neural link between depression and sleep problems such as insomnia.
A joint study by the University of Warwick (United Kingdom) and Fudan University (China) indicates the existence of a functional connectivity between the areas of the brain associated with short-term memory, the ‘self’ and negative emotions, deriving this connection in depression and leading, generally, to cases of lack of sleep or insomnia . Professors Jianfeng Feng, Edmund Rolls and Wei Cheng , together with their team, analyzed data from nearly 10,000 people to understand the neural mechanisms underlying the relationship between depression and quality of sleep.
Neural connections
During the data analysis, the brains of those suffering from depression had a stronger link between the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (associated with short-term memory), the precuneus (associated with the ‘self’) and the lateral orbitofrontal cortex (associated with negative thoughts and emotions). Researchers believe that increased functional connectivity in these specific brain regions provides a neural basis for how depression affects sleep quality. “This study may lead to a deeper understanding of depression. We now know that the lateral orbitofrontal cortex is a key area of the brain where new treatments for this disease could focus , ”said Edmund Rolls.
Insomnia and lack of sleep have become some of the most common problems in the world , affecting more than a third of the world’s population and are often related to other pathologies such as increased dependence on electronic devices. Depression, on the other hand, is one of the longest lasting and most widespread disorders among the population according to the World Health Organization, affecting some 216 million people , 3% of the world’s population.
As Professor Jianfeng Feng , head of the study, pointed out, the relationship between depression and sleep has been known for a long time and has been corroborated by other studies: 75% of patients suffering from depression claim to have sleep problems . This relationship also occurs inversely, as people with insomnia (short and irregular sleep periods) or similar problems sleeping are more likely to develop symptoms of depression or anxiety than those who sleep normally.
The Warwick and Fudan study has identified, for the first time, the neural mechanism that connects both pathologies and can be applied to new treatments against depression that, by treating the identified brain areas, will improve the quality of sleep.
Citation: Wei Cheng, Edmund T. Rolls, Jiangfeng Feng & team. ‘Functional Connectivities in the Brain that mediate the association between depressive problems and sleep quality’. NeuroscienceNews.com (2018). DOI: 10.1001 / jamapsychiatry.2018.1941
As Professor Jianfeng Feng , head of the study, pointed out, the relationship between depression and sleep has been known for a long time and has been corroborated by other studies: 75% of patients suffering from depression claim to have sleep problems . This relationship also occurs inversely, as people with insomnia (short and irregular sleep periods) or similar problems sleeping are more likely to develop symptoms of depression or anxiety than those who sleep normally.
The Warwick and Fudan study has identified, for the first time, the neural mechanism that connects both pathologies and can be applied to new treatments against depression that, by treating the identified brain areas, will improve the quality of sleep.
Citation: Wei Cheng, Edmund T. Rolls, Jiangfeng Feng & team. ‘Functional Connectivities in the Brain that mediate the association between depressive problems and sleep quality’. NeuroscienceNews.com (2018). DOI: 10.1001 / jamapsychiatry.2018.1941
