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Chronic sleep deprivation in adolescence can lead to the development of schizophrenia
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
Chronic sleep deprivation during adolescence may lead to the development of schizophrenia and other mental disorders due to the lack of time during which the brain could get rid of unnecessary connections between neurons, scientists from the University of Wisconsin in Madison have concluded.
During the maturation process, the brain creates and destroys many synapses, with the help of which nerve cells (neurons) connect with each other. Normally, these processes occur simultaneously - one synapse disappears, and another appears. In case of violation of this balance, the brain begins to overflow with unnecessary connections, or, conversely, becomes "empty". Both of these conditions lead to severe pathological conditions of the nervous system, memory impairment of schizophrenia.
Scientists have experimentally proven that sleep and wakefulness have different effects on synaptic connections between neurons. Thus, during sleep, the density of connections decreased, and during wakefulness, it increased.
The findings may indicate that sleep deprivation may lead to an increase in the number and density of synaptic connections, leading to an imbalance in neurophysiological processes in the brain...
The experiments are ongoing, and scientists have not yet made any final conclusions. However, it is possible that the observance of the "sleep-wake" regimen has a very colossal significance in the development of schizophrenia and other mental illnesses.
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