Deprivation of sleep in adolescents might cause harm to the brain

Updated Trends: A new study has underlined the importance of sleep in the adolescent age group. Deprivation of sleep in the adolescence is likely to cause long lasting damage to the nerve cells in the brain, if the results of a new US study is to be believed.

A series of tests was conducted by the scientists at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the US. The tests were carried out on mice, out of which some of them were naturally awake for a duration of eight to ten hours, while the others were made to be forcefully awake.

The scientists had found that the mice that were deprived of sleep, had some imbalances in growth and also suffered from synapses, which is the decrease in the connections between the nerve cells. The result of the study was published in the journal Nature Neuroscience have clearly indicated that many of the adolescents do not get the required amount of sleep.

The associate professor in the department of psychiatry of the university, Dr. Chiara Cirelli has said that one possible implication of the study is that if the adolescents lose too much of sleep, especially when it becomes chronic, then the consequences may be long lasting in terms of the wiring of the brain. Cirelli has also added that it has been still not found if the consequences are temporary, benign or reversible.