Sleep rebound leads to marked recovery of prolonged sleep deprivation-induced adversities in the stress response and hippocampal neuroplasticity of male rats

Background Sleep disturbances are not only frequent symptoms, but also risk factors for major depressive disorder. We previously reported that depressed patients who experienced “Hypersomnia” showed a higher and more rapid response rate under paroxetine treatment, but the underlying mechanism remains unclear. The present study was conducted to clarify the beneficial effects of sleep rebound through an experimental “Hypersomnia” rat model on glucocorticoid and hippocampal neuroplasticity associated with antidepressive potency. Methods Thirty-four male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to sham treatment, 72-h sleep deprivation, or sleep deprivation and subsequent follow-up for one week. Approximately half of the animals were sacrificed to evaluate adrenal weight, plasma corticosterone level, hippocampal content of mRNA isoforms, and protein of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (Bdnf) gene. In the other half of the rats, Ki-67- and doublecortin (DCX)-positive cells in the hippocampus were counted via immunostaining to quantify adult neurogenesis. Results Prolonged sleep deprivation led to adrenal hypertrophy and an increase in the plasma corticosterone level, which had returned to normal after one week follow-up. Of note, sleep deprivation-induced decreases in hippocampal Bdnf transcripts containing exons II, IV, VI, and XI and BDNF protein levels, Ki-67-(+)-proliferating cells, and DCX-(+)-newly-born neurons were not merely reversed, but overshot their normal levels with sleep rebound. Limitations The present study did not record electroencephalogram or assess behavioral changes of the sleep-deprived rats. Conclusions The present study demonstrated that prolonged sleep deprivation-induced adversities are reversed or recovered by sleep rebound, which supports “Hypersomnia” in depressed patients as having a beneficial pharmacological effect.