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Sleep deprivation model for psychosis

Sleep deprivation model for psychosis

Not sleeping for one night can lead to signs comparable to the symptoms of schizophrenia, report scientists in their publication in The Journal of Neuroscience. In people who stay awake for 24 hours the ability to filter information gets as disrupted as is the case in psychotic patients. This phenomenon could be used as a model in the development of new treatments for schizophrenia.



Sleep deprivation led to the disability to process and filter input in the 24 healthy test subjects. This resulted in chaos in the brain. A higher sensitivity for odor, light, color and sound was observed and changes were seen in the way mental leaps were made. A few of the test subjects had a different sense of time and perception of the body and some even claimed to be able to read minds.

That sleep deprivation leads to a disruption in the ability to focus was already known. However, it is noticeable how pronounced the signs in comparison with those of schizophrenia are and how wide the spectrum of these signs is.

The observation could potentially be used in research on new medication and therapies to treat psychosis. Models for mental disorders until now are simulated through the use of active substances. However, the simulation of psychosis symptoms through the effect of substances has its limitations. Besides that, sleep deprivation is a safer method; a good night’s sleep leads to immediate disappearance of the psychosis-like symptoms.

Source: The Journal of Neuroscience.

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