Chronic rapid eye movement sleep restriction during juvenility has long-term effects on anxiety-like behaviour and neurotransmission of male Wistar rats.

Modernity imposes a toll on the sleep time of young population, with concomitant increase in symptoms of anxiety and depression. Whether there is a causal relationship between these events are only now being experimentally tested in humans and rodents. In a previous study, we showed that chronic sleep deprivation in juvenile-adolescent male rats led to increased anxiety-like behaviour and changes in noradrenaline and serotonin in the amygdala and hippocampus.

Chronic REM Sleep Restriction in Juvenile Male Rats Induces Anxiety-Like Behavior and Alters Monoamine Systems in the Amygdala and Hippocampus.

Adolescence is marked by major physiological changes, including those in the sleep-wake cycle, such as phase delay, which may result in reduced sleep hours. Sleep restriction and/or deprivation in adult rats activate stress response and seem to be a risk factor for triggering emotional disorders. In the present study, we sought to evaluate the behavioral and neurobiological consequences of prolonged REM sleep restriction in juvenile male rats.