UC Irvine

Key PointsSleep deprivation triggers a set of bidirectional changes in brain activity and connectivity, depending on the specific cognitive or affective behaviours engaged.Changes in brain activity are observed when averaged across a session of task performance and during on-task performance, wherein marked brain network instability seems to be a neural hallmark of sleep deprivation.Not all changes in brain function that are associated with sleep loss are maladaptive and thus represent deficiencies, as some predict resilience in behavioural ability and are therefore compensatory.These basic scientific findings offer causal mechanistic insights into select neurological and psychiatric disorders in which abnormalities in sleep and cognition or emotion are highly comorbid, indicating that sleep intervention is an underappreciated and novel target for disease treatment and/or prevention.The robust neural and behavioural phenotypes characterized by this Review can inform debates regarding sleep recommendations for both public and professional health policies, especially in light of the escalating sleep-loss epidemic prevalent throughout industrialized nations.