Abstract
Sleep is important for neural plasticity, and plasticity underlies sleep-dependent memory consolidation. It is widely appreciated that protein synthesis plays an essential role in neural plasticity. Studies of sleep-dependent memory and sleep-dependent plasticity have begun to examine alterations in these functions in populations with neurological and psychiatric disorders. Such an approach acknowledges that disordered sleep may have functional consequences during wakefulness. Although neurodevelopmental disorders are not considered to be sleep disorders per se, recent data has revealed that sleep abnormalities are among the most prevalent and common symptoms and may contribute to the progression of these disorders. The main goal of this review is to highlight the role of disordered sleep in the pathology of neurodevelopmental disorders and to examine some potential mechanisms by which sleep-dependent plasticity may be altered. We will also briefly attempt to extend the same logic to the other end of the developmental spectrum and describe a potential role of disordered sleep in the pathology of neurodegenerative diseases. We conclude by discussing ongoing studies that might provide a more integrative approach to the study of sleep, plasticity, and neurodevelopmental disorders.
Highlights
Sleep is important for neural plasticity, and plasticity underlies sleep-dependent memory consolidation
Relying on previous results indicating increased phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) during post-monocular-deprivation sleep [183], the same investigators demonstrated that an inhibitor of ERK activation prevented consolidation during sleep, but had no effect on plasticity during wakefulness [316]. These results indicate that mTORC1and ERK-regulated protein synthesis play a significant role in sleep-dependent cortical plasticity
As discussed (Section 4.2.2), sleep deprivation leads to reduced myelination, and white matter abnormalities are hypothesized to be important in the etiology of almost all of the neurodevelopmental disorders that are characterized as having disordered sleep
Summary
Sleep is important for neural plasticity, and plasticity underlies sleep-dependent memory consolidation. Studies of sleep-dependent memory and sleep-dependent plasticity have begun to examine alterations of these functions in populations with neurological and psychiatric disorders. Such an approach acknowledges that disordered sleep may have functional consequences during wakefulness in these disorders. The main goal of this review is to highlight the role of disordered sleep in the pathology of neurodevelopmental disorders and examine some potential mechanisms by which sleep-dependent plasticity may be altered. We will outline the molecular mechanisms by which disordered sleep may exert its influence on cognitive symptoms, such as learning and memory impairments These sections will focus on the molecules and processes that are altered by sleep and by normal and prolonged wakefulness. We will conclude by discussing ongoing studies that might provide a more integrative approach to the study of sleep, plasticity and neurodevelopmental disorders
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