Abstract
Objective Research on the antidepressant effects of sleep deprivation (SD) is lagging and has not produced completely uniform results in humans and animals. The present study aimed to reassess the effect of SD on patients and animals by meta-analysis based on updated research.
Methods We searched PubMed, Embase and Cochrane Library for articles since the first relevant literature published up to June 10th, 2019. Data on sample characteristics, features of SD, and tests for depression were extracted.
Results Fourteen articles were included, eight on humans and six on animals. We found that when the duration of SD in patients was 7–14 days, it reflected antidepression [-1.52 (−2.07, −0.97); I2=19.6%]. In animals, the results of sucrose consumption experiments showed that SD has depressogenic effects [-1.06 (−1.63, −0.49); I2=81.1%], while the results of forced swimming experiments showed that SD treated depression [-1.17 (−2.19, −0.16); I2=80.1%], regardless of the duration of sleep deprivation.
Conclusion SD can be an effective antidepressant measure when the duration is 7–14 days in patients. In animal studies, SD has shown more antidepressant effects when measured by forced swimming experiments, whereas using sucrose consumption tests had the effect of worsening depression.
List of abbreviations
- BDNF
- brain-derived neurotrophic factor
- BLT
- bright light therapy
- CBT
- cognitive behavioral treatment
- HAMD
- Hamilton depression scale
- PSD
- partial sleep deprivation
- RCT
- randomized controlled trials
- rTMS
- repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
- SD
- sleep deprivation
- SMD
- standard mean difference
- SSRIs
- selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
- TCAs
- tricyclic antidepressive agents
- TSD
- total sleep deprivation