AI Insight
Researchers analyzed brain activity patterns during sleep deprivation in both humans and mice using multiple analytical methods including standard EEG, aperiodic component analysis, and machine learning. They found that theta wave power is the most reliable marker for detecting sleep deprivation (90% accuracy), and that sleep deprivation increases spectral offset while steepening spectral slope, indicating a state of cortical hyperexcitation combined with inefficient neural processing. These cross-species biomarkers could potentially predict which patients with major depressive disorder will respond to sleep deprivation therapy.
Why it matters
Sleep deprivation is an effective rapid treatment for depression, but clinicians cannot currently predict who will benefit. The identified EEG markers, particularly prefrontal theta power and spectral characteristics, could enable personalized treatment selection and help develop better chronotherapeutic interventions for psychiatric disorders.
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⚠️ Preprint – Noch nicht peer-reviewed
Dieser Artikel wurde noch nicht von unabhängigen Experten begutachtet. Die Ergebnisse sind vorläufig und sollten mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden.
Sleep deprivation is a potent, rapid-acting therapeutic intervention for major depressive disorder, yet its underlying neural mechanisms remain poorly understood, hindering the development of predictive biomarkers. Here, we systematically characterize the electro-physiological signatures of prolonged wakefulness using a multi-methodological approach across three independent datasets in humans and mice. By integrating standard power spectral density analysis with aperiodic component fitting (SpecParam) and highly compar-ative time-series analysis (HCTSA), we identified robust cross-species biomarkers of sleep pressure. Machine learning models revealed that theta power is the most consistent feature for differentiating control and sleep deprivation states, achieving up to 90% classification accuracy. Sleep deprivation significantly increased the spectral offset – suggesting global cortical hyperexcitation – while simultaneously steepening the spectral slope. We interpret this simultaneous shift as a state uncoordinated state of hyperexcited and inefficient neu-ral processing. These findings establish reproducible EEG markers of sleep deprivation that transcend species. Given the clinical utility of wake therapy, we propose that prefrontal the-ta power and spectral offset/slope may serve as mechanism-based predictors of therapeu-tic response. Our results provide a framework for the clinical validation of these biomarkers, potentially enabling personalized chronotherapeutic interventions for psychiatric disorders.