Peripheral brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in insomnia: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Associations between immune biomarkers and symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia in paediatric inflammatory bowel disease: A preliminary longitudinal analysis

Innate immunity may influence the onset of affective symptoms and alter sleep patterns in chronic inflammatory conditions. Here, we tested the prospective associations between baseline serum C-reactive protein (CRP), albumin, and CRP/albumin ratio (CAR, i.e., an emerging biomarker of disease activity), and self-reported symptoms of anxiety, depression, and insomnia at 1-year follow up in paediatric inflammatory bowel disease (n = 17). After controlling for baseline values, CAR (ρ = 0.591, p = 0.026) predicted anxiety symptoms, while albumin predicted both anxiety (ρ = -0.687, p = 0.007) and insomnia symptoms (ρ = -0.648, p = 0.012). Current findings preliminarily suggest that inflammation may influence anxiety and sleep disturbance in paediatric IBD.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels across psychiatric disorders: A systemic review and network meta-analysis

As an important neurotrophic factor in the central nervous system, Brain-derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders in many studies. However, its value as a biomarker for the diagnosis and differential diagnosis of mental disorders is still controversial, and its change patterns among different mental disorders have not been compared. We conducted a network meta-analysis of BDNF levels in different psychiatric disorders including schizophrenia(SCZ), major depressive disorder(MDD), bipolar disorder(BD), panic disorder(PD), post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD), obsessive-compulsive disorder(OCD), generalized anxiety disorder(GAD) and insomnia. Studies were identified by searching electronic databases through 31/05/2023. BDNF levels decreased in patients with BD, MDD, OCD, PD, SCZ compared with controls, while significantly increased in patients with PTSD. According to the network meta-analysis, BDNF levels were significantly decreased in MDD and SCZ compared with BD (-2.6, 95% CIs [-5.32 to -0.15] and - 2.68 95% CIs [-5.18 to -0.23] respectively). However, in the traditional meta-analysis, there was a trend towards lower BDNF levels in SCZ compared to BD, with no significant difference (SMD = -0.20, 95% CIs [-0.49 to 0.08]). In conclusion, abnormal BDNF levels have been found in psychiatric disorders, and the changes in peripheral BDNF levels in patients with psychiatric disorders were reconfirmed in this study, which suggests BDNF exhibits promising clinical utility and may hold diagnostic value in distinguishing between MDD and BD.

Acupuncture for primary insomnia: Effectiveness, safety, mechanisms and recommendations for clinical practice

Primary insomnia (PI) is an increasing concern in modern society. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia is the first-line recommendation, yet limited availability and cost impede its widespread use. While hypnotics are frequently used, balancing their benefits against the risk of adverse events poses challenges. This review summarizes the clinical and preclinical evidence of acupuncture as a treatment for PI, discussing its potential mechanisms and role in reliving insomnia. Clinical trials show that acupuncture improves subjective sleep quality, fatigue, cognitive impairments, and emotional symptoms with minimal adverse events. It also positively impacts objective sleep processes, including prolonging total sleep time, improving sleep efficiency, reducing sleep onset latency and wake after sleep onset, and enhancing sleep architecture/structure, including increasing N3% and REM%, and decreasing N1%. However, methodological shortcomings in some trials diminish the overall quality of evidence. Animal studies suggest that acupuncture restores circadian rhythms in sleep-deprived rodents and improves their performance in behavioral tests, possibly mediated by various clinical variables and pathways. These may involve neurotransmitters, brain-derived neurotrophic factors, inflammatory cytokines, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, gut microbiota, and other cellular events. While the existing findings support acupuncture as a promising therapeutic strategy for PI, additional high-quality trials are required to validate its benefits.

Comparative Analysis of the Sedative and Hypnotic Effects among Various Parts of Zizyphus spinosus Hu and Their Chemical Analysis

Zizyphus spinosus Hu (ZS), as a "medicinal and food-homologous" plant, has been used for a long history. The study was to assess the sedative and hypnotic effects among various parts of ZS. The model, diazepam (DZP), ZS kernel (ZSS), ZS flesh (ZSF), and ZS husk (ZSKS) group occurred subsequent to the successful establishment of the para-chlorophenylalanine induced insomnia model via intraperitoneal injection. The latency and duration of sleep in mice in each group were recorded. The substance basis of various parts of ZS was analyzed by the UPLC-QTOF-MS technique. The results showed that relative to the model group, DZP, ZSS, ZSF, and ZSKS groups demonstrated shortened sleep latency (p < 0.05) and extended sleep duration (p < 0.01). The GABA, 5-HT, and BDNF levels were significantly upregulated in the brain tissues of the mice in the DZP, ZSF, and ZSS groups (p < 0.01). However, the improvement in ZSKS was non-significant. Additionally, the mRNA and protein expression levels of 5-HT1AR, GABAARα1, and BDNF in mice in the DZP, ZSS, and ZSF groups were significantly enhanced (p < 0.01). However, the improvement in the ZSKS group was insignificant (p < 0.05). The examination of the substance composition across different parts revealed that the shared chemical basis contributing to the sedative and hypnotic potency of different parts of ZS may involve the presence of compounds such as (1) magnoflorine, (8) betulinic acid, (9) ceanothic acid, and (10) alphitolic acid. It provides a basis for further elucidation of the substance basis responsible for the functional and medicinal effects of ZS.

Aerobic exercise promotes emotion regulation: a narrative review

Aerobic exercise improves the three stages of emotion regulation: perception, valuation and action. It reduces the perception of negative emotions, encourages individuals to reinterpret emotional situations in a positive or non-emotional manner, and enhances control over emotion expression behaviours. These effects are generated via increased prefrontal cortex activation, the strengthening of functional connections between the amygdala and several other brain regions, and the enhancement of the plasticity of key emotion regulation pathways and nodes, such as the uncinate fasciculus. The effect of aerobic exercise on emotion regulation is influenced by the exercise intensity and duration, and by individuals' exercise experience. Future research may explore the key neural basis of aerobic exercise's promotion of emotion regulation.

Insomnia and REM sleep instability

In this narrative review, we give an overview of the concept of rapid eye movement sleep instability and its reported implications in the context of insomnia. The term rapid eye movement sleep instability was coined to describe the observation of a modified rapid eye movement quality in insomnia, characterized by an increased tendency of perceiving rapid eye movement sleep as wake, a small but consistent rapid eye movement sleep reduction and an increased rapid eye movement sleep arousal index. Current research highlights relationships that are transdiagnostic in nature, corresponding to the known interaction of insomnia with many psychiatric disorders, and showing relationships to chronic stress and anxiety disorders.

The Devastating Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Memory: Lessons from Rodent Models

In this narrative review article, we discuss the role of sleep deprivation (SD) in memory processing in rodent models. Numerous studies have examined the effects of SD on memory, with the majority showing that sleep disorders negatively affect memory. Currently, a consensus has not been established on which damage mechanism is the most appropriate. This critical issue in the neuroscience of sleep remains largely unknown. This review article aims to elucidate the mechanisms that underlie the damaging effects of SD on memory. It also proposes a scientific solution that might explain some findings. We have chosen to summarize literature that is both representative and comprehensive, as well as innovative in its approach. We examined the effects of SD on memory, including synaptic plasticity, neuritis, oxidative stress, and neurotransmitters. Results provide valuable insights into the mechanisms by which SD impairs memory function.

The Relationship between Insomnia and the Pathophysiology of Major Depressive Disorder: An Evaluation of a Broad Selection of Serum and Urine Biomarkers

Insomnia exhibits a clinically relevant relationship with major depressive disorder (MDD). Increasing evidence suggests that insomnia is associated with neurobiological alterations that resemble the pathophysiology of MDD. However, research in a clinical population is limited. The present study, therefore, aimed to investigate the relationship between insomnia and the main pathophysiological mechanisms of MDD in a clinical sample of individuals with MDD. Data were extracted from three cohorts (N = 227) and included an evaluation of depression severity (Quick Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology, QIDS-SR₁₆) and insomnia severity (QIDS-SR₁₆ insomnia items) as well as serum and urine assessments of 24 immunologic (e.g., tumour necrosis factor α receptor 2 and calprotectin), neurotrophic (e.g., brain-derived neurotrophic factor and epidermal growth factor), neuroendocrine (e.g., cortisol and aldosterone), neuropeptide (i.e., substance P), and metabolic (e.g., leptin and acetyl-L-carnitine) biomarkers. Linear regression analyses evaluating the association between insomnia severity and biomarker levels were conducted with and without controlling for depression severity (M = 17.32), antidepressant use (18.9%), gender (59.0% female; 40.5% male), age (M = 42.04), and the cohort of origin. The results demonstrated no significant associations between insomnia severity and biomarker levels. In conclusion, for the included biomarkers, current findings reveal no contribution of insomnia to the clinical pathophysiology of MDD.

Insomnia Impairs Both the Pro-BDNF and the BDNF Levels Similarly to Older Adults with Cognitive Decline: An Exploratory Study

Sleep disorders, including insomnia, are common during aging, and these conditions have been associated with cognitive decline in older adults. Moreover, during the aging process, neurotransmitters, neurohormones, and neurotrophins decrease significantly, leading to the impairment of cognitive functions. In this sense, BDNF, the most abundant neurotrophic factor in the human brain, has been suggested as a potential target for the prevention and improvement of cognitive decline during aging; however, the current evidence demonstrates that the exogenous administration of BDNF does not improve cognitive function. Hence, in the present study, we quantified pro-BDNF (inactive) and BDNF (active) concentrations in serum samples derived from older individuals with insomnia and/or cognitive decline. We used linear regression to analyze whether clinical or sociodemographic variables impacted the levels of BNDF concentration. We observed that insomnia, rather than cognitive decline, is significantly associated with BDNF concentration, and these effects are independent of other variables. To our knowledge, this is the first study that points to the impact of insomnia on improving the levels of BDNF during aging and suggests that opportune treatment of insomnia may be more beneficial to prevent cognitive decline during aging.

Relation between Selected Sleep Parameters, Depression, Anti-Tumor Necrosis Factor Therapy, and the Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Pathway in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients often have sleep and mood disorders. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and proBDNF were shown to modulate interactions between the central nervous system and the gastrointestinal tract, possibly contributing to psychological issues. Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy in IBD can alter BDNF expression and further affect the brain-gut axis. Eighty IBD patients and 44 healthy controls (HCs) were enrolled and divided into subsets based on disease activity and condition (ulcerative colitis (UC)/Crohn's disease (CD)). Questionnaires evaluating sleep parameters and depression as well as venous blood were collected. The IBD group had a lower expression of BDNF mRNA, but higher proBDNF and BDNF protein concentration than HCs. The UC group had a higher BDNF protein concentration than the CD. BDNF protein was positively correlated to sleep efficiency in the IBD group. Depression severity was associated positively with BDNF mRNA and negatively with BDNF protein in the remission group. Anti-TNF therapy enhanced BDNF mRNA expression. The BDNF pathway might be disturbed in IBD, linking it to sleep disorders and depression. Systemic inflammation could be the main cause of this disruption. BDNF mRNA is a more reliable parameter than protein due to numerous post-translational modifications.