Paper Published by Kozorovitskiy Lab is Featured in Newsweek, NPR, Northwestern Now, and More
November 2, 2023
New research from the Kozorovitskiy Lab was published in Neuron today in the article "Dopamine pathways mediating affective state transitions after sleep loss". Postdoc Mingzheng Wu is the paper's first author and the Department of Neurobiology's Professor Yevgenia Kozorovitskiy is the corresponding author. The paper uncovers the mechanisms behind the giddy, "tired and wired" state that follows acute sleep deprivation.
The lab's publication from the prestigious Neuron journal was also featured in Newsweek, NPR's Short Wave, New York Post, and Northwestern Now's Interview the Expert series.
Newsweek
The Newsweek article titled "Just One Night Without Sleep Can 'Rewire' Our Brains for Days" overviews the Kozorovitskiy lab's study and features commentary from Kozorovitskiy.
"The mice used in the research—who were kept awake enough so that they were still comfortable without being too stressed—became more aggressive, hyperactive and hypersexual following periods without sleep. This was compared to their behavior when they had a normal amount of sleep and their activity was much calmer. Once it became clear that a higher amount of dopamine was released during sleep loss, Kozorovitskiy and colleagues began to look at the four regions of the brain responsible for dopamine release."
NPR
The Kozorovitskiy lab study exploring the why behind the tired and wired state is also featured on NPR's Short Wave in the episode "Pulling an all-nighter is a temporary antidepressant"
Northwestern Now
The Northwestern Now article, titled "One sleepless night can rapidly reverse depression for several days" summarizes the Kozorovitskiy lab's findings and provides commentary from paper authors Kozorovitskiy and Wu.
"Most people who have pulled an all-nighter are all too familiar with that “tired and wired” feeling... Now, Northwestern University neurobiologists are the first to uncover what produces this punch-drunk effect. In a new study, researchers induced mild, acute sleep deprivation in mice and then examined their behaviors and brain activity. Not only did dopamine release increase during the acute sleep loss period, synaptic plasticity also was enhanced — literally rewiring the brain to maintain the bubbly mood for the next few days."
Read Feature on Northwestern Now
New York Post
The New York Post article, titled "Pulling an all-nighter works as an antidepressant: Northwestern study"also provides commentary from paper author Kozorovitskiy.
“ 'We found that sleep loss induces a potent antidepressant effect and rewires the brain,' Kozorovitskiy said in a statement. 'This is an important reminder of how our casual activities, such as a sleepless night, can fundamentally alter the brain in as little as a few hours.' "