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If you miss out on sleep, keep in mind that there will be no new production of brain cells, according to a study conducted by researchers from the Princeton University. After observing a set of rats, the researchers said that hippocampus, a brain region involved in forming memories, is affected when there is a lack of sleep. They added that a stress hormone known as corticosterone is the main cause of this effect. A group of rats were deprived of sleep for 72 hours. After analyzing the rats, researchers found that the rats had increased levels of the stress hormone corticosterone. They also found that the brain produced a very small amount of new brain cells in a particular region of the hippocampus. To compare the results, the researchers then kept corticosterone at a constant level and found that the brain started to produce cells at significantly higher numbers. The team came to the conclusion that increased levels of stress hormone could result in slower production of brain cells.
British sleep expert Dr Neil Stanley said that while the study could not be applicable to humans, it would be interesting to see whether the same pattern develops if the subject has got less sleep. "It is an interesting finding. It would be interesting to see if partial sleep deprivation, getting a little bit less sleep every night that you need, had the same effect", he added. The study was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science
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