Sleep deprivation affects memory function, depression, and anxiety-like behaviours in rats and mice: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Sleep deprivation paradigms have been employed in rat and mouse models to elucidate the function of sleep. The effects of sleep deprivation on memory function, as well as changes in depression- and anxiety-like behaviours, have been extensively investigated; however, the findings have often been inconsistent. In the present study, we conducted a comprehensive literature review of researches utilizing sleep deprivation paradigms in both rats or mice. A total of 164 original studies were analyzed to extract results from behavioural tests concerning memory function and depression- and anxiety-like behaviours in wild-type rats or mice before and after sleep deprivation. The meta-analysis revealed that sleep deprivation consistently impaired memory function, irrespective of the paradigms, durations, and species involved (P = 0.000, SMD (standardized mean difference) [95% CI (confidence intervals at 95%)]: -0.73 [-0.89, -0.57] for sleep deprivation; P = 0.000, SMD [95% CI]: -0.75 [-0.93, -0.57] for rapid eye movement sleep deprivation). Similar, albeit less pronounced, effects were observed on depression-like behaviours (P = 0.000, SMD [95% CI]: -0.41 [-0.52, -0.29] for sleep deprivation; P = 0.000, SMD [95% CI]: -0.60 [-0.79, -0.42] for rapid eye movement sleep deprivation). The impact of sleep deprivation on anxiety-like behaviours was more variable. When considering both mice and rats, sleep deprivation generally exhibited anxiogenic effects (P = 0.049, SMD [95% CI]: -0.19 [-0.39, -0.00] for sleep deprivation; P = 0.705, SMD [95% CI]: 0.04 [-0.18, 0.27] for rapid eye movement sleep deprivation). However, subgroup analyses indicated that rodent species and sleep durations demonstrated distinct responses to sleep deprivation. This study provides critical insights for selecting optimal paradigms, durations, species, and behavioural tests in experimental designs.