Relationship between circadian genes and memory impairment caused by sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation (SD)-induced cognitive impairment is highly prevalent worldwide and has attracted widespread attention. The temporal and spatial oscillations of circadian genes are severely disturbed after SD, leading to a progressive loss of their physiological rhythms, which in turn affects memory function. However, there is a lack of research on the role of circadian genes and memory function after SD. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between circadian genes and memory function and provide potential therapeutic insights into the mechanism of SD-induced memory impairment.

Gene expression profiles of GSE33302 and GSE9442 from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) were applied to identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Subsequently, both datasets were subjected to Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) to determine the overall gene changes in the hippocampus and brain after SD. A Gene Oncology (GO) analysis and Protein-Protein Interaction (PPI) analysis were employed to explore the genes related to circadian rhythm, with their relationship and importance determined through a correlation analysis and a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC), respectively. The water maze experiments detected behavioral changes related to memory function in SD rats. The expression of circadian genes in several critical organs such as the brain, heart, liver, and lungs and their correlation with memory function was investigated using several microarrays. Finally, changes in the hippocampal immune environment after SD were analyzed using the CIBERSORT in R software.

The quality of the two datasets was very good. After SD, changes were seen primarily in genes related to memory impairment and immune function. Genes related to circadian rhythm were highly correlated with engagement in muscle structure development and circadian rhythm. Seven circadian genes showed their potential therapeutic value in SD. Water maze experiments confirmed that SD exacerbates memory impairment-related behaviors, including prolonged escape latencies and reduced numbers of rats crossing the platform. The expression of circadian genes was verified, while some genes were also significant in the heart, liver, and lungs. All seven circadian genes were also associated with memory markers in SD. The contents of four immune cells in the hippocampal immune environment changed after SD. Seven circadian genes were related to multiple immune cells.

In the present study, we found that SD leads to memory impairment accompanied by changes in circadian rhythm-related genes. Seven circadian genes play crucial roles in memory impairment after SD. Naïve B cells and follicular helper T cells are closely related to SD. These findings provide new insights into the treatment of memory impairment caused by SD.