Effect of Sleep Duration Manipulation on Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor in Adolescents at Risk for Type 2...

Area of Science:

• Endocrinology
• Neuroscience
• Sleep Medicine

Background:

• Adolescents at risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) often experience sleep disturbances.
• Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a role in neuronal plasticity and metabolic regulation.
• The impact of manipulated sleep duration on serum BDNF in this at-risk group is not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effect of experimentally manipulated sleep duration on serum BDNF levels.
• To examine how increasing or decreasing sleep duration influences BDNF in adolescents with severe obesity and T2D risk.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, crossover study design was employed with 36 adolescents (mean age 15.1 years).
• Participants underwent 1-week periods of habitual (HB), increased (IN), and decreased (DE) sleep duration, with a 1-week washout.
• Sleep duration was monitored using actigraphy, and serum BDNF levels were analyzed after each condition.

Main Results:

• Increasing sleep duration by approximately 1 hour led to a significant ~14% decrease in serum BDNF compared to HB and DE sleep.
• No significant difference in serum BDNF was found between habitual and decreased sleep duration.
• Adolescents successfully altered their sleep duration, with increases of +1:02 h/night and decreases of -1:19 h/night.

Conclusions:

• This study provides the first experimental evidence that sleep duration influences serum BDNF levels in adolescents at risk for T2D.
• Lower BDNF levels after sleep extension may indicate reduced physiological stress or altered neurotrophic signaling.
• Higher BDNF during habitual/restricted sleep likely represents adaptive responses to insufficient sleep rather than improved metabolic function.