Sleep disturbances: from insomnia to depression. From animals to humans

This review presents data on the physiology of sleep, the pathophysiological basis of sleep disturbances, and the epidemiology of these disorders. Major hypotheses concerning the development of depressive disorders are discussed, including the monoamine, inflammatory, and neuroendocrine models. Current findings from clinical studies and meta-analyses are summarized, highlighting key factors by which sleep deprivation affects human somatic and mental functions. Sleep monitoring using electroencephalography has demonstrated a common pathophysiological link between rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder in patients with depressive disorders and sleep deprivation. The role of sleep deprivation as an experimental and controversial method for treating depressive disorders is discussed. The main preclinical models of disease in laboratory animals—total and paradoxical sleep deprivation—are presented and classified. Behavioral patterns observed in various paradigms, such as the Morris water maze and Y-maze tests, are analyzed. Changes in gene expression during disease modeling and alterations in neurometabolites following different sleep deprivation techniques are presented. The review outlines future directions in preclinical sleep disorder research, emphasizing unexplored areas, particularly the therapeutic potential of sleep deprivation in various depression models.