精神分裂症患者往往有睡眠失调的问题，过去常认为这是精神分裂症的副作用，但英国一项最新研究认为，睡眠不好也有可能是精神分裂症的诱因。
英国布里斯托尔大学日前发布公告说，该校研究人员对实验鼠进行了观察，发现有些睡眠失调的实验鼠睡眠时的脑电波异常，其大脑前后部之间的脑电波不能协调一致，特别是与记忆有关的海马体和与做决定有关的额叶皮质之间的信息传输出现紊乱。脑电波的这种紊乱情况正是精神分裂症患者常有的特征。
研究人员马特·琼斯说，与睡眠失调相应的脑电波紊乱，为精神分裂症提供了一种新的病理解释，即睡眠失调本身就可能是精神分裂症的一个诱因，而不是像过去认为的那样只是精神分裂症的结果。
人们在日常生活中也会感觉到，睡眠不好会影响情绪、降低注意力。在长期缺乏睡眠的极端情况下，还会导致出现幻觉、记忆力衰退、思维混乱等情况，这些也是精神分裂症患者常出现的症状。
本次研究结果显示了人们在面临精神压力时仍需努力保持良好睡眠的重要性。相关研究报告已发表在学术刊物《神经元》上。（生物谷Bioon.com）
doi: 10.1016/j.neuron.2012.09.016
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Decoupling of sleep-dependent cortical and hippocampal interactions in a neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia
Phillips KG, Bartsch U, McCarthy AP, Edgar DM, Tricklebank MD, Wafford KA, Jones MW.
Rhythmic neural network activity patterns are defining features of sleep, but interdependencies between limbic and cortical oscillations at different frequencies and their functional roles have not been fully resolved. This is particularly important given evidence linking abnormal sleep architecture and memory consolidation in psychiatric diseases. Using EEG, local field potential (LFP), and unit recordings in rats, we show that anteroposterior propagation of neocortical slow-waves coordinates timing of hippocampal ripples and prefrontal cortical spindles during NREM sleep. This coordination is selectively disrupted in a rat neurodevelopmental model of schizophrenia: fragmented NREM sleep and impaired slow-wave propagation in the model culminate in deficient ripple-spindle coordination and disrupted spike timing, potentially as a consequence of interneuronal abnormalities reflected by reduced parvalbumin expression. These data further define the interrelationships among slow-wave, spindle, and ripple events, indicating that sleep disturbances may be associated with state-dependent decoupling of hippocampal and cortical circuits in psychiatric diseases.
