Bradley Hasbro Children's Research Center
Does Short Sleep Lead to Depressed Mood by Altering Serotonin Receptor Function?
Principal Investigator
Mary A. Carskadon, PhD
Funding Source
National Institute of Mental Health (pending); The Mental Health Research Association (pending)
Description
The transition to college is a major life change that often involves insufficient sleep, as well as changes to the timing of sleeping and waking behavior. Further, college students often experience depressed mood. This project uses the transition to college as a model system to examine whether the serotonin neurotransmitter system (specifically the 5-HT1a receptor) is involved in depressed mood of college students. Students are evaluated in the spring before entering college; selection to the college part of the study is based on the springtime information about sleep patterns and pre-existing mood disorders. On entry into college, the students complete a daily sleep-wake diary and give a cheek swab sample for gene analysis to examine genetic vulnerability.
Significance
This project will determine whether short sleep can lead to depressed mood in college students. Depression is a serious concern among college students—an impediment to academic performance and a risk for suicide. These studies will examine whether students are susceptible to depression if they carry a certain genetic background and then get too little sleep and whether the association is related to the serotonin system. Such knowledge can help target prevention for the development of depression.
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