Researchers from the American Northwestern University proved this in a unique experiment with mice that were forced to stay awake using a special installation. The animals did not sleep for 12 hours, after which they became much more aggressive, but at the same time they developed hyperactivity, including sexual activity.
Neuroscientists then looked at four brain regions responsible for dopamine release—the prefrontal cortex, hypothalamus, dorsal striatum, and nucleus accumbens. It turned out that the behavior of the mice changed due to an increase in the activity of dopamine neurons in the prefrontal cortex, which provided the animals with an antidepressant effect.
When the animals got enough sleep, their hyperactivity disappeared, but the antidepressant effect took hold and lasted for several days. Based on this, scientists have suggested that sleep deprivation triggers a certain evolutionary mechanism that causes synaptic plasticity in the prefrontal cortex.
Most likely, this mechanism helps the animals escape if they are caught by predators in their sleep. However, researchers warn that you shouldn't deprive yourself of sleep for a short-term antidepressant effect, because the health consequences will be worse. In addition, sleeping less than five hours contributes to the development of depression , so getting enough sleep is very important for the body.