Auditory closed-loop stimulation of EEG slow oscillations strengthens sleep and signs of its immune-supportive function
Open accessAbstract
Sleep is essential for health. Slow wave sleep (SWS), the deepest sleep stage hallmarked by electroencephalographic slow oscillations (SOs), appears of particular relevance here. SWS is associated with a unique endocrine milieu comprising minimum cortisol and high aldosterone, growth hormone (GH), and prolactin levels, thereby presumably fostering efficient adaptive immune responses. Yet, whether SWS causes these changes is unclear. Here we enhance SOs in men by auditory closed-loop stimulation, i.e., by delivering tones in synchrony with endogenous SOs. Stimulation intensifies the hormonal milieu characterizing SWS (mainly by further reducing cortisol and increasing aldosterone levels) and reduces T and B cell counts, likely reflecting a redistribution of these cells to lymphoid tissues. GH remains unchanged. In conclusion, closed-loop stimulation of SOs is an easy-to-use tool for probing SWS functions, and might also bear the potential to ameliorate conditions like depression and aging, where disturbed sleep coalesces with specific hormonal and immunological dysregulations.
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Two recent studies in healthy participants revealed an increase, rather than the expected decrease, in SWA following administration of anakinra and minocycline.
“two recent studies in healthy participants revealed an increase, rather than the expected decrease, in SWA following administration of the anti-inflammatory drugs anakinra, an IL-1ra (495), and minocycline (50)”
From The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease (2019) · cites this paper as [50]
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The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease
Besedovsky, L., Lange, T., & Haack, M. (2019) · Physiological Reviews · doi:10.1152/physrev.00010.2018 · Cited by 1,479 · see citing works
“However, a recent study showed that specifically enhancing slow oscillation activity during sleep in healthy participants intensified the hormonal milieu during SWS (especially by further increasing aldosterone and decreasing cortisol levels) and reduced circulating lymphocyte counts (49).”
BackgroundSelf-citationSchade, M. M., Mathew, G. M., Roberts, D. M., Gartenberg, D., & Buxton, O. (2020) · Nature and Science of Sleep · doi:10.2147/nss.s243204 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
- Authors
- Besedovsky, L., Ngo, H.-V. V., Dimitrov, S., Gassenmaier, C., Lehmann, R., & Born, J.
- Affiliations
- University of Tübingen (DE)
- University of Birmingham (GB)
- Helmholtz Munich (DE)
- Venue
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2017-12-07
- Volume
- 8
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1984-1984
- ISSN
- 2041-1723 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC5719447
- OpenAlex
- W2774630994
- Cited by
- 144
- References
- 57
- Citations by year
- 2026: 14 · 2025: 18 · 2024: 13 · 2023: 11 · 2022: 28 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 14 · 2019: 19 · 2018: 12
- FWCI
- 6.98
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Locations
- Nature Communications (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- PuSH - Publication Server of Helmholtz Zentrum München (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
- DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion)
- Site cant be reached (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (SFB654, TR-SFB 654)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural dynamics and brain function
- Keywords
- slow-wave sleep, cortisol, aldosterone, growth hormone, prolactin, immune function, T cells, B cells, lymphocyte redistribution, sleep and immunity, depression, aging
- MeSH terms
- Acoustic Stimulation, Adult, Aldosterone, Biological Clocks, Electroencephalography, Feasibility Studies, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Male, Sleep, Lymphocyte Count, Human Growth Hormone, Adaptive Immunity, Healthy Volunteers
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