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Partial sleep deprivation reduces natural killer cell activity in humans.
Abstract
Sleep disturbance, measured by either subjective report or electroencephalographic (EEG) assessment of sleep, correlates with a reduction of natural killer (NK) cell activity in major depression. To test whether sleep loss independent of mood disturbance alters daytime values of cellular immune function, the effect of late-night partial sleep deprivation on NK cell activity was studied in 23 medically and psychiatrically healthy male volunteers. After a night of sleep deprivation between 3 and 7 AM, NK cell activity was reduced in 18 of the 23 subjects with average lytic activity reduced significantly (p < .01) to a level 72% of the mean of three separate baseline values. After a night of resumed nocturnal sleep, NK cell activity had returned to baseline levels. These data implicate sleep in the modulation of natural immunity and demonstrate that even modest disturbances of sleep produce a reduction of NK cell activity.
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“During both the night of and the morning after total sleep deprivation or restriction, NK-cell activity was reduced in healthy humans (253, 254, 386)”
From The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease (2019) · cites this paper as [254]
In the citing paper
“In contrast, stimulated IL-2 production seems to be acutely enhanced by sleep in healthy humans (67, 254, 552), although other studies did not find such an effect when assessing stimulated IL-2 production specifically in CD4 T cells (62, 149).”
From The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease (2019) · cites this paper as [254]
In the citing paper
“In addition, sleep, by favoring pro-inflammatory and Th1 cytokine production, further supports the interaction between APCs and T cells and the subsequent differentiation and proliferation of Th1 cells, eventually leading to the formation of IgG1 and IgG3 antibodies (24, 67, 148, 254, 320).”
From The Sleep-Immune Crosstalk in Health and Disease (2019) · cites this paper as [254]
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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
“Interestingly, this latter study found increased NK-cell activity in the evening after two nights without sleep, possibly reflecting a slowly evolving counterbalancing response to NK-cell activity reductions reported during and in the morning after acute sleep loss (253, 254, 386).”
BackgroundWhy Sleep Is Important for Health: A Psychoneuroimmunology Perspective
Irwin, M. R. (2015) · Annual Review of Psychology · doi:10.1146/annurev-psych-010213-115205 · Cited by 1,325
“…by sleep loss is NK activity, although changes in NK activity parallel the suppressive effects of sleep loss on adaptive immunity, with robust reductions in NK activity (Irwin et al. 1994, Irwin et al. 1996) and in the ability of NK cells to become activated by IL-2 activation (Irwin et al. 1996).”
BackgroundSelf-citationPanel, C. C., Watson, N. F., Badr, M. S., Belenky, G., Bliwise, D. L., Buxton, O. M., Buysse, D., Dinges, D. F., Gangwisch, J., Grandner, M. A., et al. (2015) · Sleep · doi:10.5665/sleep.4886 · Cited by 906
Sick and tired: does sleep have a vital role in the immune system?
Bryant, P. A., Trinder, J., & Curtis, N. (2004) · Nature Reviews Immunology · doi:10.1038/nri1369 · Cited by 551
“NK-cell lytic activity has been shown to decrease with short periods of sleep deprivatio”
BackgroundWatson, N. F., Badr, M. S., Belenky, G., Bliwise, D. L., Buxton, O. M., Buysse, D., Dinges, D. F., Gangwisch, J., Grandner, M. A., Kushida, C., et al. (2015) · Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine · doi:10.5664/jcsm.4950 · Cited by 568
Metadata
- Authors
- Irwin, M., Mascovich, A., Gillin, J. C., Willoughby, R., Pike, J., & Smith, T. L.
- Affiliations
- University of California San Diego (US)
- ORCID
- Irwin, M
- Venue
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Published
- 1994-11
- Volume
- 56
- Issue
- 6
- Pages
- 493-498
- ISSN
- 0033-3174 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2047973327
- Cited by
- 249
- References
- 0
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 6 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 5 · 2022: 12 · 2021: 12 · 2020: 5 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 6 · 2016: 8 · 2015: 12 · 2014: 3 · 2013: 10 · 2012: 9
- FWCI
- 2.58
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Psychosomatic Medicine (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (1r01mh046867-01a2)
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH-46867-01, MH30914)
- National Center for Research Resources (M-01RR00827, M01RR000827)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and Work-Related Fatigue
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Endocrine and Autonomic Systems › Circadian rhythm and melatonin
- Keywords
- sleep restriction, natural killer cells, cellular immune function, sleep disorders, natural immunity, major depressive disorder, nocturnal sleep, lytic activity
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Electroencephalography, Humans, Immunity, Cellular, Killer Cells, Natural, Lymphocytes, Male, Middle Aged, Sleep Deprivation, Sleep Stages, Sleep, REM, Stress, Psychological, Polysomnography
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