Sleep deprivation induces spatial memory impairment by altered hippocampus neuroinflammatory responses and glial cells activation in rats

•Sleep deprivation (SD) induced spatial memory impairment in rats.•SD disturbed the inflammatory cytokine levels in plasma as well as hippocampus.•SD altered the glial cells morphology, cell count, and activity in the hippocampus.•Glial cells activation, cytokine levels, and memory deficits were associated with SD.

We aimed to investigate the glial cells activation as a potential mechanism involved in the sleep deprivation (SD) induced cognitive impairment through changes in inflammatory cytokines. We analyzed the spatial memory, inflammatory cytokine levels, and gliosis during SD. SD induced spatial memory impairment, imbalance of inflammatory (increased pro- and decreased anti-) cytokines in both hippocampus and plasma in association with glial cells activation in the hippocampus of sleep-deprived rats were observed. Further analysis of the data presented a correlation between spatial memory impairment and activated microglia induced increased pro-inflammatory cytokines after 48 h of SD.

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