Sleep is important for all ages, but a recent study highlights how crucial it is during early life when the brain is developing. Researchers found a link between sleep loss in babies and an increased risk of developing autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

While the impact of sleep loss on the health and well-being of adults is a widely investigated area, little is known about how sleep loss affects young children. In the latest study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers investigated how sleep loss during early life impacts key parts of brain development and discovered it could increase the risk of developing autism spectrum disorder.

Earlier studies have shown that sleep issues may be an indication of neurodevelopmental disorders and disrupted sleep was observed in many people with ASD. However, it was not known that sleep disruption could elevate the risk of ASD.

"The unique effects of sleep loss during development are largely unexplored. Our data show that babies and children are more vulnerable to the negative effects of sleep disruption. We also found that sleep loss during this crucial period of time can negatively interact with underlying genetic risk for autism spectrum disorder," Graham Diering, a researcher of the study said in a news release.

Using mouse models, researchers examined if sleep disruption during early life could interact with underlying genetic risks for autism spectrum disorder to affect their behavior. They then discovered that sleep disruption during the third week of a mouse's life, which equates to ages 1 to 2 in humans led to long-lasting changes in social behavior in male mice genetically predisposed to ASD.

The researchers also noted that when adult mice lost sleep, they compensated for it later in the form of "sleep rebound", but the younger mice could not rebound entirely. Hence, researchers believe that younger mice might be more susceptible to the harmful effects of sleep deprivation, including impaired performance in a learning memory task.

Using molecular analysis, researchers also found that compared to adults, sleep deprivation in young mice has a strong impact on synapse formation, a key aspect of brain development.

"Development is not something that one can go back and do again. Sleep is important for the entire life and especially during development. Understanding what we know now will place greater emphasis on understanding sleep issues in ASD and could lead to an important therapeutic avenue to treat ASD and other developmental conditions," Diering said.

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