About this Research Topic
Mood and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent, disabling, and costly. Adolescents and young adults are increasingly reporting anxiety and depression symptoms. What is underlying this seemingly mental health epidemic?
One theory is that stress is to blame. Adolescents frequently report experiencing a stressful life event or having elevated levels of perceived stress. Another theory is that in our modern society, sleep loss and social jetlag are commonplace, especially in adolescence. During adolescence there is a biologically-mediated delay in sleep/wake times that when coupled with early school start times produces forced advances in sleep/wake times on weekdays or a chronic circadian disruption. Adolescents also spend increased time on devices or are exposed to indoor light at night which can contribute to sleep loss and rhythm disruption. Alarmingly, stress, circadian rhythm disturbances, and sleep disruptions are all accepted risk-factors for mood and anxiety disorders.
Although it is established that these insults are risk-factors for mood and anxiety disorders in adults, we are just beginning to understand their effects during adolescence. Are adolescents more vulnerable to these common environmental insults? If so, are they more vulnerable during early or late adolescence? Do stress, circadian rhythm disruption, and sleep loss have differential behavioral and neurobiological effects? How long do the effects of these insults last and how can we best reverse the resulting changes?
The goal of this research topic is to bring together clinical and preclinical studies that investigate the behavioral and mechanistic long-term effects of stress, circadian rhythm disruption, and sleep loss on mood and anxiety or translationally relevant neurobehavioral measures.
We invite authors to submit work related to the following themes:
Preclinical studies comparing the long-lasting behavioral and/or mechanistic effects of stress, circadian disruption, or sleep deprivation given during adolescence relative to adulthood.
Longitudinal clinical studies that determine if there is a relationship between measures of stress, circadian disruption, or sleep deprivation during adolescence and later mental health.
Work that investigates the potential long-lasting therapeutic effects of treatments that reduce stress, circadian disruption, or sleep deprivation during adolescence.
Reviews on the long-term effects of adolescent stress, circadian disruption, or sleep deprivation on neurobiology and/or mood and anxiety-related behaviors.
One theory is that stress is to blame. Adolescents frequently report experiencing a stressful life event or having elevated levels of perceived stress. Another theory is that in our modern society, sleep loss and social jetlag are commonplace, especially in adolescence. During adolescence there is a biologically-mediated delay in sleep/wake times that when coupled with early school start times produces forced advances in sleep/wake times on weekdays or a chronic circadian disruption. Adolescents also spend increased time on devices or are exposed to indoor light at night which can contribute to sleep loss and rhythm disruption. Alarmingly, stress, circadian rhythm disturbances, and sleep disruptions are all accepted risk-factors for mood and anxiety disorders.
Although it is established that these insults are risk-factors for mood and anxiety disorders in adults, we are just beginning to understand their effects during adolescence. Are adolescents more vulnerable to these common environmental insults? If so, are they more vulnerable during early or late adolescence? Do stress, circadian rhythm disruption, and sleep loss have differential behavioral and neurobiological effects? How long do the effects of these insults last and how can we best reverse the resulting changes?
The goal of this research topic is to bring together clinical and preclinical studies that investigate the behavioral and mechanistic long-term effects of stress, circadian rhythm disruption, and sleep loss on mood and anxiety or translationally relevant neurobehavioral measures.
We invite authors to submit work related to the following themes:
Preclinical studies comparing the long-lasting behavioral and/or mechanistic effects of stress, circadian disruption, or sleep deprivation given during adolescence relative to adulthood.
Longitudinal clinical studies that determine if there is a relationship between measures of stress, circadian disruption, or sleep deprivation during adolescence and later mental health.
Work that investigates the potential long-lasting therapeutic effects of treatments that reduce stress, circadian disruption, or sleep deprivation during adolescence.
Reviews on the long-term effects of adolescent stress, circadian disruption, or sleep deprivation on neurobiology and/or mood and anxiety-related behaviors.
Keywords: Adolescence, long-term, circadian rhythm, stress, sleep, anxiety, depression
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