Multi-Methodological Characterization of Sleep Deprivation: From Standard EEG Power Spectra to Aperiodic Dynamics in Humans and Mice.
Journal:
bioRxiv
Published Date:
Sep 14, 2026
Abstract
Sleep deprivation is a potent, rapid-acting therapeutic intervention for major depressive disorder, yet its underlying neural mechanisms remain poorly understood, hindering the development of predictive biomarkers. Here, we systematically characterize the electro-physiological signatures of prolonged wakefulness using a multi-methodological approach across three independent datasets in humans and mice. By integrating standard power spectral density analysis with aperiodic component fitting (SpecParam) and highly compar-ative time-series analysis (HCTSA), we identified robust cross-species biomarkers of sleep pressure. Machine learning models revealed that theta power is the most consistent feature for differentiating control and sleep deprivation states, achieving up to 90% classification accuracy. Sleep deprivation significantly increased the spectral offset - suggesting global cortical hyperexcitation - while simultaneously steepening the spectral slope. We interpret this simultaneous shift as a state uncoordinated state of hyperexcited and inefficient neu-ral processing. These findings establish reproducible EEG markers of sleep deprivation that transcend species. Given the clinical utility of wake therapy, we propose that prefrontal the-ta power and spectral offset/slope may serve as mechanism-based predictors of therapeu-tic response. Our results provide a framework for the clinical validation of these biomarkers, potentially enabling personalized chronotherapeutic interventions for psychiatric disorders.
