Die Studie legt nahe, dass die Treiber des Schlafs metabolische Prozesse sind und dass Schlaf eine Schlüsselrolle beim Schutz der Integrität der Mitochondrien spielt – den Strukturen, die die Gehirnzellen mit Energie versorgen

> Sehgal and her team found that sleep helps neurons stay healthy by facilitating the movement of this oxidative damage to glia cells — a type of supporting cell in the brain — in the form of oxidized lipids. The glia break down some of these lipids to generate energy. They also pass along some of the lipids to blood cells, which have specific receptors to receive them.

>In addition to these findings, other recent research by Sehgal and her team shows: 
>
>- Sleep regulates autophagy, a process that turns over cellular organelles, including mitochondria, that helps cells stay healthy.  
>- Sleep promotes the movement of molecules from the brain to the blood through the blood brain barrier.  
>- Neuromodulators — molecules that activate or silence neurons — are affected by changes in sleep, but they don’t necessarily drive the need to sleep.  
>- Whether an animal has eaten determines the type of memory it uses — sleep-dependent or sleep-independent.  

[Sleep-dependent clearance of brain lipids by peripheral blood cells – PubMed](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41673150/)