Quoted: If this activation is prolonged, it could “trigger a chain of events” that leads to cellular degeneration, which is related to cognitive impairment, say neuroscientist Chiara Cirelli, who led the research. Sleep is “very, very important” to normalize the functions of the brain’s synapses, she said. “I don’t think we know of any cognition function that isn’t affected by sleep deprivation,” added Cirelli, a physician who directs the Wisconsin Center for Sleep and Consciousness and is a professor of psychiatry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s medical school.