Age and Sex Moderate the Effects of Sleep Quality on Resting-State Functional Connectivity in the Salience and Default Mode Network
Selene Tan, Sepehr Gourabi, Matthew R. Cribbet, Jeanne M. Cundiff, Ian M. McDonough
preprint DOI: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7066049/v1 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cross-sectional neuroimaging study |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 95 |
| Population | Adults aged 20–74 |
| Duration | Two 5-min resting-state MRI sessions |
| Measures | Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Key findings | Age, sex, and sleep quality interacted to affect resting-state functional connectivity: a three-way interaction linked the default mode network and left superior parietal lobule, and a two-way age-by-sleep-quality interaction linked the salience network and right precentral/postcentral gyrus. No amygdala-seed relationships were found. The authors argue poor sleep affects salience networks in both sexes, with the default mode network particularly sensitive in females, and that young-adult alterations support the hyperarousal hypothesis of insomnia. |
Abstract
Abstract Aging often coincides with declining sleep quality, which can contribute to cognitive decline and increased dementia risk. Neuroimaging offers valuable insights into how poor sleep may affect brain health before cognitive or behavioral changes appear. Given the different prevalence rates of dementia between sexes, sleep disturbances might uniquely impact females relative to males. The goal of this study was to investigate how age and sex moderate the impact of sleep quality on resting-state functional connectivity. Based on the extant literature, we predicted that sleep quality would significantly impact connectivity in the default mode network, salience network, and the amygdala. Adults (N = 95), aged 20–74, completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and underwent two 5-min sessions of resting-state MRI. Three-way interactions between age, sex, and sleep quality were found between the default mode network and the left superior parietal lobule. A two-way interaction between age and sleep quality was found between the salience network and right precentral/postcentral gyrus. No relationships were found using the amygdala as a seed region. Furthermore, sleep consistently contributed to the sleep quality-connectivity effects found for young adults and multiple sleep components varied in older adults. The results suggest that poor sleep affects the salience networks in both males and females, with variations in adaptive patterns depending on age. The default mode network appears particularly sensitive to sleep impairments in females, consistent with early desegregation of brain networks and increased risk for dementia. The alterations in young adults support the hyperarousal hypothesis as a potential contributor to insomnia.
Comparable studies
Other experimental studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Functional connectivity of default mode network components: Correlation, anticorrelation, and causality Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study using resting-state fMRI and seed correlation analysis | |
| Patterns of Brain Activity Supporting Autobiographical Memory, Prospection, and Theory of Mind, and Their Relationship to the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2009 | Experimental study using fMRI | |
| Dynamic reconfiguration of the default mode network during narrative comprehension Human subjects | 2016 | Experimental study | |
| Broadband Cortical Desynchronization Underlies the Human Psychedelic State Healthy human participants | 2013 | Experimental study | |
| The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network Human observers | 2012 | Observational study with fMRI and behavioral analysis |
Citations in the library
Cites 4
- Amyloid Plaques Disrupt Resting State Default Mode Network Connectivity in Cognitively Normal Elderly Biological Psychiatry October 15, 2009
- Relationships between Beta-Amyloid and Functional Connectivity in Different Components of the Default Mode Network in Aging Cerebral Cortex March 7, 2011
- Functional connectivity of the default mode network predicts subsequent polysomnographically measured sleep in people with symptoms of insomnia. Neuroreport October 4, 2023
- From Default Mode Network to the Basal Configuration: Sex Differences in the Resting-State Brain Connectivity as a Function of Age and Their Clinical Correlates. Frontiers in Psychiatry 2018