Sleep mediates the effect of stressful environments on youth development of impulsivity: The moderating role of within default mode network resting-state functional connectivity.
Linhao Zhang, Zehua Cui, Landry Goodgame Huffman, Assaf Oshri
Sleep Health June 1, 2023 DOI: 10.1016/j.sleh.2023.03.005 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Observational cohort (longitudinal, three waves over 2 years; structural equation modeling) Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 11,878 |
| Population | Children from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study, mean age 10.1 years at baseline, 47.8% female |
| Duration | Three waves spanning 2 years (baseline to T5) |
| Topics | Default mode network |
| Keywords | Humans Brain mapping Impulsive behavior Adolescent Child Female Sleep wake disorders FMRI Stressful environments Resting-state functional connectivity Sleep duration Sleep latency |
| Key findings | Sleep problems, shorter sleep duration, and longer sleep latency significantly mediated the association between stressful environments at baseline and impulsivity two years later. Higher baseline within-default mode network resting-state functional connectivity strengthened the indirect association via shorter sleep duration, suggesting sleep health as a possible target for preventive intervention. |
Abstract
Objectives: Youth raised in stressful environments are at increased risk for developing impulsive traits, which are a robust precursor of problem behaviors. Sleep may mediate the link between stress and problem behaviors as it is both sensitive to stress and essential for neurocognitive development underlying behavioral control during adolescence. The default mode network (DMN) is a brain network implicated in stress regulation and sleep. Yet, it is poorly understood how individual differences in resting-state DMN moderate the effect of stressful environments on impulsivity via sleep problems.
Methods: Three waves of data spanning 2 years were obtained from the Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development Study, a national longitudinal sample of 11,878 children (Mage at baseline = 10.1; 47.8% female). Structural equation modeling was used to test (a) the mediating role of sleep at T3 in the link between stressful environments at baseline and impulsivity at T5 and (b) the moderation of this indirect association by baseline levels of within-DMN resting-state functional connectivity.
Results: Sleep problems, shorter sleep duration, and longer sleep latency significantly mediated the link between stressful environments and youth impulsivity. Youth with elevated within-DMN resting-state functional connectivity showed intensified associations between stressful environments and impulsivity via shorter sleep duration.
Conclusion: Our findings suggest that sleep health can be a target for preventive intervention and thereby mitigate the link between stressful environments and increased levels of youth impulsivity.
Comparable studies
Other observational and cohort studies on default mode network, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| A default mode of brain function Normal adult human brain | 2001 | Observational study | |
| Resting-State Functional Connectivity Reflects Structural Connectivity in the Default Mode Network Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational cohort | |
| Meditation experience is associated with increased cortical thickness Participants with extensive Insight meditation experience and matched controls | 2005 | Observational cohort | n = 20 |
| Meditation experience is associated with differences in default mode network activity and connectivity Experienced meditators and matched meditation-naive controls | 2011 | Observational cohort | |
| The precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex plays a pivotal role in the default mode network: Evidence from a partial correlation network analysis Healthy subjects | 2008 | Observational study |