Sleep deprivation reduces default mode network connectivity and anti-correlation during rest and task performance

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Functional Neuroimaging

Background:

• Sleep deprivation (SD) is known to affect cognitive functions like attention and memory.
• The impact of SD on intrinsic brain networks, specifically the Default Mode Network (DMN) and its anti-correlated network (ACN), remains less understood.
• Understanding these network alterations is crucial for comprehending cognitive deficits associated with sleep loss.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the effects of approximately 24 hours of total sleep deprivation on functional connectivity within the DMN.
• To examine how SD influences the anti-correlation between the DMN and the ACN.
• To compare these effects during both resting-state and a visual attention task (VAT).

Main Methods:

• Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) was used to measure brain activity in 26 healthy participants.
• Participants underwent fMRI scans under two conditions: rested wakefulness (RW) and after 24 hours of total sleep deprivation (SD).
• A seed-based correlation analysis was employed to assess low-frequency fMRI signal connectivity within the DMN and between the DMN and ACN.

Main Results:

• Sleep deprivation led to significant, selective reductions in functional connectivity within the DMN.
• SD also decreased the anti-correlation between the DMN and the ACN.
• These connectivity changes were consistent across both resting-state and visual attention task conditions.

Conclusions:

• Sleep deprivation robustly alters intrinsic functional connectivity within the DMN and between the DMN and ACN.
• These findings suggest that SD impacts the brain's intrinsic network organization, potentially underlying observed cognitive impairments.
• The observed alterations in DMN and ACN connectivity provide a neural basis for the cognitive effects of sleep deprivation.