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Updated: May 11, 2026

Establishing a Device for Sleep Deprivation in Mice
Published on: September 22, 2023
Disrupted directed connectivity along the cingulate cortex determines vigilance after sleep deprivation
Giovanni Piantoni1, Bing Leung P Cheung, Barry D Van Veen
1Dept of Sleep and Cognition, Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, Meibergdreef 47, 1105BA Amsterdam, The Netherlands. gio@gpiantoni.com
Eye-closure and sleep deprivation impact brain connectivity. Forward effective connectivity in the cingulate cortex is reduced by sleep loss, affecting sustained attention performance.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Neuroscience
- Brain Connectivity
Background:
- The cingulate cortex is crucial for brain connectivity, but its effective connectivity and modulation by behavioral states remain understudied.
- Previous research highlighted effects on functional connectivity, prompting investigation into effective connectivity changes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how eye-closure and sleep deprivation alter effective connectivity within the cingulate cortex.
- To explore the relationship between cingulate effective connectivity and cognitive performance, specifically sustained attention.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-density electroencephalography (EEG) for resting-state recordings.
- Applied a novel Granger Causality method in source space to estimate effective connectivity.
- Compared connectivity patterns under eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions, before and after sleep deprivation.
Main Results:
- Effective connectivity along the cingulate cortex was predominantly in the forward (posterior to anterior) direction.
- Forward connectivity was higher in the eyes-open state compared to eyes-closed in well-rested individuals.
- Sleep deprivation attenuated the difference between eyes-open and eyes-closed forward connectivity, making it non-significant.
- Individual differences in forward connectivity changes post-sleep deprivation predicted better sustained attention task performance.
Conclusions:
- Waking effective connectivity from posterior to anterior cingulate regions is modulated by visual input (eyes open vs. closed) and is impaired by sleep deprivation.
- Sleep deprivation's disruption of directed information flow in the cingulate cortex correlates with vigilance deficits.
- Findings suggest sleep plays a role in maintaining effective brain connectivity during wakefulness.
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