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Inter-channel phase differences during sleep spindles are altered in Veterans with PTSD
Chao Wang1, Srinivas Laxminarayan1, J David Cashmere2
1Department of Defense Biotechnology High Performance Computing Software Applications Institute, Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center, United States Army Medical Research and Development Command, USA; The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc., USA.
Researchers found altered sleep spindle synchronization in veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Specifically, reduced mean phase difference during slow sleep spindles suggests potential new objective markers for PTSD diagnosis and treatment.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Medicine
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Sleep disturbances are prevalent in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
- Objective sleep markers for PTSD are currently lacking.
- Sleep spindles, crucial for memory and sleep protection, exhibit distinct spatiotemporal synchronization in healthy individuals.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate alterations in sleep spindle spatiotemporal synchronization, measured by phase-locking value (PLV) and mean phase difference (MPD), in veterans with PTSD.
- To identify potential objective electroencephalogram (EEG) markers for PTSD during sleep.
Main Methods:
- Utilized high-density 64-channel EEG data from 78 combat-exposed male veterans (31 with PTSD, 47 without PTSD) over two nights.
- Analyzed group differences in PLV and MPD for slow (10-13 Hz) and fast (13-16 Hz) sleep spindles.
- Employed a discovery (n=47) and replication (n=31) cohort design to ensure result reproducibility.
Main Results:
- The PTSD group exhibited significantly smaller mean phase differences (MPDs) during slow spindles between frontal and centro-parietal channels compared to the non-PTSD group.
- These findings were consistent and reproducible across both discovery and replication cohorts.
- No significant differences in phase-locking values (PLVs) were observed between groups for either slow or fast spindles.
Conclusions:
- Reduced inter-channel phase difference during slow sleep spindles in PTSD may indicate pathological changes in thalamocortical circuits.
- This novel finding offers a potential objective biomarker for PTSD, warranting further validation for diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
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