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Decreased effective connectivity between insula and anterior cingulate cortex during a working memory task after
Liwei Zhang1, Yongcong Shao2, Xueguang Jin3
1Key Laboratory of Behavioral Science, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China.
Behavioural Brain Research
|March 29, 2021
Summary
Prolonged total sleep deprivation (TSD) significantly impairs working memory performance and brain connectivity. Thirty hours of TSD showed greater negative impacts than 24 hours, affecting neural pathways crucial for cognitive function.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
- Sleep Science
Background:
- Total sleep deprivation (TSD) negatively impacts cognitive functions, particularly working memory.
- The precise extent of working memory impairment and its neurophysiological underpinnings during prolonged TSD remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the effects of 24-hour and 30-hour TSD on working memory performance.
- To explore the neurophysiological mechanisms, including event-related potentials and brain connectivity, underlying working memory deficits during prolonged TSD.
Main Methods:
- Electroencephalography (EEG) data were collected from 64 participants during a working memory task under normal sleep, 24-hour TSD, and 30-hour TSD conditions.
- Analysis included behavioral performance (reaction time, accuracy), event-related potentials (P200, N200, P300), and effective brain connectivity (beta frequency).
- Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to compare performance and neurophysiological measures between TSD conditions.
Main Results:
- Thirty hours of TSD significantly reduced accuracy hit rates and increased the N200 difference waveform compared to 24 hours of TSD.
- Effective connectivity analysis revealed decreased beta frequency in the connection from the right insular lobe to the left anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) after 30 hours of TSD.
- An increase in effective connectivity from the left ventrolateral prefrontal cortex to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex was observed in the match condition of the 2-back task.
Conclusions:
- Thirty hours of TSD exerts a more detrimental effect on working memory than 24 hours of TSD.
- Working memory impairment following prolonged TSD is associated with reduced effective connectivity strength between the right insula and the left ACC.
- Specific alterations in prefrontal cortex connectivity may also contribute to working memory changes under sleep deprivation.
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