Efficiency moderates the relationship between sleep-onset insomnia and resting-state electroencephalogram microstate

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Sleep Medicine
• Psychophysiology

Background:

• Overactivation of the salience network (SN) is linked to hyperarousal in insomnia, particularly sleep-onset insomnia (SOI).
• Resting-state microstate 3 (RS-MS3) duration reflects SN stability and has been associated with SN overactivation.
• The potential of RS-MS3 duration as a biomarker for SOI and its relationship with individual efficiency levels remain underexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between RS-MS3 duration, sleep-onset insomnia (SOI), and cognitive efficiency.
• To explore potential individual differences in the neural mechanisms of SOI based on efficiency levels.

Main Methods:

• Utilized electroencephalography (EEG) microstate analysis in a healthy Chinese student population.
• Assessed sleep-onset insomnia (SOI) using sleep latency from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).
• Measured cognitive efficiency using the Kirton Adaption-Innovation Inventory (KAI).

Main Results:

• RS-MS3 duration showed a positive correlation with both sleep latency and cognitive efficiency.
• A significant interaction effect was observed between sleep latency and efficiency.
• Higher sleep latency correlated with longer RS-MS3 duration only in individuals with high cognitive efficiency, not in those with low efficiency.

Conclusions:

• RS-MS3 duration may serve as a potential neurophysiological biomarker for sleep-onset insomnia (SOI).
• The relationship between SOI, RS-MS3 duration, and cognitive efficiency exhibits heterogeneity, highlighting individual differences in neural mechanisms.