Distinct functional brain abnormalities in insomnia disorder and obstructive sleep apnea
Weiwei Duan1, Xia Liu2, Liangliang Ping3
1School of Mental Health, Jining Medical University, Jining, China.
European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience
|September 12, 2022
Summary
This meta-analysis reveals distinct brain activity changes in insomnia disorder (ID) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). These findings advance understanding of these common sleep disorders and suggest targets for future treatments.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Medicine
- Radiology
Background:
- Insomnia disorder (ID) and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are prevalent global sleep disorders with unclear pathological mechanisms.
- Existing functional neuroimaging studies show inconsistent results regarding regional abnormal neural activities in ID and OSA.
Approach:
- A coordinate-based meta-analysis (CBMA) of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) studies was performed using the AES-SDM approach.
- Included studies analyzed regional spontaneous brain activities in ID or OSA using ReHo, ALFF, or fALFF.
- Meta-regressions explored associations between demographic variables and regional neural activity alterations.
Key Points:
- ID patients exhibited increased activity in the left superior temporal gyrus (STG.L) and right superior longitudinal fasciculus (SLF.R), with decreased activity in right hemisphere areas.
- OSA patients displayed more complex and distinct functional activation alterations.
- Meta-regressions identified correlations between neuroimaging alterations and age, duration, or illness severity in both patient groups.
Conclusions:
- This meta-analysis identified distinct regional functional brain changes in ID and OSA.
- Findings enhance the understanding of the neuropathological mechanisms underlying these common sleep disturbances.
- Altered brain regions may serve as potential targets for non-invasive brain stimulation therapies.
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