The subcortical correlates of self-reported sleep quality

Area of Science:

• Neuroimaging
• Sleep Science
• Neuroanatomy

Background:

• Sleep quality is crucial for overall health.
• Understanding the neurobiological underpinnings of sleep quality is essential for developing targeted interventions.
• Previous research has explored links between sleep and brain structure, but specific associations with local morphometry require further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between self-reported sleep quality and local morphometry of cortical and subcortical brain regions.
• To identify specific brain structures whose morphology is influenced by sleep quality.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Human Connectome Project (N=1,112).
• Assessed sleep quality using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI).
• Measured local cortical and subcortical morphometry using voxel-based morphometry and shape analysis, analyzing associations with PSQI scores via general linear models and permutation testing.

Main Results:

• Worse self-reported sleep quality was significantly associated with altered subcortical morphometry, particularly in the bilateral caudate, putamen, and left pallidum.
• Smaller shape measures in these subcortical regions correlated with poorer sleep quality.
• Cortical morphometry and other subcortical areas did not show direct associations with sleep quality but interacted with demographic and biometric factors.

Conclusions:

• Self-reported sleep quality is specifically linked to subcortical morphometry in regions like the striatum and pallidum.
• These findings emphasize the role of subcortical structures in sleep regulation.
• Subcortical morphology is an important consideration in sleep research and may offer targets for sleep interventions.