Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026
09:33
Diffusion Tensor Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Analysis of Neurodegenerative Diseases
Published on: July 28, 2013
28.3K
Older cerebral small vessel disease and sleep disturbance: A diffusion tensor imaging study
Yumeng Gu1, Wenjun Feng1, Xiaolin Tian2
1Department of Neurology, Second Hospital of Tianjin Medical University, Tianjin, 300211, China.
Sleep Medicine
|January 29, 2025
Summary
Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) with sleep disturbance shows white matter abnormalities and altered brain networks. These imaging biomarkers may help understand CSVD-related sleep issues.
Area of Science:
- Neuroimaging
- Sleep Medicine
- Neurology
Background:
- Cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD) is linked to various neurological deficits.
- Sleep disturbances are common in patients with CSVD, but underlying mechanisms are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) indicators and brain network characteristics in CSVD patients with and without sleep disturbance.
- To explore the potential of these imaging biomarkers in understanding the pathophysiology of sleep disturbance in CSVD.
Main Methods:
- 146 CSVD patients and 84 controls underwent polysomnography and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index assessment.
- Tract-based spatial statistics and graph theory analyzed white matter lesions and brain networks.
- Backpropagation artificial neural network (BPANN) analysis was employed.
Main Results:
- CSVD patients with sleep disturbance (CSVD + S) had poorer sleep quality compared to controls.
- Both CSVD groups (CSVD + S and CSVD-S) showed reduced fractional anisotropy and structural connectivity.
- CSVD + S group exhibited increased mean diffusivity in key sleep-regulating brain regions and impaired brain network attributes. BPANN successfully predicted sleep disturbance.
Conclusions:
- White matter abnormalities in subcortical neural circuits contribute to sleep disturbance in CSVD.
- Microstructural and functional changes in brain connections are implicated in CSVD-related sleep disturbances.
