Reciprocal causation relationship between rumination thinking and sleep quality: a resting-state fMRI study

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Psychiatry
• Sleep Science

Background:

• Rumination thinking, a form of repetitive negative thinking, is linked to various psychiatric disorders.
• Previous research suggests a strong association between rumination and poor sleep, but causality remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the bidirectional causal relationship between rumination thinking and sleep quality.
• To explore the neural underpinnings of this relationship using functional MRI.

Main Methods:

• A longitudinal study involving 373 university students.
• Data collection included questionnaires at two time points (T1, T2) and resting-state functional MRI.
• Cross-lagged model analysis and mediation analysis were employed.

Main Results:

• A bidirectional causal relationship was found between rumination thinking and sleep quality.
• Functional connectivity (FC) between the precuneus and lingual gyrus was negatively correlated with both rumination and sleep quality.
• Rumination at T1 fully mediated the effect of precuneus-lingual FC on sleep quality at T2.

Conclusions:

• Rumination thinking and sleep quality influence each other bidirectionally.
• FC of the precuneus and lingual gyrus may represent a neural basis for how rumination impacts sleep quality.
• Findings offer insights for interventions to improve sleep and overall health.