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Glymphatic dysfunction mediates altered regional neural abilities in night-shift nurses: A multimodal neuroimaging
Lingling Deng1, Na Jiang2, Shan Yuan2
1Department of Radiology, The Second Affiliated Hospital, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China.
Journal of Affective Disorders
|October 19, 2025
Summary
Night shift work impairs glymphatic function and brain activity in nurses, leading to poor sleep quality and potential cognitive decline. These neural changes highlight the health risks associated with shift work.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Medicine
- Occupational Health
Background:
- Night shifts disrupt circadian rhythms, causing sleep issues, cognitive impairment, and neuroinflammation in nurses.
- Neural mechanisms behind these clinical effects of night shifts remain unclear.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate glymphatic system alterations in night-shift nurses.
- Examine changes in regional brain activity related to glymphatic function.
Main Methods:
- Compared 31 night-shift nurses to 36 day-shift nurses.
- Assessed glymphatic function using diffusion tensor imaging along the perivascular space (DTI-ALPS).
- Measured regional brain activity via amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF).
Main Results:
- Night-shift nurses had poorer sleep quality and reduced DTI-ALPS indices (glymphatic function) in the left hemisphere and whole brain.
- Lower DTI-ALPS indices correlated with reduced ALFF in the left inferior parietal gyrus/angular gyrus.
- Impaired glymphatic function mediated the link between poor sleep quality (PSQI scores) and altered brain activity.
Conclusions:
- Impaired glymphatic function and disrupted neural activity are potential substrates for poor sleep and cognitive decline in night-shift nurses.
- Findings suggest night shift work negatively impacts brain health via glymphatic and neural pathways.
