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From Sensorimotor to Transmodal Cortex: Sleep Quality Aligns Brain Entropy with the Cortical Functional Gradient
G Del Mauro1, Yiran Li1, Jiaao Yu2
1Department of Diagnostic Radiology and Nuclear Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Sleep
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Good sleep quality enhances brain activity complexity in sensory areas and strengthens coordination in control networks. Poor sleep alters this temporal complexity architecture, impacting brain function and health.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Science
- Brain Dynamics
Background:
- Sleep quality is crucial for brain health, but its impact on neural dynamics during wakefulness is not fully understood.
- Investigating the link between habitual sleep patterns and brain activity complexity is essential for understanding cognitive function and neurological health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if habitual sleep quality is associated with systematic alterations in the temporal complexity of spontaneous neural activity.
- To explore regional and cross-regional brain entropy (BEN and CRBEN) in relation to sleep quality.
Main Methods:
- Resting-state fMRI data from the UK Biobank and Human Connectome Project (HCP) were analyzed.
- Regional and cross-regional brain entropy (BEN/CRBEN) were calculated and correlated with sleep quality and amount.
- A randomized total sleep deprivation experiment was conducted for replication.
Main Results:
- Better sleep quality correlated with increased BEN in sensory/sensorimotor cortices and decreased BEN in frontoparietal regions.
- High sleep quality enhanced sensory network complexity and strengthened control system coordination.
- Sleep measures showed a negative correlation with the cortical functional gradient, with convergent effects observed after sleep deprivation.
Conclusions:
- Habitual sleep quality significantly reconfigures the brain's temporal complexity at regional and network levels.
- Temporal complexity serves as a neural signature linking sleep health to cognitive function and neuropsychiatric vulnerability.
- Sleep is a key determinant of the brain's dynamic operating state.
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