Publication details
Sleep Deprivation and Structural Fluctuations in White Matter
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| Year of publication | 2016 |
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| Description | *Day-to-day stability of neuronal communication is essential for undistorted reconstructions of our perceptions, thoughts and emotions. To a great extent, such stability relies on the regulated delivery of molecules and organelles from neuronal cell bodies to discrete axonal compartments via axonal transport (AT). Sleep deprivation is one of the potential sources of altered AT, which is likely to have an impact on structural properties of white matter assessed in vivo with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). The current study tested the hypothesis that short-term sleep deprivation, namely a restriction of sleep to 4 hours per nigth for 8 nights, will induce structural fluctuations in white matter, as identified by serial MRI. Multi-modal images of brain structure were acquired every two days (for 10 days) in two groups of young men: (1) Sleep-deprived group (n=12); and (2) Control (no sleep deprivation) group (n=12). Given the high logistic demands, the study was conducted in two stages, with 12 participants (6 in each group) per stage. Diffusion tensor imaging and magnetization transfer data provided an evidence for greater fluctuations in white matter properties in the sleep deprived as compared with the control group. Consistently, behavioral data showed greater increase in depression, fatigue and confusion over the course of the study in the sleep deprived as compared to the control group. Further research is needed to determine the coupling between proinflammatory cytokines, various indices of cellular stress, and the fluctuations in white matter properties. |