Differences in structural connectome organization across sleep quality

Abstract

Sleep quality, which measures satisfaction with overall sleep, is an important factor affecting an individual's health. Although previous neuroimaging studies based on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have observed altered regional morphology and functional activation related to poor sleep quality, the impact of sleep quality on whole-brain structural connectome organization is relatively under-investigated. To address this gap, we utilized dimensionality reduction techniques to estimate low-dimensional eigenvectors of structural connectivity derived from diffusion MRI tractography, and assessed their associations with measures of sleep quality. We found significant effects in the unimodal association and limbic regions. Additionally, the meta-analytic cognitive decoding analysis revealed associations with negative terms, including nociceptive and pain. Our findings suggest a link between alterations in the whole-brain structural organization and sleep quality, providing insights into the relationship between sleep quality and brain structure.