Different emotion regulation strategies mediate the relations of corresponding connections within the default-mode network to sleep quality

Abstract

Abstract Despite a long history of interest in the relation of emotion regulation (ER) to sleep quality, how ER is linked with sleep quality at the neural level is still poorly understood. Accordingly, we adopted the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) analysis to identify the neural bases linking ER with sleep quality. 183 young adults (51.7% females, Mage = 22.16) were guided to undergo the MRI scans and then complete the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the emotion regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) formed by two dimensions: cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression. Results found that ER mediated the association between functional connectivity within intrinsic default-mode network (DMN) and sleep quality. Specifically, rsFC analysis showed that cognitive reappraisal was positively correlated with rsFC within DMN, including left superior temporal gyrus (lSTG)-left lateral occipital cortex (lLOC), lSTG-left anterior cingulate gyrus (lACG), right lateral occipital cortex (rLOC)-left middle frontal gyrus (lMFG), and rLOC-lSTG. Further mediation analysis indicated a mediated role of cognitive reappraisal in the link between the four connectivity and sleep quality. In addition, expressive suppression was positively correlated with rsFC within DMN, including left precuneus cortex (lPrcu)-right Temporal Pole (rTP) and lPrcu- lSTG. Further mediation analysis indicated a mediated role of expressive suppression in the link between the two connectivity and sleep quality. Overall, this finding supports the process model of ER, in that the effects of reappraisal and suppression have varying neural circuits that impact that strategy’s effect on sleep quality.