The subcortical basis of subjective sleep quality

Abstract

AbstractStudy objectivesTo assess the association between self-reported sleep quality and cortical and subcortical local morphometry.MethodsSleep and neuroanatomical data from the full release of the young adult Human Connectome Project dataset were analyzed. Sleep quality was operationalized with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Local cortical and subcortical morphometry was measured with subject-specific segmentations resulting in voxelwise thickness measurements for cortex and relative (i.e., cross-sectional) local atrophy measurements for subcortical regions.ResultsRelative atrophy across several subcortical regions, including bilateral pallidum, striatum, and thalamus, was negatively associated with both global PSQI score and sub-components of the index related to sleep duration, efficiency, and quality. Conversely, we found no association between cortical morphometric measurements and self-reported sleep quality.ConclusionsThis work shows that subcortical regions such as the bilateral pallidum, thalamus, and striatum, might be interventional targets to ameliorate self-reported sleep quality.Statement of SignificanceIn this study we address, with a novel sensitive approach, the relationship between subjective sleep quality and neuroanatomy in a large population of young adults. We find that measures of subjective sleep quality are inversely related to atrophy in deep brain nuclei including the bilateral pallidum, striatum, and thalamus. These results provide potential intervention targets for mitigating sleep-related disorders and improving sleep quality.