Altered Postcentral Connectivity after Sleep Deprivation Correlates to Impaired Risk Perception: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Abstract

Background: Previous studies revealed that sleep deprivation (SD) impairs risk perception and leads to poor decision-making efficiency. However, how risk perception is related to brain regions’ communication after SD has not been elucidated. In this study, we investigated the neuropsychological mechanisms of SD-impaired risk perception. Methods: Nineteen healthy male adults were recruited and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging during a state of rested wakefulness and after nearly 36 h of total SD. They then completed the balloon analog risk task, which was used to measure the risk perception ability of risky decision-making. Regional homogeneity (ReHo) and voxel-wise functional connectivity were used to investigate neurobiological changes caused by SD. Correlation analysis was used to investigate the relationship between changes in ReHo, function, and risk perception. Results: At the behavioral level, risk perception decreased after 36 h of SD. At the neural level, SD induced a significant increase in ReHo in the right postcentral gyrus and was positively correlated with risk perception changes. The functional connectivity between the right postcentral gyrus, left medial temporal gyrus, and right inferior temporal gyrus was enhanced. Critically, increased right postcentral gyrus and right inferior temporal gyrus connectivity positively correlated with changes in risk perception. Conclusions: SD impairs the risk perception associated with altered postcentral connectivity. The brain requires more energy to process and integrate sensory and perceptual information after SD, which may be one possible reason for decreased risk perception ability after SD.

Adaptations of the balloon analog risk task for neuroimaging settings: a systematic review

“…In 24 studies, two or three time sessions of 6–16 min duration were offered, and so the number of trials depended on the speed of the participants’ response. The number of trials was predetermined in 13 studies ( Chiu et al, 2012 ; Pletzer et al, 2016 ; McCormick and Telzer, 2017a , b ; Hoffmann et al, 2018 ; Rao et al, 2018 ; Gentili et al, 2020 ; Ji S. et al, 2021 ; Jorge et al, 2022 ; Poudel et al, 2022 ; Chen et al, 2023 ; Hu et al, 2023 ; Leota et al, 2023 ). One study used a small predetermined time, composed of four cycles of 30 s to pump an unlimited number of balloons ( Lee et al, 2009 ).…”

Total sleep deprivation alters spontaneous brain activity in medical staff during routine clinical work: a resting-state functional MR imaging study

“…The major difference between the current and previous experimental studies is in the mental stress of subjects and workload during TSD. Previous research in laboratory conditions has revealed increased rs-fMRI features (ALFF, ReHo) in the postcentral and temporal gyrus after sleep deprivation ( Chen et al, 2023 ; Li et al, 2023 ). In their study, Chen et al (2023) reported an increase of ReHo in the right postcentral gyrus after sleep deprivation, which is consistent with observations in the present research.…”

“…Previous research in laboratory conditions has revealed increased rs-fMRI features (ALFF, ReHo) in the postcentral and temporal gyrus after sleep deprivation ( Chen et al, 2023 ; Li et al, 2023 ). In their study, Chen et al (2023) reported an increase of ReHo in the right postcentral gyrus after sleep deprivation, which is consistent with observations in the present research. However, we also detected increased rs-fMRI features in other brain regions after sleep deprivation.…”

Deficient sleep, altered hypothalamic functional connectivity, depression and anxiety in cigarette smokers

“…Enhanced functional connectivities within the somatosensory network were associated with poorer sleep quality ( Bai et al, 2022 ). A recent within-subject study showed significantly higher regional homogeneity of rPoCG following 36 h of sleep deprivation, as compared to a state without sleep deprivation ( Chen et al, 2023 ). According to a model of insomnia ( Riemann et al, 2010 ), higher connectivity between the hypothalamus and rPoCG in smokers may reflect a hyperarousal state, whereby excessive somatosensory information processing leads to deficient sleep ( Scammell et al, 2017 ).…”