Neural mechanisms of working memory dysfunction in patients with chronic insomnia disorder

Lu Yang; Xiangwen Xiao; Liyong Yu; Zhifu Shen; Yucai Luo; Guangli Zhao; Zeyang Dou; Wenting Lin; Jie Yang; Lili Yang; Siyi Yu

doi:10.1016/j.sleep.2023.10.014

Neural mechanisms of working memory dysfunction in patients with chronic insomnia disorder

Sleep Med. 2023 Dec:112:151-158. doi: 10.1016/j.sleep.2023.10.014. Epub 2023 Oct 12.

Authors

Lu Yang¹, Xiangwen Xiao¹, Liyong Yu¹, Zhifu Shen², Yucai Luo¹, Guangli Zhao³, Zeyang Dou¹, Wenting Lin³, Jie Yang¹, Lili Yang⁴, Siyi Yu⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Acupuncture and Tuina, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.
² Center of Interventional Medicine, Affiliated Hospital of North Sichuan Medical College, North Sichuan Medical College, Nanchong, China.
³ School of Rehabilitation and Health Preservation, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China.
⁴ School of Acupuncture and Tuina, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China. Electronic address: lili250866823@126.com.
⁵ School of Acupuncture and Tuina, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China; Acupuncture and Brain Science Research Center, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Chengdu, China. Electronic address: cdutcmysy@gmail.com.

PMID: 37865032
DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2023.10.014

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the neural mechanisms underlying working memory impairment in patients with chronic insomnia disorder (CID) using event-related potentials (ERP) and resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) approaches.

Methods: Participants, including CID patients and healthy controls (HCs), completed clinical scales and underwent electroencephalography (EEG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). EEG analysis compared reaction times, P3 amplitudes, event-related spectral perturbations (ERSP), and inter-trial phase synchronisation (ITPS) between CID patients and HCs. Subsequently, frontal regions (i.e., the Superior Frontal Gyrus [SFG] and Middle Frontal Gyrus [MFG]) corresponding to the EEG were selected as seeds for rsFC analysis. Correlation analyses were conducted to further investigate the relationship between functional connectivity abnormalities in brain regions and clinical symptom severity and P3 amplitude in CID patients.

Results: Compared to HCs, CID patients exhibited slower reaction times across all working memory conditions, with the deficits becoming more pronounced as memory load increased. ERP analysis revealed increased P3 amplitude, theta wave power, and reduced inter-trial synchrony in CID patients. rsFC analysis showed decreased connectivity of SFG-posterior cingulated cortex (PCC), SFG-MFG, and MFG-frontal pole (FP), and increased connectivity of MFG- Middle Temporal Gyrus (MTG)in CID patients. Importantly, a significant correlation was found between the rsFC of SFG-MTG and P3 amplitude during 1-back.

Conclusion: This study confirms deficits in working memory capacity in patients with CID, specifically in the neural mechanisms of cognitive processing that vary depending on the level of cognitive load. Alterations in connectivity patterns within and between the frontal and temporal regions may be the neural basis of the cognitive impairment.

Keywords: Chronic insomnia disorder; Event-related potentials; Functional connectivity; Time-frequency analysis; Working memory.

MeSH terms

Brain / diagnostic imaging
Brain Mapping
Humans
Magnetic Resonance Imaging / methods
Memory, Short-Term
Prefrontal Cortex
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders* / diagnostic imaging

Abstract

MeSH terms

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