Ma Junji, Chen Menglu, Liu Geng-Hao, Gao Mengxia, Chen Ning-Hung, Toh Cheng Hong, Hsu Jung-Lung, Wu Kuan-Yi, Huang Chih-Mao, Lin Chih-Ming, Fang Ji-Tseng, Lee Shwu-Hua, Lee Tatia M C
State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Laboratory of Neuropsychology & Human Neuroscience, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
Mol Psychiatry. 2025 May;30(5):1717-1729. doi: 10.1038/s41380-024-02778-0. Epub 2024 Oct 14.
Understanding how sleep affects the glymphatic system and human brain networks is crucial for elucidating the neurophysiological mechanism underpinning aging-related memory declines. We analyzed a multimodal dataset collected through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and polysomnographic recording from 72 older adults. A proxy of the glymphatic functioning was obtained from the Diffusion Tensor Image Analysis along the Perivascular Space (DTI-ALPS) index. Structural and functional brain networks were constructed based on MRI data, and coupling between the two networks (SC-FC coupling) was also calculated. Correlation analyses revealed that DTI-ALPS was negatively correlated with sleep quality measures [e.g., Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and apnea-hypopnea index]. Regarding human brain networks, DTI-ALPS was associated with the strength of both functional connectivity (FC) and structural connectivity (SC) involving regions such as the middle temporal gyrus and parahippocampal gyrus, as well as with the SC-FC coupling of rich-club connections. Furthermore, we found that DTI-ALPS positively mediated the association between sleep quality and rich-club SC-FC coupling. The rich-club SC-FC coupling further mediated the association between DTI-ALPS and memory function in good sleepers but not in poor sleepers. The results suggest a disrupted glymphatic-brain relationship in poor sleepers, which underlies memory decline. Our findings add important evidence that sleep quality affects cognitive health through the underlying neural relationships and the interplay between the glymphatic system and multimodal brain networks.
了解睡眠如何影响类淋巴系统和人类大脑网络，对于阐明与衰老相关的记忆衰退背后的神经生理机制至关重要。我们分析了通过磁共振成像（MRI）和多导睡眠图记录从72名老年人收集的多模态数据集。类淋巴功能的一个替代指标是通过沿血管周围间隙的扩散张量图像分析（DTI-ALPS）指数获得的。基于MRI数据构建了大脑的结构和功能网络，并计算了两个网络之间的耦合（SC-FC耦合）。相关性分析表明，DTI-ALPS与睡眠质量指标呈负相关[例如匹兹堡睡眠质量指数（PSQI）和呼吸暂停低通气指数]。关于人类大脑网络，DTI-ALPS与涉及颞中回和海马旁回等区域的功能连接（FC）和结构连接（SC）的强度有关，也与富俱乐部连接的SC-FC耦合有关。此外，我们发现DTI-ALPS正向介导了睡眠质量与富俱乐部SC-FC耦合之间的关联。富俱乐部SC-FC耦合进一步介导了DTI-ALPS与睡眠良好者记忆功能之间的关联，但在睡眠不佳者中则不然。结果表明，睡眠不佳者的类淋巴-大脑关系受到破坏，这是记忆衰退的基础。我们的研究结果提供了重要证据，即睡眠质量通过潜在的神经关系以及类淋巴系统与多模态大脑网络之间的相互作用影响认知健康。
