INTRODUCTION

Previous studies on shift work disorder (SWD) have revealed altered functional and structural brain networks underlying attention decline. However, changes in structure-function coupling (SFC) and their relationship with attention decline remain unknown. This study aimed to examine the role of changed SFC in abnormal attentional network function in SWD.

METHODS

Thirty-four patients with SWD and thirty-two healthy controls were recruited. All participants underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) scans. All participants underwent an attentional network test to evaluate their functions. Finally, Pearson's correlation analysis was conducted to analyze the association between aberrant attentional network function and altered structural and functional connectivity (SC-FC) coupling in patients with SWD.

RESULTS

Compared to healthy subjects, decreased alerting and executive functions were found in patients with SWD. In addition, we observed decreased SC-FC coupling in patients with SWD, specifically in the left anterior cingulate gyrus (T = -3.6449, = 0.0003), central opercular cortex (T = -3.7187, = 0.0002), middle frontal gyrus (T = -3.8342, = 0.0001), and parietal operculum cortex (T = -3.6121, = 0.0003), compared with healthy subjects. Better altering performance was significantly associated with lower SC-FC coupling in the anterior cingulate gyrus of patients with SWD (r = -0.51, = 0.002).

DISCUSSION

Our findings unravel that the decreased SC-FC coupling in the anterior cingulate gyrus may contribute to the impaired altering network function in SWD, which can further understand the neural mechanisms of impaired attention in SWD and inform a potentially therapeutic intervention for SWD patients.