{"title":"Exploring the Correlation Between Sleep Chronotype and the Volumes of Subcortical Structures and Hippocampal Subfields in Young Healthy Population.","authors":"Fahad H Alhazmi","doi":"10.3390/brainsci15030295","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>Chronotypes significantly influence sleep quality, daily performance, and overall activity levels. Although there is growing evidence indicating that individuals with a late chronotype are more likely to experience cognitive decline, the specific neural mechanisms that contribute to this risk remain unclear. This study aims to explore the relationship between morning and evening preferences and the volumes of subcortical structures in a young, healthy population.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 123 participants (80 females), aged between 18 and 35 years, were recruited. They underwent MRI scans and completed several self-reported assessments, including the morningness-eveningness scale of the Chronotype Questionnaire (ChQ-ME), the amplitude scale of the Chronotype Questionnaire (ChQ-AM), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Participants were classified into early chronotype (EC) and late chronotype (LC) groups based on their ChQ-ME scores. High-resolution T1-weighted imaging was utilized to analyze the volumes of subcortical structures and hippocampal subfields.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The volumetric analysis indicated that the LC group showed significant reductions in the right Caudate (<i>p</i> = 0.03) and the left SR-SL-SM (<i>p</i> = 0.03) compared to the EC group. Additionally, a notable leftward hemispheric laterality of the Subiculum (<i>p</i> = 0.048) was observed in the EC group relative to the LC group. Furthermore, the ChQ-AM revealed significant positive (r = 0.23) and negative (r = -0.19) correlations with the volumes of the left thalamus and right amygdala, respectively. The PSQI demonstrated a significant negative correlation (r = -0.21) with the right SR-SL-SM, while the ESS indicated a significant positive correlation (r = 0.24) with the left SR-SL-SM. Multiple regression analysis indicated that variations in daytime sleepiness are linked to the change of the left SR-SL-SM volume.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Overall, the findings suggest that chronotype preferences are associated with the changes in the volumes of subcortical structures and hippocampal subfields and highlight the role of chronotypes in the neural mechanisms of these brain structures.</p>","PeriodicalId":9095,"journal":{"name":"Brain Sciences","volume":"15 3","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-03-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11940034/pdf/","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Brain Sciences","FirstCategoryId":"3","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci15030295","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"NEUROSCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Background/objectives: Chronotypes significantly influence sleep quality, daily performance, and overall activity levels. Although there is growing evidence indicating that individuals with a late chronotype are more likely to experience cognitive decline, the specific neural mechanisms that contribute to this risk remain unclear. This study aims to explore the relationship between morning and evening preferences and the volumes of subcortical structures in a young, healthy population.
Methods: A total of 123 participants (80 females), aged between 18 and 35 years, were recruited. They underwent MRI scans and completed several self-reported assessments, including the morningness-eveningness scale of the Chronotype Questionnaire (ChQ-ME), the amplitude scale of the Chronotype Questionnaire (ChQ-AM), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Participants were classified into early chronotype (EC) and late chronotype (LC) groups based on their ChQ-ME scores. High-resolution T1-weighted imaging was utilized to analyze the volumes of subcortical structures and hippocampal subfields.
Results: The volumetric analysis indicated that the LC group showed significant reductions in the right Caudate (p = 0.03) and the left SR-SL-SM (p = 0.03) compared to the EC group. Additionally, a notable leftward hemispheric laterality of the Subiculum (p = 0.048) was observed in the EC group relative to the LC group. Furthermore, the ChQ-AM revealed significant positive (r = 0.23) and negative (r = -0.19) correlations with the volumes of the left thalamus and right amygdala, respectively. The PSQI demonstrated a significant negative correlation (r = -0.21) with the right SR-SL-SM, while the ESS indicated a significant positive correlation (r = 0.24) with the left SR-SL-SM. Multiple regression analysis indicated that variations in daytime sleepiness are linked to the change of the left SR-SL-SM volume.
Conclusions: Overall, the findings suggest that chronotype preferences are associated with the changes in the volumes of subcortical structures and hippocampal subfields and highlight the role of chronotypes in the neural mechanisms of these brain structures.
期刊介绍：
Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425) is a peer-reviewed scientific journal that publishes original articles, critical reviews, research notes and short communications in the areas of cognitive neuroscience, developmental neuroscience, molecular and cellular neuroscience, neural engineering, neuroimaging, neurolinguistics, neuropathy, systems neuroscience, and theoretical and computational neuroscience. Our aim is to encourage scientists to publish their experimental and theoretical results in as much detail as possible. There is no restriction on the length of the papers. The full experimental details must be provided so that the results can be reproduced. Electronic files or software regarding the full details of the calculation and experimental procedure, if unable to be published in a normal way, can be deposited as supplementary material.
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