Sleep is crucial for overall well-being and normal cognitive function [1], with acute decreases in several cognitive functions after sleep loss [2,3]. Despite an increased attention to the general health benefits of sleep [4], the physiology of sleep remains poorly understood. The glymphatic system is a mechanism that regulates interstitial fluid flow and waste clearance by means of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Recent evidence proposes a close relationship between the glymphatic system and sleep [5,6,7], possibly through slow rhythmic contractions and relaxations of brain vasculature termed vasomotion [8,9,10]. In human non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, neural low-frequency electroencephalographic oscillations have been linked to hemodynamic oscillations, which are in turn coupled to CSF oscillations [11]. Although low-frequency CSF oscillations have become an area of increasing interest [12,13], little has been done to look at what drives the coupling between vasomotion and the glymphatic system in humans. The impact of sleep deprivation on the glymphatic system poses a particularly interesting subject, as it may provide insight into the underlying mechanisms linking sleep loss to cognitive decline and neurodegenerative disorders [14].
Employing rapid fMRI, we have seen that CSF low-frequency oscillations are driven by sleep deprivation rather than by sleep itself [15]. This observation was made in healthy men who had not slept for 36 hours. In the Sleep Deprivation Project, we now ask whether our observation is confined to extreme sleep loss or a phenomenon occurring already at more physiological levels of sleep loss. To address this, we are conducting a longitudinal investigation into the mechanistic relationship between cortical and CSF low-frequency oscillations and how these dynamics change through sleep deprivation. We collect simultaneous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), and near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) over a 36-hour period of sleep deprivation. This project will enhance our understanding of how restricted sleep may impact healthy women and men and establish a foundation for identifying potential mechanisms disrupted in sleep disorders.
Involved persons: Kristoffer Brendstrup-Brix and Oliver Iversen.
References
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