Cited by 63Sleep and Wakefulness ResearchSleep and related disordersFunctional Brain Connectivity Studies

The mediating role of cortical thickness and gray matter volume on sleep slow-wave activity during adolescence

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Goldstone, Aimée, Willoughby, Adrian R., de Zambotti, Massimiliano, Franzen, Peter L., Kwon, Dongjin, Pohl, Kilian M., Pfefferbaum, Adolf, Sullivan, Edith V. +6 more·2018·Brain Structure and Function

Abstract

During the course of adolescence, reductions occur in cortical thickness and gray matter (GM) volume, along with a 65% reduction in slow-wave (delta) activity during sleep (SWA) but empirical data linking these structural brain and functional sleep differences, is lacking. Here, we investigated specifically whether age-related differences in cortical thickness and GM volume and cortical thickness accounted for the typical age-related difference in slow-wave (delta) activity (SWA) during sleep. 132 healthy participants (age 12-21 years) from the National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence study were included in this cross-sectional analysis of baseline polysomnographic, electroencephalographic, and magnetic resonance imaging data. By applying mediation models, we identified a large, direct effect of age on SWA in adolescents, which explained 45% of the variance in ultra-SWA (0.3-1 Hz) and 52% of the variance in delta-SWA (1 to <4 Hz), where SWA was lower in older adolescents, as has been reported previously. In addition, we provide evidence that the structure of several, predominantly frontal, and parietal brain regions, partially mediated this direct age effect, models including measures of brain structure explained an additional 3-9% of the variance in ultra-SWA and 4-5% of the variance in delta-SWA, with no differences between sexes. Replacing age with pubertal status in models produced similar results. As reductions in GM volume and cortical thickness likely indicate synaptic pruning and myelination, these results suggest that diminished SWA in older, more mature adolescents may largely be driven by such processes within a number of frontal and parietal brain regions.

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  1. Steriade M McCarley R 2005 Brain control of wakefulness and sleeping Springer New York

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Authors
Goldstone, A., Willoughby, A. R., de Zambotti, M., Franzen, P. L., Kwon, D., Pohl, K. M., Pfefferbaum, A., Sullivan, E. V., Müller-Oehring, E. M., Prouty, D. E., Hasler, B. P., Clark, D. B., Colrain, I. M., & Baker, F. C.
Affiliations
  • SRI International (US)
  • University of Pittsburgh (US)
  • Stanford Medicine (US)
Corresponding author
Baker, Fiona C.
Venue
Brain Structure and Function
Published
2017-09-14
Volume
223
Issue
2
Pages
669-685
ISSN
  • 1863-2653 (ISSN-L)
  • 1863-2661
OpenAlex
W2756159861
Cited by
63
References
103
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 5 · 2024: 7 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 9 · 2021: 11 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 5
FWCI
3.45
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Brain Structure and Function (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (acceptedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (acceptedVersion)
Funders
National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA) (AA021690, AA021697, AA021697-04S1, AA021696)
Topics
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Sleep and Wakefulness Research
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Sleep and related disorders
  • Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Functional Brain Connectivity Studies
Keywords
cortical thickness, gray matter volume, adolescence, brain maturation, synaptic pruning, myelination, pubertal development, frontal cortex, parietal cortex, delta oscillations, mediation analysis
MeSH terms
Sleep, Slow-Wave, Adolescent, Age Factors, Brain Mapping, Cerebral Cortex, Child, Female, Humans, Image Processing, Computer-Assisted, Functional Laterality, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Young Adult, Gray Matter

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