Changes in thalamic functional connectivity after sleep deprivation:a resting-state fMRI-based study

YU Haixia; ZHAO Li; CHEN Lei; ZHANG Yumeng; LI Dechun

doi:10.12122/j.issn.1674-4500.2025.07.07

Abstract：Objective To investigate alterations in thalamic functional connectivity and their clinical implications in healthy adults following 36-hour sleep deprivation(SD)using whole-brain resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging(rs-fMRI).Methods Thirty healthy participants were recruited from Xuzhou Central Hospital from October 2023 to April 2024 for a 36-hour SD protocol with two rs-fMRI scans:baseline assessment during rested wakefulness and post-SD evaluation.Bilateral thalamic regions were selected as seed points for whole-brain functional connectivity analysis.Concurrent psychomotor vigilance tests(PVT)were administered to assess sustained attention performance.Comparative analyses of thalamocortical connectivity and behavioral data were conducted between pre-and post-SD conditions.Results Post-SD PVT performance demonstrated significantly increased error rates compared to baseline(P<0.001).rs-fMRI analysis revealed diminished functional connectivity between bilateral thalamic seeds and bilateral lingual gyri following SD,specifically:left thalamus-left lingual gyrus,left thalamus-right lingual gyrus,and right thalamus-left lingual gyrus connections(P<0.05).Notably,altered connectivity between the left thalamus and right lingual gyrus showed significant negative correlation with PVT lapse changes(post-SD vs pre-SD,P<0.05).Conclusion Thirty-six-hour SD significantly impairs thalamic functional connectivity,particularly manifesting as reduced thalamo-lingual gyrus connectivity.This neural mechanism may underlie observed deficits in visuospatial attention and memory maintenance following prolonged wakefulness.