Sleep deprivation impairs cognitive performance, alters task-associated cerebral blood flow and decreases cortical neurovascular coupling-related hemodynamic responses

Abstract

Sleep deprivation (SD) is a common condition and an important health concern. In addition to metabolic and cardiovascular risks, SD associates with decreases in cognitive performance. Neurovascular coupling (NVC, "functional hyperemia") is a critical homeostatic mechanism, which maintains adequate blood supply to the brain during periods of intensive neuronal activity. To determine whether SD alters NVC responses and cognitive performance, cognitive and hemodynamic NVC assessments were conducted prior to and 24 h post-SD in healthy young male individuals (n = 10, 27 ± 3 years old). Cognition was evaluated with a battery of tests from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB). Hemodynamic components of NVC were measured by transcranial Doppler sonography (TCD) during cognitive stimulation, dynamic retinal vessel analysis (DVA) during flicker light stimulation, and functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) during finger tapping motor task. Cognitive assessments revealed impairments in reaction time and sustained attention after 24 h of SD. Functional NIRS analysis revealed that SD significantly altered hemodynamic responses in the prefrontal cortex and somatosensory cortex during a motor task. NVC-related vascular responses measured by DVA and TCD did not change significantly. Interestingly, TCD detected decreased task-associated cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the right middle cerebral artery in sleep deprived participants. Our results demonstrate that 24 h of SD lead to impairments in cognitive performance together with altered CBF and hemodynamic components of cortical NVC responses.

The Combined Influences of Exercise, Diet and Sleep on Neuroplasticity

“…Sleep quantity also influences active processes of neuroplasticity, as evidenced by the influence of sleep deprivation on task-related cerebral blood flow and cognitive functioning. Twenty-four hours of sleep deprivation resulted in impaired attention and reaction time, as well as decreased cerebral blood flow from the right middle cerebral artery during a finger tapping task in young healthy males ( Csipo et al, 2021 ). Similarly, cerebral blood flow has been shown to be reduced in the cerebellum, cuneus and fusiform gyrus of the right hemisphere, along with increased cerebral blood flow in the inferior occipital gyrus in the opposite hemisphere in night shift workers compared to daytime workers ( Park et al, 2019 ).…”

Sleep deprivation alters task‐related changes in functional connectivity of the frontal cortex: A near‐infrared spectroscopy study

“…Subjects were asked not to consume any substances affecting cognitive performance (caffeinated beverages) for at least 24 hr prior to measurements. We measured blood pressure before and after SD, and other basal physiological parameters obtained in this cohort have been reported (Csipo et al, 2021). Adherence to the protocol was ensured by an investigator who was present in the testing facility overnight.…”

Contribution of cerebral microvascular mechanisms to age-related cognitive impairment and dementia

“…Among six drugs (rivastigmine, galantamine, memantine, donepezil, memantine combined with donepezil, and aducanumab) approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of AD to date, only aducanumab potentially slows the progression of AD [1]. Many risk factors have been identified contributing to the onset and development of cognitive impairment and dementia, including age, genetics, cardiovascular and cerebral vascular diseases, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, inadequate physical activity or sleep, excessive alcohol use, smoking, depression, and many more [2,3]. In the United States, eleven percent of people age 65 and older have dementia, and an estimated 6.2 million have AD as of 2021.…”