Comprehensive assessment of sleep duration, insomnia and brain structure within the UK Biobank cohort

Stolicyn, A., Lyall, L. M., Lyall, D. , Høier, N., Adams, M. J., Shen, X., Cole, J. H., McIntosh, A. M., Whalley, H. C. and Smith, D. J. (2023) Comprehensive assessment of sleep duration, insomnia and brain structure within the UK Biobank cohort. SLEEP, (doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsad274) (PMID:37889226) (Early Online Publication)

Abstract

Study Objectives To assess for associations between sleeping more than or less than recommended by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), and self-reported insomnia, with brain structure. Methods Data from the UK Biobank cohort were analyzed (N between 9K and 32K, dependent on availability, aged 44 to 82 years). Sleep measures included self-reported adherence to NSF guidelines on sleep duration (sleeping between 7 and 9 hours per night), and self-reported difficulty falling or staying asleep (insomnia). Brain structural measures included global and regional cortical or subcortical morphometry (thickness, surface area, volume), global and tract-related white matter microstructure, brain age gap (difference between chronological age and age estimated from brain scan), and total volume of white matter lesions. Results Longer-than-recommended sleep duration was associated with lower overall grey and white matter volumes, lower global and regional cortical thickness and volume measures, higher brain age gap, higher volume of white matter lesions, higher mean diffusivity globally and in thalamic and association fibers, and lower volume of the hippocampus. Shorter-than-recommended sleep duration was related to higher global and cerebellar white matter volumes, lower global and regional cortical surface areas, and lower fractional anisotropy in projection fibers. Self-reported insomnia was associated with higher global gray and white matter volumes, and with higher volumes of the amygdala, hippocampus, and putamen. Conclusions Sleeping longer than recommended by the NSF is associated with a wide range of differences in brain structure, potentially indicative of poorer brain health. Sleeping less than recommended is distinctly associated with lower cortical surface areas. Future studies should assess the potential mechanisms of these differences and investigate long sleep duration as a putative marker of brain health.

• Item Type: Articles
• Additional Information: The current study was funded and supported through the Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine award (reference 173096) and the Wellcome-University of Edinburgh Institutional Strategic Support Fund (reference 204804/Z/16/Z). LML is supported by a Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh John, Margaret, Alfred and Stewart Sim Fellowship and a University of Glasgow Lord Kelvin / Adam Smith (LKAS) Fellowship. MJA and XS are supported by the Wellcome Trust (grant reference 220857/Z/20/Z). The research was conducted using the UK Biobank resource, with application number 4844. Provision of access to the UK Biobank was supported by the Wellcome Trust Strategic Award “Stratifying Resilience and Depression Longitudinally” (STRADL) (reference 104036/Z/14/Z).
• Keywords: Sleep duration, insomnia, brain structure, grey matter, white matter.
• Status: Early Online Publication
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Lyall, Dr Laura and Lyall, Dr Donald
• Authors: Stolicyn, A., Lyall, L. M., Lyall, D., Høier, N., Adams, M. J., Shen, X., Cole, J. H., McIntosh, A. M., Whalley, H. C., and Smith, D. J.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Mental Health and Wellbeing; College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Health & Wellbeing > Public Health
• Journal Name: SLEEP
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• ISSN: 0161-8105
• ISSN (Online): 1550-9109
• Published Online: 27 October 2023
• Copyright Holders: Copyright: © The Author(s) 2023
• First Published: First published in SLEEP 2023
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons licence

Project Code	Award No	Project Name	Principal Investigator	Funder's Name	Funder Ref	Lead Dept
173096		Investigating comorbidity between hypertension and bipolar disorder to identify new and repurposed medications for bipolar disorder	Daniel Smith	Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine (LISTININ)	Research Prize 2016	SHW - Mental Health & Wellbeing