Work

Sleep variability in adolescence is associated with altered brain development

Year: 2015

Type: article

Abstract: Despite the known importance of sleep for brain development, and the sharp increase in poor sleep during adolescence, we know relatively little about how sleep impacts the developing brain. We present the first longitudinal study to examine how sleep during adolescence is associated with white matter integrity. We find that greater variability in sleep duration one year prior to a DTI scan is associated with lower white matter integrity above and beyond the effects of sleep duration, and variability in bedtime, whereas sleep variability a few months prior to the scan is not associated with white matter integrity. Thus, variability in sleep duration during adolescence may have long-term impairments on the developing brain. White matter integrity should be increasing during adolescence, and so sleep variability is directly at odds with normative developmental trends.

Source: Developmental Cognitive Neuroscience

DOI: 10.1016/j.dcn.2015.05.007

Authors: Eva H. Telzer, Diane Goldenberg, Andrew J. Fuligni, Matthew D. Lieberman, Adriana Gálvan

Institutions: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, University of California, Los Angeles

Language: English

Topic: Sleep and related disorders

Subfield: Experimental and Cognitive Psychology

Field: Psychology

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Good health and well-being

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $3,650