Analysis of the Relationship Between Sleep Quality and Brain Connections in Undergraduates: Study of Resting- State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Purpose: Physiological statuses of college students and other age groups greatly differ. Past studies have mostly focused on sleep quality in the elderly to analyze their brain connections. In this study, AMG (amygdaloid), THL (thalamus), ACC (anterior cingulate cortex), and HPC (hippocampus) in 20-year-olds were examined to determine whether there is any difference in functional brain connections based on sleep quality. Materials and Methods: Five patients (average age: 20.8 years) with insomnia and normal brain structures were assigned to the experimental group. For the control group, 10 healthy individuals were selected (average age: 20.3 years). Subjects were given instructions regarding resting-state fMRI acquisition. Results: Experimental results showed significant differences in the AMG, THL, ACC, and HPC between the experimental and control groups (p ＜ 0.05). Discussion: There were key differences between healthy subjects and insomniac subjects in four regions of the brain: AMG, THL, ACC, and HPC. This preliminary investigation of young insomnia sufferers provides a basis for early detection and prevention, with the hope that insomnia can be adequately managed before the development of severe brain disease.