Enhanced structure-function coupling of the sensorimotor network following partial sleep deprivation and its correlation with baseline vigilance: A combined DWI and fMRI study.
Partial sleep deprivation significantly increases structure-function coupling predominantly in the sensorimotor network, and this enhancement correlates with individual differences in baseline vigilance performance, suggesting a trait-like vulnerability whereby individuals with lower baseline vigilance exhibit stronger structural constraints on sensorimotor network functional activity under sleep deprivation.
Key Findings
Results
Cortical structure-function coupling (SFC) significantly increases after partial sleep deprivation, predominantly driven by the sensorimotor network (SMN).
Analysis was conducted on resting-state fMRI, diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI), and psychomotor vigilance task (PVT) data from 54 participants of the Stockholm Sleepy Brain Project.
SFC was assessed at both system and network levels using combined DWI and resting-state fMRI data.
The increase in cortical SFC was specifically localized to the sensorimotor network rather than being uniformly distributed across all large-scale brain networks.
The study design involved a partial sleep deprivation condition compared to a rested baseline condition.
Results
Enhanced SMN structure-function coupling after partial sleep deprivation was significantly correlated with individual differences in baseline vigilance performance.
Participants with more fragile vigilance (lower baseline performance) exhibited a more pronounced SFC enhancement in the sensorimotor network following sleep deprivation.
Vigilance was assessed using the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT).
The correlation was between baseline PVT performance and the magnitude of SMN SFC change under sleep deprivation.
This suggests that baseline vigilance may serve as a predictor of the degree of structural constraint changes in the SMN under sleep loss.
Results
The relationship between sleep deprivation-induced SMN coupling enhancement and baseline vigilance remained invariant across age groups.
The findings were consistent among both younger and older adult participants in the Stockholm Sleepy Brain Project.
Age invariance suggests the observed structure-function coupling changes and their relationship to vigilance are not specific to a particular developmental stage.
The sample of 54 participants included both younger and older adults.
Discussion
Insufficient sleep is accompanied by increased structural constraints on functional connectivity in the sensorimotor network, potentially reflecting a trait-like vulnerability.
The authors interpret the enhanced SFC as reflecting greater structural (white matter) constraints on functional activity within the SMN following sleep deprivation.
The pattern is described as 'trait-like vulnerability,' whereby individuals with lower baseline vigilance are more susceptible to showing stronger structural constraints on SMN functional activity.
This interpretation is based on the correlation between a stable trait measure (baseline vigilance) and the magnitude of the sleep deprivation effect on SFC.
The authors highlight 'the potential of network-level SFC and baseline vigilance as predictive markers of vulnerability to sleep deprivation.'
Conclusions
Network-level SFC and baseline vigilance are proposed as potential predictive markers of vulnerability to sleep deprivation effects.
The study used a multimodal neuroimaging approach combining DWI and resting-state fMRI to measure SFC.
Baseline PVT performance, measured prior to sleep deprivation, predicted the magnitude of subsequent neural changes.
The authors suggest these markers could help identify individuals at greater risk for impairment under conditions of sleep loss.
The findings are based on the Stockholm Sleepy Brain Project dataset with 54 participants.
What This Means
This research suggests that getting less sleep than normal causes changes in how the brain's structure and function work together, particularly in the part of the brain responsible for controlling movement and processing sensory information (the sensorimotor network). Using brain scans that measure both brain wiring (diffusion-weighted imaging) and brain activity at rest (fMRI), along with a test of sustained attention, the researchers found that after a night of partial sleep deprivation, the sensorimotor network showed tighter coupling between its physical connections and its activity patterns — meaning the brain's structural 'wiring' had a stronger influence on how that network functioned.
Importantly, this research suggests that not everyone is equally affected: people who already had worse baseline attention performance before any sleep loss showed larger increases in this brain coupling after sleep deprivation. This was true for both younger and older adults, suggesting it is a broad phenomenon rather than age-specific. The researchers interpret this as evidence of a 'trait-like vulnerability' — meaning some people may have a stable, pre-existing susceptibility to having their brain networks disrupted by poor sleep.
The practical implication of this research is that it may be possible to identify who is most at risk from the effects of sleep loss by looking at their baseline attention performance and brain structure-function coupling before any sleep deprivation occurs. This could be relevant for professions where people face irregular sleep schedules, such as healthcare, transportation, or shift work, where predicting who will be most impaired by insufficient sleep could help manage safety risks.
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Tian Y, Wang S. (2026). Enhanced structure-function coupling of the sensorimotor network following partial sleep deprivation and its correlation with baseline vigilance: A combined DWI and fMRI study.. Sleep medicine. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleep.2026.109001