Hierarchical clustering of brain activity during human nonrapid eye movement sleep
Melanie Boly, Vincent Perlbarg, Guillaume Marrelec, Manuel Schabus, Steven Laureys, Julien Doyon, Mélanie Pélégrini‐Issac, Pierre Maquet, Habib Benali
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences March 26, 2012 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1111133109 via OpenAlex
Summary
Consciousness is reduced during nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep due to changes in brain function that are still poorly understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that impaired consciousness during NREM sleep is associated with an increased modularity of brain activity. Cerebral connectivity was quantified in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging times series acquired in 13 healthy volunteers during wakefulness and NREM sleep. The analysis revealed a modification of the hierarchical organization of large-scale networks into smaller independent modules during NREM sleep, independently from EEG markers of the slow oscillation. Such modifications in brain connectivity, possibly driven by sleep ultraslow oscillations, could hinder the brain's ability to integrate information and account for decreased consciousness during NREM sleep.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Observational cohort Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 13 |
| Population | Healthy volunteers |
| Keywords | Wakefulness Eye movement Neuroscience of sleep Sleep system call Psychology |
| Citations | 201 |
| Key finding | NREM sleep is associated with increased modularity of brain activity, which may hinder information integration and account for decreased consciousness. |
Abstract
Consciousness is reduced during nonrapid eye movement (NREM) sleep due to changes in brain function that are still poorly understood. Here, we tested the hypothesis that impaired consciousness during NREM sleep is associated with an increased modularity of brain activity. Cerebral connectivity was quantified in resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging times series acquired in 13 healthy volunteers during wakefulness and NREM sleep. The analysis revealed a modification of the hierarchical organization of large-scale networks into smaller independent modules during NREM sleep, independently from EEG markers of the slow oscillation. Such modifications in brain connectivity, possibly driven by sleep ultraslow oscillations, could hinder the brain's ability to integrate information and account for decreased consciousness during NREM sleep.