Changes in ventromedial prefrontal cortex functional connectivity are correlated with increased risk-taking after total sleep deprivation.
Level 3 - non-randomized controlled study
Non-randomized within-subject laboratory experiment (before-after sleep deprivation)
PubMed 34798167 · doi:10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113674
What was done
Twenty-one healthy college students underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) across two conditions: baseline resting wakefulness and after 36 hours of total sleep deprivation. Functional connectivity of the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) was analyzed bilaterally across regions of interest, and correlation analysis was conducted to link connectivity changes with risk-taking measures before and after sleep loss.
What was found
The abstract reports directional findings without numerical values, effect sizes, or p-values. Total sleep deprivation was associated with decreased bilateral functional connectivity between the vmPFC and thalamus, as well as increased connectivity between the vmPFC, dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (dlPFC), and parietal lobe. Risk-taking likelihood correlated positively with vmPFC-dlPFC connectivity increases and negatively with vmPFC-thalamus connectivity decreases.
Why it matters
This work outlines potential neural circuitry alterations linking acute sleep deprivation to altered risk assessment and decision-making.
Limits
The sample size is very small (n = 21) and restricted to college students. The abstract reports no statistical figures or exact effect sizes, and resting-state correlations do not directly demonstrate task-active causal mechanisms.
Cited by
- supports During sleep deprivation, emotional reactivity is heightened and cognitive control is suppressed, leading to a shift in economic preferences toward taking larger and more frequent risks.