Poor sleep alters brain communication networks differently across adult lifespan

A recent study including psychology researchers from Binghamton University, State University of New York investigates how poor sleep alters brain communication across the adult lifespan, specifically examining how these changes vary by age and biological sex.

The article, "Sleep quality is associated with default mode and salience network connectivity differently across age and sex," appeared in a recent edition of the journal Neurobiology of Aging. Co-authors include psychology graduate student Sepehr Gourabi, and Associate Professor of Psychology Ian McDonough, both at Binghamton; and Selene Tan, Matthew Cribbet, and Jeanne Cundiff of The University of Alabama.

The researchers analyzed brain scans from two large groups totaling more than 1,300 participants to see how brain networks connect at rest in people who report having poor sleep quality.

We discovered that the poorly slept older brain looks like it is suffering from a general breakdown in its sleep-regulation systems."