Exploring the Correlation Between Sleep Chronotype and the Volumes of Subcortical Structures and Hippocampal Subfields in Young Healthy Population
Background/Objectives: Chronotypes significantly influence sleep quality, daily performance, and overall activity levels. Although there is growing evidence indicating that individuals with a late chronotype are more likely to experience cognitive decline, the specific neural mechanisms that contrib...
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MDPI AG
2025-03-01
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| author | Fahad H. Alhazmi |
| author_facet | Fahad H. Alhazmi |
| author_sort | Fahad H. Alhazmi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background/Objectives: Chronotypes significantly influence sleep quality, daily performance, and overall activity levels. Although there is growing evidence indicating that individuals with a late chronotype are more likely to experience cognitive decline, the specific neural mechanisms that contribute to this risk remain unclear. This study aims to explore the relationship between morning and evening preferences and the volumes of subcortical structures in a young, healthy population. Methods: A total of 123 participants (80 females), aged between 18 and 35 years, were recruited. They underwent MRI scans and completed several self-reported assessments, including the morningness–eveningness scale of the Chronotype Questionnaire (ChQ-ME), the amplitude scale of the Chronotype Questionnaire (ChQ-AM), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Participants were classified into early chronotype (EC) and late chronotype (LC) groups based on their ChQ-ME scores. High-resolution T1-weighted imaging was utilized to analyze the volumes of subcortical structures and hippocampal subfields. Results: The volumetric analysis indicated that the LC group showed significant reductions in the right Caudate (<i>p</i> = 0.03) and the left SR-SL-SM (<i>p</i> = 0.03) compared to the EC group. Additionally, a notable leftward hemispheric laterality of the Subiculum (<i>p</i> = 0.048) was observed in the EC group relative to the LC group. Furthermore, the ChQ-AM revealed significant positive (r = 0.23) and negative (r = −0.19) correlations with the volumes of the left thalamus and right amygdala, respectively. The PSQI demonstrated a significant negative correlation (r = −0.21) with the right SR-SL-SM, while the ESS indicated a significant positive correlation (r = 0.24) with the left SR-SL-SM. Multiple regression analysis indicated that variations in daytime sleepiness are linked to the change of the left SR-SL-SM volume. Conclusions: Overall, the findings suggest that chronotype preferences are associated with the changes in the volumes of subcortical structures and hippocampal subfields and highlight the role of chronotypes in the neural mechanisms of these brain structures. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-f0a9a01a52c04c99bd7b9cbb4c8c73d8 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2076-3425 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Brain Sciences |
| spelling | doaj-art-f0a9a01a52c04c99bd7b9cbb4c8c73d82025-08-20T03:43:21ZengMDPI AGBrain Sciences2076-34252025-03-0115329510.3390/brainsci15030295Exploring the Correlation Between Sleep Chronotype and the Volumes of Subcortical Structures and Hippocampal Subfields in Young Healthy PopulationFahad H. Alhazmi0Department of Diagnostic Radiology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Taibah University, P.O. Box 344, Almadinah Almunawarah 41477, Saudi ArabiaBackground/Objectives: Chronotypes significantly influence sleep quality, daily performance, and overall activity levels. Although there is growing evidence indicating that individuals with a late chronotype are more likely to experience cognitive decline, the specific neural mechanisms that contribute to this risk remain unclear. This study aims to explore the relationship between morning and evening preferences and the volumes of subcortical structures in a young, healthy population. Methods: A total of 123 participants (80 females), aged between 18 and 35 years, were recruited. They underwent MRI scans and completed several self-reported assessments, including the morningness–eveningness scale of the Chronotype Questionnaire (ChQ-ME), the amplitude scale of the Chronotype Questionnaire (ChQ-AM), the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Participants were classified into early chronotype (EC) and late chronotype (LC) groups based on their ChQ-ME scores. High-resolution T1-weighted imaging was utilized to analyze the volumes of subcortical structures and hippocampal subfields. Results: The volumetric analysis indicated that the LC group showed significant reductions in the right Caudate (<i>p</i> = 0.03) and the left SR-SL-SM (<i>p</i> = 0.03) compared to the EC group. Additionally, a notable leftward hemispheric laterality of the Subiculum (<i>p</i> = 0.048) was observed in the EC group relative to the LC group. Furthermore, the ChQ-AM revealed significant positive (r = 0.23) and negative (r = −0.19) correlations with the volumes of the left thalamus and right amygdala, respectively. The PSQI demonstrated a significant negative correlation (r = −0.21) with the right SR-SL-SM, while the ESS indicated a significant positive correlation (r = 0.24) with the left SR-SL-SM. Multiple regression analysis indicated that variations in daytime sleepiness are linked to the change of the left SR-SL-SM volume. Conclusions: Overall, the findings suggest that chronotype preferences are associated with the changes in the volumes of subcortical structures and hippocampal subfields and highlight the role of chronotypes in the neural mechanisms of these brain structures.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/3/295sleep chronotypebrain volumesubcortical structureshippocampal subfieldshemispheric asymmetries |
| spellingShingle | Fahad H. Alhazmi Exploring the Correlation Between Sleep Chronotype and the Volumes of Subcortical Structures and Hippocampal Subfields in Young Healthy Population Brain Sciences sleep chronotype brain volume subcortical structures hippocampal subfields hemispheric asymmetries |
| title | Exploring the Correlation Between Sleep Chronotype and the Volumes of Subcortical Structures and Hippocampal Subfields in Young Healthy Population |
| title_full | Exploring the Correlation Between Sleep Chronotype and the Volumes of Subcortical Structures and Hippocampal Subfields in Young Healthy Population |
| title_fullStr | Exploring the Correlation Between Sleep Chronotype and the Volumes of Subcortical Structures and Hippocampal Subfields in Young Healthy Population |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring the Correlation Between Sleep Chronotype and the Volumes of Subcortical Structures and Hippocampal Subfields in Young Healthy Population |
| title_short | Exploring the Correlation Between Sleep Chronotype and the Volumes of Subcortical Structures and Hippocampal Subfields in Young Healthy Population |
| title_sort | exploring the correlation between sleep chronotype and the volumes of subcortical structures and hippocampal subfields in young healthy population |
| topic | sleep chronotype brain volume subcortical structures hippocampal subfields hemispheric asymmetries |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/15/3/295 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT fahadhalhazmi exploringthecorrelationbetweensleepchronotypeandthevolumesofsubcorticalstructuresandhippocampalsubfieldsinyounghealthypopulation |