Iris Y. Zhou1, 2, Russell W. Chan1, 2, Abby Y. Ding1, 2, Frank Y. Lee1, 2, Ed X. Wu1, 2
1Laboratory of Biomedical Imaging and Signal Processing, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China; 2Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
Sleep deprivation (SD) is known to diminish alertness and impair cognitive performance in humans. The intrinsic connectivity during resting-state may also be modified by SD. In this study, we used rsfMRI to examine the changes in functional connectivity induced by rapid eye movement SD in rat brains. After SD, interhemispheric correlations in hippocampus prominently diminished, indicating possible neuronal loss or/and neuronal dysfunction. Reduced intercortical connection in visual cortex was also observed, consistent with earlier studies showing decreased neuronal activity in this region after SD.