Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research & Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
Bowen Guo
Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research & Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
Peng Quan
Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Research Center for Quality of Life and Applied Psychology, Guangdong Medical University, Dongguan, China
Yao Deng
Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research & Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China; Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Ya Chai
Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research & Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China; Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Jing Xu
Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research & Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China; Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Caihong Jiang
Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research & Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
Qingyun Zhang
Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research & Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
Yingjie Lu
Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research & Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China
Namni Goel
Biological Rhythms Research Laboratory, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL, USA
Mathias Basner
Unit for Experimental Psychiatry, Division of Sleep and Chronobiology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
David F. Dinges
Unit for Experimental Psychiatry, Division of Sleep and Chronobiology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
Hengyi Rao
Center for Magnetic Resonance Imaging Research & Key Laboratory of Brain-Machine Intelligence for Information Behavior (Ministry of Education and Shanghai), School of Business and Management, Shanghai International Studies University, Shanghai, China; Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Unit for Experimental Psychiatry, Division of Sleep and Chronobiology, Department of Psychiatry, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Corresponding author: Center for Functional Neuroimaging, Department of Neurology, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Room D502, Richards Medical Research Building, 3700 Hamilton Walk, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
While the significance of obtaining restful sleep at night and maintaining daytime alertness is well recognized for human performance and overall well-being, substantial variations exist in the development of sleepiness during diurnal waking periods. Despite the established roles of the hypothalamus and striatum in sleep-wake regulation, the specific contributions of this neural circuit in regulating individual sleep homeostasis remain elusive. This study utilized resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and mathematical modeling to investigate the role of hypothalamus-striatum connectivity in subjective sleepiness variation in a cohort of 71 healthy adults under strictly controlled in-laboratory conditions. Mathematical modeling results revealed remarkable individual differences in subjective sleepiness accumulation patterns measured by the Karolinska Sleepiness Scale (KSS). Brain imaging data demonstrated that morning hypothalamic connectivity to the dorsal striatum significantly predicts the individual accumulation of subjective sleepiness from morning to evening, while no such correlation was observed for the hypothalamus-ventral striatum connectivity. These findings underscore the distinct roles of hypothalamic connectivity to the dorsal and ventral striatum in individual sleep homeostasis, suggesting that hypothalamus-dorsal striatum circuit may be a promising target for interventions mitigating excessive sleepiness and promoting alertness.
