Nature and Science of Sleep (Aug 2022)

Evidence of White Matter Integrity Changes in the Anterior Cingulum Among Shift Workers: A Cross-Sectional Study

  • Lee J,
  • Kim M,
  • Kim N,
  • Hwang Y,
  • Lee KH,
  • Lee J,
  • Lee YJ,
  • Kim SJ

Journal volume & issue
Vol. Volume 14
pp. 1417 – 1425

Abstract

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Jiye Lee,1,* Minjeong Kim,1,* Nambeom Kim,2 Yunjee Hwang,1 Kyung Hwa Lee,3,4 Jooyoung Lee,1 Yu Jin Lee,3 Seog Ju Kim1 1Department of Psychiatry, Sungkyunkwan University College of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 2Department of Biomedical Engineering Research Center, Gachon University, Incheon, Republic of Korea; 3Department of Psychiatry and Center for Sleep and Chronobiology, Seoul National University, College of Medicine and Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea; 4Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Department of Psychiatry, Seoul National University Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yu Jin Lee, Department of Psychiatry and Center for Sleep and Chronobiology, Seoul National University, College of Medicine and Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea, Email [email protected] Seog Ju Kim, Department of Psychiatry, Sungkyunkwan University College of Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea, Email [email protected]: We investigated the white matter integrity in shift and non-shift workers and its associations with sleep and activity.Methods: Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) was performed on 61 shift workers and 31 non-shift workers. Their sleep and activity profiles were assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), sleep diaries, and actigraphy. Fractional anisotropy (FA) (a measure of white matter integrity) was calculated using DTI tractography.Results: Shift workers exhibited higher FA values in the bilateral anterior cingulum than did non-shift workers. An increased FA in the right anterior cingulum was correlated with poor sleep quality (ie, a high PSQI score) in shift workers. An increased FA in the right anterior cingulum was also correlated with higher actigraphic activity indices (the mesor and M10 indices) in shift workers.Discussion: The white matter integrity of the anterior cingulum was altered in shift workers, perhaps in association with sleep and activity disturbances.Keywords: shift work, DTI, cingulum, sleep, activity

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