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Convergent and divergent functional connectivityalterations of hippocampal subregions between short-term and chronic insomnia disorder

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Abstract

Insomnia disorder (ID) is reclassified into short-term and chronic subtypes based on recent etiological advances, however, neural mechanisms underlying the subtypes are rarely examined. In this study, we investigated gray matter volume and resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) alterations of hippocampal subregions in short-term and chronic ID using multimodal MRI. We found convergent and divergent alterations between both ID groups in specific hippocampal subregions [right cornu ammonis 1 (CA1), subicular complex (Subc), and caudal hippocampus, (cHipp)] with prefrontal cortex [bilateral medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), and right middle frontal gyrus] and limbic/paralimbic regions (bilateral middle cingulate cortex and left parahippocampal gyrus). Intriguingly, the RSFC of the right CA1/cHipp, particularly the intersection between these two subregions, with bilateral MPFC exhibited gradual increases from healthy controls to short-term ID and from short-term ID to chronic ID. Moreover, a negative correlation between the right CA1-left parahippocampal gyrus RSFC and Epworth Sleepiness Scale scores, and a positive correlation between the right CA1-bilateral MPFC RSFC and Insomnia Severity Index scores were found in the chronic ID group (P < 0.05). Our findings suggest convergent and divergent RSFC alterations of specific hippocampal subregions with the prefrontal cortex and limbic/paralimbic regions between short-term and chronic ID. These findings suggest that the hippocampus is a key node in establishing diagnostic and categorical biomarkers in ID and developing more effective treatment strategies.

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Acknowledgements

We wish to thank the participants and their families for their contribution to our research, we also thank Dr. Xiaopeng Zong (Department of Radiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill) for constructive advices.

Funding

National Natural Science Foundation of China (grant number: 81771807), the Science and Technology Planning Project of Guangdong Province (grant number: 2017A020215077, 2017B020210002).

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Correspondence to Ting Song.

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Ma, X., Jiang, G., Tian, J. et al. Convergent and divergent functional connectivityalterations of hippocampal subregions between short-term and chronic insomnia disorder. Brain Imaging and Behavior 15, 986–995 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-020-00306-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11682-020-00306-6

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