What does this research mean for the field?

There are three distinct neuroimaging subtypes of adolescent sleep insufficiency that can differentiate natural short sleepers from those with comorbidity or environment-driven insufficiency. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to classify adolescent sleep insufficiency into neuroimaging subtypes to understand their unique biological and environmental factors.

March 10, 2026Open Access

Neuroimaging subtypes of adolescent sleep insufficiency stratify natural short sleepers from comorbidity or environment driven insufficiency

Key Points

The study aims to classify adolescent sleep insufficiency into neuroimaging subtypes to understand their unique biological and environmental factors.
Analyzed brain MRI data from the ABCD Study using the SuStaIn model.
Identified three subtypes of sleep insufficiency based on cortical thickness patterns.
Examined the relationship between neuroimaging subtypes and sleep behaviors, environments, and psychiatric comorbidities.
Discovered three distinct neuroimaging subtypes with varying cortical thickness and sleep-related factors.
The postcentral subtype correlated with natural short sleepers and exhibited no psychiatric comorbidities.
The pericalcarine subtype was affected by environmental influences like light and noise, mediating cortical thinning.
The entorhinal subtype showed a greater risk for psychiatric issues and younger brain age.

Abstract

Insufficient sleep (less than 8 hours for adolescents) has heterogeneous neurobiological underpinnings. Using the SuStaIn model on brain MRI from ABCD Study, we identified three distinct subtypes with reduced cortical thickness, starting from the postcentral, pericalcarine, and entorhinal cortices. The subtypes diverged in sleep-related determinants. The postcentral subtype mirrored the controls of sufficient sleep in sleep behavior and sleep environment and showed no psychiatric comorbidities, which aligned with natural short sleepers (phenotypically normal despite short sleep). Notably, this subtype displayed significantly advanced brain age, and polygenetic score analysis revealed a genetic predisposition for short sleep. The pericalcarine subtype was linked to environmental factors (e.g., light/noise pollution), with sleep duration mediating environmental effects on cortical thinning. The entorhinal subtype showed elevated psychiatric risk, younger brain age, and larger spatial correlations with psychosis-related neurotransmitter systems. This work deciphers the heterogeneous neurobiology of insufficient sleep and offers a framework for stratified interventions.

Bookmark

View Full Paper

Cite This Study

Chen et al. (Sat,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69af957570916d39fea4d005 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-70135-6

Also Consider

Synapse has enriched 5 closely related papers on similar clinical questions. Consider them for comparative context:

Bookmark

View Full Paper