Altered Cerebro-Cerebellar Functional Connectivity Associated with Working Memory Decline after Sleep Deprivation

Abstract It has been demonstrated that the cerebellum plays a critical role not only in motor function but also in cognitive function. Numerous studies have revealed altered functional connectivity (FC) in cerebral cortex underlying working memory (WM) decline after acute sleep deprivation (SD). However, whether the altered cerebro-cerebellar functional connectivity (FC) is associated with WM impairment after acute SD remains unclear. In this study, 26 healthy participants with regular sleep performed an n-back task and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans before and after 24 h of SD. The FC between the cerebrum and cerebellum and its relationship with WM function were analyzed in recruited participants. Our results showed a significantly longer RT for the 1-back and 2-back tasks and lower accuracy of the 2-back task after SD. We found a marked reduction in FC between ten pairs of regions in the cerebellum and cerebrum after SD. Furthermore, the altered FC between the right lobule X of the cerebellum and left precentral gyrus was positively correlated with a decline in WM performance. Our findings reveal that the disrupted FC between the cerebellum and cortical regions may contribute to the declined WM after acute SD.