title: The relationship between brain morphology and polysomnography in healthy good sleepers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Normal sleep continuity and architecture show remarkable inter-individual variability. Previous studies suggest that brain morphology may explain inter-individual differences in sleep variables.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thirty-eight healthy subjects spent two consecutive nights at the sleep laboratory with polysomnographic monitoring. Furthermore, high-resolution T1-weighted MRI datasets were acquired in all participants. EEG sleep recordings were analyzed using standard sleep staging criteria and power spectral analysis. Using the FreeSurfer software for automated segmentation, 174 variables were determined representing the volume and thickness of cortical segments and the volume of subcortical brain areas. Regression analyses were performed to examine the relationship with polysomnographic and spectral EEG power variables.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The analysis did not provide any support for the a-priori formulated hypotheses of an association between brain morphology and polysomnographic variables. Exploratory analyses revealed that the thickness of the left caudal anterior cingulate cortex was positively associated with EEG beta2 power (24-32 Hz) during REM sleep. The volume of the left postcentral gyrus was positively associated with periodic leg movements during sleep (PLMS).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The function of the anterior cingulate cortex as well as EEG beta power during REM sleep have been related to dreaming and sleep-related memory consolidation, which may explain the observed correlation. Increased volumes of the postcentral gyrus may be the result of increased sensory input associated with PLMS. However, due to the exploratory nature of the corresponding analyses, these results have to be replicated before drawing firm conclusions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Reinhard
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Regen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baglioni
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nissen
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Feige
authors.affiliation: Department of Diagnostic Radiology, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hennig
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Riemann
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Spiegelhalder
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001921:Brain / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D004569:Electroencephalography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D012890:Sleep; D012894:Sleep Stages