Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Sleep and Neuroimaging

  • Perspective
  • Published:
Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging Aims and scope Submit manuscript

A Correction to this article was published on 04 May 2023

This article has been updated

Abstract

We spend about one-third of our lives either sleeping or attempting to sleep. Therefore, the socioeconomic implications of sleep disorders may be higher than expected. However, the fundamental mechanisms and functions of sleep are not yet fully understood. Neuroimaging has been utilized to reveal the connectivity between sleep and the brain, which is associated with the physiology of sleep. Positron emission tomography (PET) and single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) imaging studies have become increasingly common in sleep research. Recently, significant progress has been made in understanding the physiology of sleep through neuroimaging and the use of various radiopharmaceuticals, as the sleep–wake cycle is regulated by multiple neurotransmitters, including dopamine, adenosine, glutamate, and others. In addition, the characteristics of rapid eye and non-rapid eye movement sleep have been investigated by measuring cerebral glucose metabolism. The physiology of sleep has been investigated using PET to study glymphatic function as a means to clear the amyloid burden. However, the basic mechanisms and functions of sleep are not yet fully understood. Further studies are needed to investigate the effects and consequences of chronic sleep deprivation, and the relevance of sleep to other diseases.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5

Similar content being viewed by others

Change history

References

  1. Aminoff MJ, Boller F, Swaab DF. We spend about one-third of our life either sleeping or attempting to do so. Handb Clin Neurol. 2011;98:vii.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  2. Feng X, Liu Q, Li Y, Zhao F, Chang H, Lyu J. Longitudinal study of the relationship between sleep duration and hypertension in Chinese adult residents (CHNS 2004-2011). Sleep Med. 2019;58:88–92.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Sluggett L, Wagner SL, Harris RL. Sleep duration and obesity in children and adolescents. Can J Diabetes. 2019;43:146–52.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  4. Cordone S, Annarumma L, Rossini PM, De Gennaro L. Sleep and beta-amyloid deposition in Alzheimer disease: insights on mechanisms and possible innovative treatments. Front Pharmacol. 2019;10:695.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  5. Baumann CR. Sleep-wake and circadian disturbances in Parkinson disease: a short clinical guide. J Neural Transm (Vienna). 2019.

  6. Research IoMUCoSMa. In: Colten HR, Altevogt BM, editors. Sleep disorders and sleep deprivation: an unmet public health problem. Washington (DC): The National Academies Collection: Reports funded by National Institutes of Health; 2006. p. 67–166.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Maquet P, Dive D, Salmon E, Sadzot B, Franco G, Poirrier R, et al. Cerebral glucose utilization during sleep-wake cycle in man determined by positron emission tomography and [18F]2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose method. Brain Res. 1990;513:136–43.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  8. Dang-Vu TT, Schabus M, Desseilles M, Sterpenich V, Bonjean M, Maquet P. Functional neuroimaging insights into the physiology of human sleep. Sleep. 2010;33:1589–603.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  9. Bennett CM, Miller MB. How reliable are the results from functional magnetic resonance imaging? Ann N Y Acad Sci. 2010;1191:133–55.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Hong CC, Gillin JC, Dow BM, Wu J, Buchsbaum MS. Localized and lateralized cerebral glucose metabolism associated with eye movements during REM sleep and wakefulness: a positron emission tomography (PET) study. Sleep. 1995;18:570–80.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Michaelides M, Thanos PK, Volkow ND, Wang GJ. Translational neuroimaging in drug addiction and obesity. ILAR J. 2012;53:59–68.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Carley DW, Farabi SS. Physiology of sleep. Diabetes Spectr. 2016;29:5–9.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  13. Siegel JM. The neurotransmitters of sleep. J Clin Psychiatry. 2004;65(Suppl 16):4–7.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  14. Fontanini A, Katz DB. Behavioral states, network states, and sensory response variability. J Neurophysiol. 2008;100:1160–8.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  15. Heiss WD, Pawlik G, Herholz K, Wagner R, Wienhard K. Regional cerebral glucose metabolism in man during wakefulness, sleep, and dreaming. Brain Res. 1985;327:362–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  16. Buchsbaum MS, Gillin JC, Wu J, Hazlett E, Sicotte N, Dupont RM, et al. Regional cerebral glucose metabolic rate in human sleep assessed by positron emission tomography. Life Sci. 1989;45:1349–56.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  17. Peigneux P. Neuroimaging studies of sleep and memory in humans. Curr Top Behav Neurosci. 2015;25:239–68.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  18. Braun AR, Balkin TJ, Wesenten NJ, Carson RE, Varga M, Baldwin P, et al. Regional cerebral blood flow throughout the sleep-wake cycle. An H2(15)O PET study. Brain. 1997;120(Pt 7):1173–97.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  19. Andersson JL, Onoe H, Hetta J, Lidstrom K, Valind S, Lilja A, et al. Brain networks affected by synchronized sleep visualized by positron emission tomography. J Cereb Blood Flow Metab. 1998;18:701–15.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Peter-Derex L, Yammine P, Bastuji H, Croisile B. Sleep and Alzheimer’s disease. Sleep Med Rev. 2015;19:29–38.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  21. Roh JH, Huang Y, Bero AW, Kasten T, Stewart FR, Bateman RJ, et al. Disruption of the sleep-wake cycle and diurnal fluctuation of beta-amyloid in mice with Alzheimer’s disease pathology. Sci Transl Med. 2012;4:150ra22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Spira AP, Gamaldo AA, An Y, Wu MN, Simonsick EM, Bilgel M, et al. Self-reported sleep and beta-amyloid deposition in community-dwelling older adults. JAMA Neurol. 2013;70:1537–43.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  23. Branger P, Arenaza-Urquijo EM, Tomadesso C, Mezenge F, Andre C, de Flores R, et al. Relationships between sleep quality and brain volume, metabolism, and amyloid deposition in late adulthood. Neurobiol Aging. 2016;41:107–14.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  24. Sprecher KE, Bendlin BB, Racine AM, Okonkwo OC, Christian BT, Koscik RL, et al. Amyloid burden is associated with self-reported sleep in nondemented late middle-aged adults. Neurobiol Aging. 2015;36:2568–76.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Cirrito JR, Yamada KA, Finn MB, Sloviter RS, Bales KR, May PC, et al. Synaptic activity regulates interstitial fluid amyloid-beta levels in vivo. Neuron. 2005;48:913–22.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Vyazovskiy VV, Olcese U, Lazimy YM, Faraguna U, Esser SK, Williams JC, et al. Cortical firing and sleep homeostasis. Neuron. 2009;63:865–78.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Xie L, Kang H, Xu Q, Chen MJ, Liao Y, Thiyagarajan M, et al. Sleep drives metabolite clearance from the adult brain. Science. 2013;342:373–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Boutrel B, Koob GF. What keeps us awake: the neuropharmacology of stimulants and wakefulness-promoting medications. Sleep. 2004;27:1181–94.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  29. Stocchi F, Barbato L, Nordera G, Berardelli A, Ruggieri S. Sleep disorders in Parkinson’s disease. J Neurol. 1998;245(Suppl 1):S15–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  30. Chiu NT, Lee BF, Yeh TL, Chen PS, Lee IH, Chen KC, et al. Relationship between striatal dopamine transporter availability and sleep quality in healthy adults. Mol Imaging Biol. 2011;13:1267–71.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  31. Lee BF, Chiu NT, Kuang Yang Y, Lin CC. The relation between striatal dopamine D2/D3 receptor availability and sleep quality in healthy adults. Nucl Med Commun. 2007;28:401–6.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  32. Tufik S, Lindsey CJ, Carlini EA. Does REM sleep deprivation induce a supersensitivity of dopaminergic receptors in the rat brain? Pharmacology. 1978;16:98–105.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Alhola P, Polo-Kantola P. Sleep deprivation: impact on cognitive performance. Neuropsychiatr Dis Treat. 2007;3:553–67.

    PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  34. Wu JC, Gillin JC, Buchsbaum MS, Hershey T, Hazlett E, Sicotte N, et al. The effect of sleep deprivation on cerebral glucose metabolic rate in normal humans assessed with positron emission tomography. Sleep. 1991;14:155–62.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Wu JC, Bunney WE. The biological basis of an antidepressant response to sleep deprivation and relapse: review and hypothesis. Am J Psychiatry. 1990;147:14–21.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  36. Wu JC, Gillin JC, Buchsbaum MS, Hershey T, Johnson JC, Bunney WE Jr. Effect of sleep deprivation on brain metabolism of depressed patients. Am J Psychiatry. 1992;149:538–43.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  37. Iliff JJ, Wang M, Liao Y, Plogg BA, Peng W, Gundersen GA, et al. A paravascular pathway facilitates CSF flow through the brain parenchyma and the clearance of interstitial solutes, including amyloid beta. Sci Transl Med. 2012;4:147ra11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Krell-Roesch J, Vassilaki M, Mielke MM, Kremers WK, Lowe VJ, Vemuri P, et al. Cortical beta-amyloid burden, neuropsychiatric symptoms, and cognitive status: the Mayo Clinic study of aging. Transl Psychiatry. 2019;9:123.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  39. Shokri-Kojori E, Wang GJ, Wiers CE, Demiral SB, Guo M, Kim SW, et al. Beta-amyloid accumulation in the human brain after one night of sleep deprivation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2018;115:4483–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  40. Wisor JP, Nishino S, Sora I, Uhl GH, Mignot E, Edgar DM. Dopaminergic role in stimulant-induced wakefulness. J Neurosci. 2001;21:1787–94.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  41. Volkow ND, Wang GJ, Telang F, Fowler JS, Logan J, Wong C, et al. Sleep deprivation decreases binding of [11C]raclopride to dopamine D2/D3 receptors in the human brain. J Neurosci. 2008;28:8454–61.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  42. Martins RC, Andersen ML, Garbuio SA, Bittencourt LR, Guindalini C, Shih MC, et al. Dopamine transporter regulation during four nights of REM sleep deprivation followed by recovery--an in vivo molecular imaging study in humans. Sleep. 2010;33:243–51.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  43. Gjedde A, Wong DF, Rosa-Neto P, Cumming P. Mapping neuroreceptors at work: on the definition and interpretation of binding potentials after 20 years of progress. Int Rev Neurobiol. 2005;63:1–20.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  44. Volkow ND, Tomasi D, Wang GJ, Telang F, Fowler JS, Logan J, et al. Evidence that sleep deprivation downregulates dopamine D2R in ventral striatum in the human brain. J Neurosci. 2012;32:6711–7.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  45. Clark I, Landolt HP. Coffee, caffeine, and sleep: a systematic review of epidemiological studies and randomized controlled trials. Sleep Med Rev. 2017;31:70–8.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  46. Elmenhorst D, Meyer PT, Winz OH, Matusch A, Ermert J, Coenen HH, et al. Sleep deprivation increases A1 adenosine receptor binding in the human brain: a positron emission tomography study. J Neurosci. 2007;27:2410–5.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  47. Elmenhorst D, Elmenhorst EM, Hennecke E, Kroll T, Matusch A, Aeschbach D, et al. Recovery sleep after extended wakefulness restores elevated A1 adenosine receptor availability in the human brain. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2017;114:4243–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  48. Yu X, Li W, Ma Y, Tossell K, Harris JJ, Harding EC, et al. GABA and glutamate neurons in the VTA regulate sleep and wakefulness. Nat Neurosci. 2019;22:106–19.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  49. Hefti K, Holst SC, Sovago J, Bachmann V, Buck A, Ametamey SM, et al. Increased metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 availability in human brain after one night without sleep. Biol Psychiatry. 2013;73:161–8.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  50. Holst SC, Sousek A, Hefti K, Saberi-Moghadam S, Buck A, Ametamey SM, et al. Cerebral mGluR5 availability contributes to elevated sleep need and behavioral adjustment after sleep deprivation. Elife. 2017;6.

  51. Deschwanden A, Karolewicz B, Feyissa AM, Treyer V, Ametamey SM, Johayem A, et al. Reduced metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 density in major depression determined by [(11)C]ABP688 PET and postmortem study. Am J Psychiatry. 2011;168:727–34.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nuclear Medicine and Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital and School of Medicine, Pusan National University, Busan, Republic of Korea

    Kyoungjune Pak, Keunyoung Kim & In Joo Kim

  2. Department of Neurology and Biomedical Research Institute, Pusan National University Hospital, Busan, Republic of Korea

    Jiyoung Kim

  3. Department of Nuclear Medicine, Pusan National University Yangsan Hospital, Yangsan, Republic of Korea

    Seong Jang Kim

Authors
  1. Kyoungjune Pak
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jiyoung Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Keunyoung Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Seong Jang Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. In Joo Kim
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kyoungjune Pak.

Ethics declarations

Conflict of Interest

Kyoungjune Pak, Jiyoung Kim, Keunyoung Kim, Seong Jang Kim, and In Joo Kom declare that they have no conflict of interest. This research was supported by Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (2017R1D1A1B03029352, 2017R1D1A1B03033235).

Ethical Statement

This article does not contain any studies with human participants performed by any of the authors.

Informed Consent

Not applicable.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

The original online version of this article was revised:

The authors regret that there was a mistake in an affiliation of authors.

The original article has been corrected.

Rights and permissions

Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Pak, K., Kim, J., Kim, K. et al. Sleep and Neuroimaging. Nucl Med Mol Imaging 54, 98–104 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s13139-020-00636-9

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13139-020-00636-9

Keywords

Search

Navigation