There may be a link between poor sleep quality and reduced gray matter in
the brains of Gulf War veterans, a new study suggests.
Using MRI scans and a sleep quality assessment, researchers found that
sleep disturbances among 144 Gulf War vets were associated with less gray
matter in the frontal lobe -- the part of the brain involved in working memory
and higher-level thinking.
The findings were published Feb. 28 in the journal Sleep.
Although the study does not prove that one causes the other, the
researchers suggested their findings could shed light on the association
between poor sleep quality and problems with psychosocial, physical and
occupational functioning.
"Previous imaging studies have suggested that sleep disturbances may
be associated with structural brain changes in certain regions of the frontal
lobe," study lead author Linda Chao said in a news release from the
American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
"The surprising thing about this study is that it suggests poor sleep
quality is associated with reduced gray matter volume throughout the entire
frontal lobe, and also globally in the brain," added Chao, who is an
associate adjunct professor in the departments of radiology and biomedical
imaging and psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco.
Poor sleep quality was linked to less gray matter, even after other
possible factors were considered, the investigators noted. These factors
included depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, Gulf War illness, trauma
and use of drugs to treat mental illness.
The study authors concluded more research is needed to determine if
treating disrupted sleep can improve the structure and function of the brain's
frontal lobes