{"id":1113854,"date":"2026-07-27T08:40:20","date_gmt":"2026-07-27T08:40:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1113854\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T08:40:20","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T08:40:20","slug":"sleep-disorders-dont-just-exhaust-you-new-research-shows-they-change-your-brain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/1113854\/","title":{"rendered":"Sleep Disorders Don\u2019t Just Exhaust You. New Research Shows They Change Your Brain"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Doctor<\/a>Brain imaging research has identified structural differences linked to sleep disorders, including changes in regions that help direct attention and regulate behavior. The findings raise new questions about whether these alterations contribute to sleep problems or develop as a result of them. Credit: Stock<\/p>\n

Sleep disorders are associated with shared and distinct structural changes in brain systems that support attention, decisions and emotional control.<\/strong><\/p>\n

A poor night\u2019s sleep can affect far more than energy the next day. Research from Florida International University links sleep disorders with structural differences in brain regions that help control attention, motivation and decision-making.<\/p>\n

Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the findings provide one of the broadest comparisons yet of how different sleep disorders are associated with the brain. The results could eventually support earlier diagnosis and treatments tailored to specific conditions.<\/p>\n

Multiple disorders reveal shared brain changes<\/p>\n

An estimated 50 to 70 million Americans live with sleep disorders. To search for common neurological patterns, researchers at FIU\u2019s Center for Children and Families conducted a meta-analysis combining results from 57 brain imaging studies.<\/p>\n

Rather than examining one condition at a time, the researchers compared two broad categories. Dyssomnias, such as insomnia and sleep apnea, interfere with falling asleep or remaining asleep. Parasomnias, including sleepwalking, nightmare disorder and sleep terrors, involve unusual events that disrupt the sleep cycle.<\/p>\n

\"Examining<\/a>Researchers at Florida International University have linked certain sleep disorders to structural changes in the brain. Credit: Taimy Alvarez\/Florida International University<\/p>\n

\u201cAs more people recognize how important sleep is, there\u2019s growing urgency to understand what\u2019s happening in the brain,\u201d said Matthew Sutherland, a cognitive neuroscientist at FIU and senior author of the study. \u201cBy bringing together results from many studies, this research gives us a clearer picture of how sleep disorders affect brain structure and function and where we need to focus next.\u201d<\/p>\n

Attention centers show a common decline<\/p>\n

Both categories were associated with decreases in the thalamus, a region that filters incoming information, supports concentration, and contributes to higher-level thinking. The researchers identified changes specifically in the pulvinar, an area within the thalamus that directs attention and helps manage cognitive control.<\/p>\n

These differences were connected with wider brain networks that support concentration and task performance. That pattern may help explain why disrupted sleep is associated with slower reactions, poorer decision-making and a greater likelihood of errors and accidents.<\/p>\n

\"Matthew<\/a>Credit: Florida International University<\/p>\n

\u201cMost research looks at sleep disorders one at a time,\u201d said Katharine Crooks, a recent FIU cognitive neuroscience doctoral graduate and lead author of the study. \u201cBy looking across many studies, we found shared patterns in the brain that help explain why sleep problems can impact focus, decision-making and everyday functioning. With so many people struggling with sleep, understanding what is happening in the brain is key to finding better interventions, diagnostic tools and personalized treatments.\u201d<\/p>\n

Parasomnias affect emotional control regions<\/p>\n

Parasomnias also showed a distinct structural pattern. Researchers detected changes in the posterior cingulate cortex, which contributes to motivation, decision-making and emotional regulation. The finding may help account for the shifts in mood, behavior and emotional control sometimes experienced by people with these disorders.<\/p>\n

\"Matthew<\/a>Matthew Sutherland, director of Florida International University\u2019s Neuroinformatics and Brain Connectivity Lab and Chloe Hampson, a graduate student co-author of the study review brain images of regions communicating with brain areas showing structural changes linked with sleep disorders. Credit: Taimy Alvarez<\/p>\n

No consistent structural differences were found specifically for dyssomnias. This contrast suggests that the brain patterns associated with sleep disorders may vary according to the way each condition interrupts sleep.<\/p>\n

Cause and consequence remain unresolved<\/p>\n

The researchers hope the results can guide interventions that improve sleep while also protecting brain systems involved in attention, decision-making and emotional regulation.<\/p>\n

Future work will focus on individual parasomnias, including sleepwalking and REM sleep behavior disorder. Researchers also plan to determine whether the observed brain changes contribute to sleep disorders, develop because of them, or reflect a combination of both.<\/p>\n

Reference: \u201cSleep disorders and structural alterations in brain regions linked with motivation: a neuroimaging meta-analysis\u201d by Katharine E. Crooks, Chloe L. Hampson, Julio A. Peraza, Patricio M. Viera Perez and Matthew T. Sutherland, 26 February 2026, Scientific Reports.
DOI: 10.1038\/s41598-026-40818-7<\/a><\/p>\n

Funding: Foundation for the National Institutes of Health<\/p>\n

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Follow us on Google<\/a> and Google News<\/a>.<\/b><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Brain imaging research has identified structural differences linked to sleep disorders, including changes in regions that help direct…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1113855,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[4316],"tags":[303483,105,4348,35908,218,220,40215,171816,16,15],"class_list":["post-1113854","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-healthcare","tag-florida-international-university","tag-health","tag-healthcare","tag-insomnia","tag-mental-health","tag-neuroscience","tag-sleep-apnea","tag-sleep-science","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/116991050484696630","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1113854","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1113854"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1113854\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1113855"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1113854"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1113854"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1113854"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}