Corticostriatal connectivity mediates the reciprocal relationship between sleep and impulsivity in early adolescents

Background Adolescence, a developmental period characterized by major changes in sleep and circadian rhythms, is associated with normative increases in impulsivity. While insufficient sleep has been linked to elevated impulsivity, the neural mechanism underlying the relationship remains poorly understood. Methods We analyzed a dataset of 7,884 drug-naive 9-10 year-olds from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) study. Among them, 5,166 have 2-year follow-up neuroimaging data. Linear mixed-effects models, mediation analysis, and longitudinal mediation analysis were used to investigate the relationship between sleep, impulsivity, and brain functional and structural connectivity between the cortex and the striatum. Results We found that less sleep is significantly associated with higher impulsivity and disrupted functional connectivity between the cingulo-opercular network and the left caudate, and between the cingulo-parietal network and the right pallidum. These two connectivity measurements mediate the effect of sleep duration on impulsivity at both baseline and two-year follow-up. Longitudinal mediation analyses further revealed that sleep duration and impulsivity can reinforce each other through cortical-striatum connectivities in a reciprocal manner. Conclusions These results reveal neural mechanisms underlying the robust reciprocal relationship between insufficient sleep and impulsivity. Our findings highlight the role of early sleep intervention in helping early adolescents control their impulses, which might in turn prevent the development of substance use.