Social Jetlag Has Detrimental Effects on Hallmark Characteristics of Adolescent Brain Structure, Circuit Organization and Intrinsic Dynamics

Study Objectives To investigate associations between social jetlag and developing brain circuits and structures in adolescents.

N = 3507 youth (median (IQR) age = 12.0 (1.1) years; 50.9% females) from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) cohort were studied. Social jetlag (adjusted for sleep debt (SJLSC) versus non-adjusted (SJL)), topological properties and intrinsic dynamics of resting-state networks, and morphometric characteristics were analyzed.

Over 35% of participants had SJLSC ≥2.0 h. Boys, Hispanic and Black non-Hispanic youth, and/or those at later pubertal stages had longer SJLSC (β=0.06 to 0.68, CI=[0.02, 0.83], p≤0.02), which was also associated with higher BMI (β=0.13, CI=[0.08, 0.18], p<0.01). SJLSC and SJL were associated with weaker thalamic projections (β=- 0.22, CI=[−0.39, −0.05], p=0.03), potentially reflecting a disrupted sleep-wake cycle. Longer SJLSC was also associated with less topologically resilient and weakly connected salience network (β=-0.04, CI=[−0.08, −0.01], p=0.04), and lower thickness and/or volume of cortical and subcortical structures overlapping with this and other networks supporting emotional and reward processing and regulation, and social function (β=- 0.08 to −0.05, CI=[−0.12, −0.01], p<0.05). SJLSC and SJL were associated with alterations in spontaneous brain activity and coordination that indicate disrupted neural maturation and plasticity. SJL was associated with lower information transfer between regions supporting sensorimotor integration, social function and emotion regulation (β=-0.07 to-0.05, CI=[−0.12, −0.01], p<0.04).

Misaligned sleep may have detrimental effects on adolescent brain circuit organization and dynamics, and structural characteristics of regions that play critical roles in cognitive function and regulation of fundamental biological processes. Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest.