Effects of sleep deprivation on visual function network of resting brain based on ICA analysis

Abstract Background: Sleep deprivation (SD) is known to negatively impact quality of life, but its effects on the visual network in the brain are not well understood. This study aimed to investigate the effects of SD on the visual function network of the resting brain in healthy young male subjects. Methods: Sixty healthy male subjects participated in this study. Independent component analysis (ICA) was used to analyze the effects of SD on the visual network component of the resting brain. The subjects’ response-ability was measured using the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) pre- and post-SD. The highest correlated independent component with the visual network component in the standard template was selected and used as the region of interest to analyze the change process between the region of interest and the whole brain functional connectivity pre-SD and post-SD. Results: Post-SD, false starts, mean reaction time, and React_Post mood of the PVT were significantly increased. The internal functional connectivity of the region of interest was enhanced, with the peak located in Calcarine_R. However, other functional connections based on the whole brain were weakened. Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that SD can inhibit the functional connection mode between the visual network region of the brain and the whole brain, which further strengthens our understanding of the decline in visual information processing post-SD.