Early life stress, sleep disturbances, and depressive symptoms during adolescence: The role of the cingulum bundle

Dev Cogn Neurosci. 2023 Oct:63:101303. doi: 10.1016/j.dcn.2023.101303. Epub 2023 Sep 16.

Abstract

Adolescence is often characterized by sleep disturbances that can affect the development of white matter tracts implicated in affective and cognitive regulation, including the cingulate portion of the cingulum bundle (CGC) and the uncinate fasciculus (UF). These effects may be exacerbated in adolescents exposed to early life adversity (ELA). We examined the longitudinal relations between sleep problems and CGC and UF microstructure during adolescence and their relation to depressive symptoms as a function of exposure to ELA. We assessed self-reported sleep disturbances and depressive symptoms and acquired diffusion-weighted MRI scans twice: in early adolescence (9-13 years) and four years later (13-17 years) (N = 72 complete cases). Independent of ELA, higher initial levels and increases in sleep problems were related to increases in depressive symptoms. Further, increases in right CGC fractional anisotropy (FA) mediated the association between sleep problems and depressive symptoms for youth who experienced lower, but not higher, levels of ELA. In youth with higher ELA, higher initial levels of and steeper decreases in sleep problems were associated with greater decreases in right UF FA, but were unrelated to depressive symptoms. Our findings highlight the importance of sleep quality in shaping fronto-cingulate-limbic tract development and depressive symptoms during adolescence.

Keywords: Adolescence; Adversity; Cingulum; Depression; Sleep; Uncinate.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Adverse Childhood Experiences
  • Child
  • Depression* / psychology
  • Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Diffusion Tensor Imaging
  • Female
  • Gyrus Cinguli* / diagnostic imaging
  • Humans
  • Longitudinal Studies
  • Male
  • Sleep Wake Disorders* / psychology
  • Stress, Psychological / psychology
  • White Matter / diagnostic imaging