Effects of one-night partial sleep deprivation on perivascular space volume fraction: Findings from the Stockholm Sleepy Brain Study

Abstract Increased waste clearance in the brain is thought to occur most readily during late-stage sleep (stage N3). Sleep deprivation disrupts time spent in deeper sleep stages, fragmenting the clearance process. Here, we have utilized the publicly available Stockholm Sleepy Brain Study to investigate whether various sleep-related measures are associated with changes in perivascular space (PVS) volume fraction following a late-night short-sleep experiment. Our sample consisted of 60 participants divided into old (65-75 years) and young (20-30 years) age groups. We found that partial sleep deprivation was not significantly associated with major PVS changes. In the centrum semiovale, we observed an interaction between percentage of total sleep time spent in N3 and sleep deprivation status on PVS volume fraction. In the basal ganglia, we saw an interaction between N2 (both percentage of total sleep time and absolute time in minutes) and sleep deprivation status. However, the significance of these findings did not survive multiple comparisons corrections. This work highlights the need for future longitudinal studies of PVS and sleep, allowing for quantification of within-subject morphological changes occurring in PVS due to patterns of poor sleep. Our findings here provide insight on the impacts that a single night of late-night short-sleep has on the perivascular waste clearance system. Statement of Significance Sleep issues have been known to be associated with a variety of health risks. Recent research has shown the importance of sleep for brain clearance, with increases in brain clearance occurring during sleep. PVS seen on MRI are known to represent both influx and efflux pathways for the exchange of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and interstitial fluid (ISF) in the brain parenchyma, a key process underlying the waste clearance system. 1 Numerous recent studies have found links between sleep disruption and PVS volume changes. However, no study to date has been able to examine within-subject changes in PVS resulting from experimental manipulation of sleep. Our study represents the first within-subject study looking at the effects of partial sleep deprivation on PVS volume fraction using an automated PVS segmentation technique.