Adolescent Sleep Deprivation Linked to Lasting Brain Changes

A study of 2,991 children aged 11 to 12 found that shorter sleep duration correlates with increased communication in the somatomotor network and reduced activity in the visual network.

Researchers observed that children who experienced a decrease in sleep over a two-year period showed a corresponding shift in brain connectivity, with a standardized beta effect size of 0.10.

Experimental data from 76 adults confirmed that sleep deprivation to three hours or less directly triggers the same brain connectivity patterns identified in the adolescent cohort.