Quality of sleep predicts increased frontoparietal network connectivity in mild cognitive impairment patients

INTRODUCTION: High quality of sleep may mitigate the impact of pathophysiological mechanisms in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) through functional connectivity reorganization of neural networks underlying higher cognitive functions. METHODS: Independent component analysis was used to investigate functional connectivity of the default mode (DMN) and frontoparietal (FPN) networks in 38 MCI patients, stratified into high and low quality of sleep according to a self-reported questionnaire for sleep habits, and 38 age-matched controls. RESULTS: High quality of sleep was associated with reduced DMN and increased FPN connectivity. A positive coupling connectivity between networks was found in MCI reporting high quality of sleep, while this pattern was disrupted in MCI with low quality of sleep. An association between FPN connectivity and language scores was reported in MCI. DISCUSSION: These findings suggest a relationship between sleep quality and FPN connectivity in MCI, which may underlie compensatory mechanisms to overcome the incoming neurodegeneration.