Sleep Duration is Associated with Caudate Volume and Executive Function

Author

Nicole Jones, University of MississippiFollow

Date of Award

Spring 5-14-2023

Document Type

Undergraduate Thesis

Department

Biology

First Advisor

Toshikazu Ikuta

Second Advisor

Mika Jekabson

Third Advisor

Todd Smitherman

Relational Format

Dissertation/Thesis

Abstract

The ineligible role of the caudate nucleus in sleep has been implicated throughout multiple scientific studies. Previous literature has shown that greater caudate volume is associated with longer habitual sleep duration in older adults- ranging from 55 years of age and up. However, the association between sleep duration and caudate volume remains unknown in the younger population. In this study, we examined the caudate volume in youth to older adults (10 to 85 years old) with a greater sample size (N=464) to increase statistical power. The volumetric size of the caudate nucleus showed significantly positive association with habitual sleep duration, especially in the younger population. Additionally, sleep duration showed a significant association with executive function performance. However, caudate volume did not significantly predict executive function performance. Ultimately, our results suggested that sleep duration is associated with the caudate volume and executive function. As there was no significant association found directly between caudate volume and executive function, it is also suggested that there are some external mechanisms that modulate executive function- preventing the caudate-sleep relation’s effect on executive function.

Recommended Citation

Jones, Nicole, "Sleep Duration is Associated with Caudate Volume and Executive Function" (2023). Honors Theses. 2877.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/2877

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