Simultaneous EEG-PET-MRI identifies temporally coupled and spatially structured brain dynamics across wakefulness and NREM sleep
Sleep entails significant changes in cerebral hemodynamics and metabolism. Yet, the way these processes evolve throughout wakefulness and sleep and their spatiotemporal dependence remain largely unknown. Here, by integrating a functional PET technique with simultaneous EEG-fMRI, we reveal a tightly coupled temporal progression of global hemodynamics and metabolism during the descent into NREM sleep, with large hemodynamic fluctuations emerging as global glucose metabolism declines, both of which track EEG arousal dynamics. Furthermore, we identify two distinct network patterns that emerge during NREM sleep: a ~0.02-Hz oscillating, high-metabolism sensorimotor network remains active and dynamic, whereas hemodynamic and metabolic activity in the default-mode network is suppressed. These results elucidate how sleep diminishes awareness while preserving sensory responses, and uncover a complex, alternating balance of neuronal, hemodynamic, and metabolic dynamics in the sleeping brain. This work also demonstrates the potential of EEG-PET-MRI to explore neuro-metabolic-hemodynamic mechanisms underlying cognition and arousal in humans.
Authors
- Bruce Robert Rosen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8576-0839)
- Jingyuan E. Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3686-2983)
- Christin Y. Sander (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6003-8615)
- Ciprian Catana (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3249-5971)
- Catie Chang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1541-9579)
- Jon̈athan R. Polimeni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1348-1179)
- Hsiao‐Ying Wey (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1425-8489)
- Julie C. Price
- Laura D. Lewis (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4003-0277)
- Dara S. Manoach (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9208-1167)
- Rudra Patel (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-3932-6429)
- Jiawen Fan
- Sean E. Coursey
- Kyle S. Droppa
Institutions
- Northeastern University (US)
- Harvard University (US)
- Vanderbilt University (US)
- Harvard University Press (US)
- Massachusetts General Hospital (US)
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging (US)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-10-24
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64414-x
- Citations
- 5
- Primary Topic
- Sleep and Wakefulness Research
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 7.16
Funders
- BrightFocus Foundation
- Massachusetts Life Sciences Center
- Centre d'Imagerie BioMédicale
- National Institutes of Health
- Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital