It has been demonstrated that the cerebellum plays a critical role not only in motor function but also in cognitive function. Numerous studies have revealed that acute sleep deprivation (SD) alters the functional connectivity (FC) in the cerebral cortex associated with declining working memory (WM). However, the relationship between the altered cerebro-cerebellar FC and white matter damage following acute sleep deprivation remains elusive.

In this study, 26 healthy participants with regular sleep conducted an n-back task and had resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans before and after 24 h of SD. The FC between the cerebrum and cerebellum and its relationship with WM function were analyzed in recruited participants.

Our results showed a significantly longer RT for the 1-back and 2-back tasks and lower accuracy of the 2-back task after SD. We found a marked reduction in FC between ten pairs of regions in the cerebellum and cerebrum after SD. Furthermore, a decline in WM performance was positively correlated with the changed FC between the left precentral gyrus and the right lobule X of the cerebellum.

Our findings indicate that the impaired FC between the cerebellum and cortical areas may contribute to the decline in WM after acute SD.

No: ChiCTR2000039858. Registered 12 November, 2020, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.html?proj=63916.