Do you have trouble sleeping? The reason may partly depend on your age.
A recent study involving psychology researchers from Binghamton University and the State University of New York investigated how sleep deprivation alters brain communication across the adult lifespan, and specifically examined how these changes vary by age and biological sex.
The article “Sleep quality has different associations with default mode and salient network connectivity by age and gender” was published in the latest edition of the journal. Neurobiology of aging. Co-authors include Binghamton University psychology graduate student Separ Gulabi and associate professor of psychology Ian McDonough. Selene Tan, Matthew Krivett, and Jeanne Cundiff of the University of Alabama;
Researchers analyzed brain scans from two large groups of participants, totaling more than 1,300, to examine how brain networks are connected during rest in people who report poor sleep quality.
We found that the brains of sleep-deprived older adults appear to suffer from a general dysfunction of the sleep regulatory system. ”
Ian McDonough, Associate Professor of Psychology, Binghamton University, State University of New York
College-aged adults who sleep poorly have brain regions involved in movement that are overconnected, suggesting that their bodies are not physically ready for sleep. In older adults (usually 65 years and older), these same areas were poorly connected. Instead, they showed hyperconnectivity in brain regions involved in cognition.
In particular, sleep-deprived older women showed abnormal hyperconnectivity between the default mode network (DMN), involved in internal thinking and memory, and the fronto-parietal network (FPN), involved in sustained attention and working memory. This pattern of hypercommunication is directly related to memory decline and reflects the brain wiring patterns seen in the preclinical, silent stages of Alzheimer’s disease, McDonough said.
The reasons behind these differences are currently unknown. Older adults may become accustomed to hyperarousal or develop coping mechanisms, such as being willing to take sleep-related medications. Another possible factor is rumination. Rumination, which can be experienced by anyone depending on their personal circumstances, is a state of overthinking that often accompanies anxiety and depression.
“One likely possibility is that people who think a lot right before bed are more agitated than calm,” says McDonough.
Depression has a complex relationship with dementia, and some studies have shown a link between the two conditions. Other research suggests that depression can mimic cognitive decline, but that treatment for depression can improve cognitive function, McDonough said.
The chicken-and-egg question remains. Do abnormal connections in the brain cause sleep dysfunction, or does sleep dysfunction cause those abnormalities? McDonough said hyperconnectivity between the DMN and FPN is associated with cognitive decline over time, suggesting that cognitive consequences occur with sleep disturbances and increased connectivity between these networks.
Increasing evidence suggests that connectivity between networks, particularly with the DMN, is an early sign of declining brain health. For this reason, getting enough sleep is essential.
For young adults, efforts to reduce wakefulness before bedtime, such as writing in a journal to reduce running thoughts, may be helpful. However, in older adults, the mechanism is less clear, as hyperarousal may not be the cause. If you’re having trouble sleeping, McDonough recommends talking to your doctor.
“If changes in connectivity precede sleep deprivation, strengthening brain networks could be one solution,” he said.
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Reference magazines:
Tan, S. Others. (2026) Sleep quality is associated with default mode and salient network connectivity and varies by age and gender. Neurobiology of aging. DOI: 10.1016/j.neurobiolaging.2026.05.002. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0197458026000692?via%3Dihub
