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Thousands of Brain Scans Reveal A Worrying Consequence of Night Shifts
- A large UK Biobank study found modest brain-volume losses in shift workers, especially in the right thalamus and left amygdala.
- Researchers say these regions are central to sleep-wake regulation, emotion, and attention, functions often affected by shift work fatigue.
- Stopping shift work may reverse some brain-volume losses within about two and a half years, suggesting a potential recovery window.
- The study analyzed 14,198 adults aged middle to older age, with 2,122 identified as shift workers.
- The authors caution that the effect size is very small and should be interpreted cautiously.
- The research ignites discussion on how chronic circadian disruption from night work may relate to brain health.
- The study is the largest of its kind to date on shift work and brain structure.
- The observed regions are involved in sleep-wake regulation and are linked to memory and emotional responses.
- The findings come from an analysis that controlled for age, sex, chronotype, and skull volume.
- The study suggests a possible early marker of neural vulnerability due to chronic circadian disruption.
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