Abstract
The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of sleep deprivation (SD) in adaptation of the coupling between visual information and body sway in young adults’ postural control due to changes in optic flow characteristics. Fifteen young adults were kept awake for approximately 25 hours and formed the SD group, while fifteen adults who slept normally the night before the experiment participated as part of the control group. All participants stood as still as possible in a moving room before and after being exposed to one trial with higher amplitude and velocity of room movement. Postural performance and the coupling between visual information, provided by a moving room, and body sway were examined. Results showed that after an abrupt change in visual cues, larger amplitude, and higher velocity of the room, the influence of room motion on body sway was decreased in both groups. However, such a decrease was less pronounced in sleep deprived as compared to control subjects. Sleep deprived adults were able to adapt motor responses to the environmental change provided by the increase in room motion amplitude. Nevertheless, they were not as efficient as control subjects in doing so, which demonstrates that SD impairs the ability to adapt sensorimotor coupling while controlling posture when a perturbation occurs.
Highlights
Researchers and the general population agree that sleep is fundamental for quality of life, an increasing number of people experiences insufficient sleep regularly [1,2]
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of sleep deprivation (SD) in the adaptation of the coupling between visual information and body sway in young adults’ postural control due to changes in optic flow characteristics
Our results showed that besides increasing overall body sway, SD led to a less stable postural sway and visual information coupling, as evidenced by higher variability in sleep deprived individuals, especially after the change in room motion amplitude and velocity
Summary
Researchers and the general population agree that sleep is fundamental for quality of life, an increasing number of people experiences insufficient sleep regularly [1,2]. This scenario raises concerns due to the known deleterious effects of sleep deprivation (SD) on health and on performance on a number of different tasks usually executed while one is sleep deprived [3,4]. Performance on driving simulators [5], hand dexterity tasks [6], reaction time tests [7], and tasks involving hand-eye coordination [8] has been shown to deteriorate following SD.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
