Abstract
Working memory (WM) components are altered after total sleep deprivation (TSD), both with respect to information replacement and result judgment. However, the electrophysiological mechanisms of WM alterations following sleep restriction remain largely unknown. To identify such mechanisms, event-related potentials were recorded during the n-back WM task, before and after 36 h sleep deprivation. Thirty-one young volunteers participated in this study and performed a two-back WM task with simultaneous electroencephalography (EEG) recording before and after TSD and after 8 h time in bed for recovery (TIBR). Repeated measures analysis of variance revealed that, compared to resting wakefulness, sleep deprivation induced a decrease in the P200 amplitude and induced longer reaction times. ERP-component scalp topographies results indicated that such decrease primarily occurred in the frontal cortex. The N200 and P300 amplitudes also decreased after TSD. Our results suggest that decreased information replacement of WM occurs after 36 h of TSD and that 8 h TIBR after a long period of TSD leads to partial restoration of WM functions. The present findings represent the EEG profile of WM during mental fatigue.
Highlights
Working memory (WM) is a cognitive function with limited capacity (Miyake and Shah, 1999), and is used to store and process information
The results revealed that increased recall time significantly increases the latency of the P300 wave, while the early components of event-related potentials (ERPs) related to WM, such as the N100, P200, and N200 waves did not correlate with the latency or amplitude of memory (Beydagi et al, 2000)
The analysis revealed that the behavioral data were consistent with decreased WM after sleep deprivation, as shown by the increase in response times (RT) and the decrease in accuracy rate
Summary
Working memory (WM) is a cognitive function with limited capacity (Miyake and Shah, 1999), and is used to store and process information. It provides a temporary storage space and the information necessary for processing tasks, such as speech understanding, reasoning, and learning. WM is a bridge between the instantaneous and long-term memory systems and is important for information processing in humans (Baddeley, 2000). Decreased Information After Sleep Deprivation of the central executive, visuospatial sketchpad, phonological loop, and episodic buffer (Baddeley and Hitch, 1974; Baddeley, 2000). The information entering the phonological loop and visuospatial components is processed by the centralized control of the central executive system
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