The relationship between alertness and spatial attention under simulated shiftwork

D Chandrakumar,T Loetscher,J M Stepien,H A D Keage,S Coussens,S Banks,S A Centofanti,C Gupta,J Dorrian

doi:10.1038/s41598-020-71800-6

D Chandrakumar, T Loetscher + Show 7 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-71800-6

Copy DOI

Abstract

Higher and lower levels of alertness typically lead to a leftward and rightward bias in attention, respectively. This relationship between alertness and spatial attention potentially has major implications for health and safety. The current study examined alertness and spatial attention under simulated shiftworking conditions. Nineteen healthy right-handed participants (M = 24.6 ± 5.3 years, 11 males) completed a seven-day laboratory based simulated shiftwork study. Measures of alertness (Stanford Sleepiness Scale and Psychomotor Vigilance Task) and spatial attention (Landmark Task and Detection Task) were assessed across the protocol. Detection Task performance revealed slower reaction times and higher omissions of peripheral (compared to central) stimuli, with lowered alertness; suggesting narrowed visuospatial attention and a slight left-sided neglect. There were no associations between alertness and spatial bias on the Landmark Task. Our findings provide tentative evidence for a slight neglect of the left side and a narrowing of attention with lowered alertness. The possibility that one’s ability to sufficiently react to information in the periphery and the left-side may be compromised under conditions of lowered alertness highlights the need for future research to better understand the relationship between spatial attention and alertness under shiftworking conditions.

Highlights

Higher and lower levels of alertness typically lead to a leftward and rightward bias in attention, respectively
Spatial attention changes with time of testing
Spatial bias on the Landmark Task did not associate with time of testing, refer to Table 1

Summary

Introduction

Higher and lower levels of alertness typically lead to a leftward and rightward bias in attention, respectively. Shiftwork generally refers to work outside the typical 9am to 5 pm hours, such as morning, evening or night shifts. Due to these unusual schedules and poor sleep during the day, these workers often work at times when alertness is low[3] and sleepiness is h igh[4]. Simulated monotonous driving performance in two studies revealed a deterioration in the ability to detect stimuli presented in the periphery, compared to central presentations, as driving time increased[15, 16] This indicates that conditions that lower alertness, such as time-on-task, can narrow attention to the centre of the visuospatial field

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion