Impact Of Total Sleep Deprivation Research Articles

The impact of total sleep deprivation, sleep restriction, and sleep disruption on sleepiness, fatigue, and pain under controlled experimental conditions

The impact of total sleep deprivation, sleep restriction, and sleep disruption on sleepiness, fatigue, and pain under controlled experimental conditions

Awareness of errors is reduced by sleep loss.

The ability to detect and subsequently correct errors is important in preventing the detrimental consequences of sleep loss. The Error Related Negativity (ERN), and the error positivity (Pe) are established neural correlates of error processing. Previous work has shown sleep loss reduces ERN and Pe, indicating sleep loss impairs error-monitoring processes. However, no previous work has examined behavioral error awareness, in conjunction with EEG measures, under sleep loss conditions, and studies of sleep restriction are lacking. Using combined behavioral and EEG measures, we report two studies investigating the impact of total sleep deprivation (TSD) and sleep restriction (SR) on error awareness. Fourteen healthy participants completed the Error Awareness Task under conditions of TSD and 27 completed the same task under conditions of SR. It was found that TSD did not influence behavioral error awareness or ERN or Pe amplitude, however, SR reduced behavioral error awareness, increased the time taken to detect errors, and reduced Pe amplitude. Findings indicate individuals who are chronically sleep restricted are at risk for reduced recognition of errors. Reduced error awareness may be one factor contributing to the increased accidents and injuries seen in contexts where sleep loss is prevalent.

P104 The Impact of Total Sleep Deprivation on Performance in the Esport ‘Rocket League’.

Abstract Preliminary findings from this study were presented as a poster (P376) at Sleep Europe 2022 (https://doi.org/10.1111/jsr.13740). Introduction Sleep loss is presumed by academics and esport (organised competitive video-game play) athletes to be an in-game esport performance hindrance, primarily due to its well understood effects on multiple domains of cognitive performance. However, the effects of acute sleep loss specifically on esports performance have not been explored. We aimed to elucidate whether total sleep deprivation degrades in-game performance in the popular esport ‘Rocket League’. Methods Forty habitual Rocket League players were paired according to in-game ability level (twenty pairs), with one assigned to a control group (CON) and the other assigned to an intervention group (TSD). Two test sessions took place, in which paired players completed subjective and cognitive performance measures, and played seven Rocket League matches against one another. In one session, both players in a pair were well rested, while in the other, CON was rested while TSD was sleep deprived. Results Acute total sleep deprivation resulted in higher self-reported sleepiness, lower alertness and motivation, poorer performance on the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) and two-choice component of the Category Switch Task (CST). Despite this, overall in-game esport performance did not worsen due to sleep deprivation, although exploratory analysis suggests potential in-game strategy change. Discussion Our findings do not suggest that sleep loss is inconsequential for esport athletes, but rather suggest that acute bouts of sleep loss of similar/lesser severity may not be a primary concern for in-game esports performance.

Alterations of the Gut Microbiota in Response to Total Sleep Deprivation and Recovery Sleep in Rats.

IntroductionAccumulating evidence suggests that both sleep loss and gut dysbiosis can lead to metabolic disorders. However, less is known about the impact of total sleep deprivation (SD) and sleep recovery on the composition, function, and metabolic dynamics of the gut microbiota.MethodsSpecific-pathogen free Sprague–Dawley rats were subjected to 48 h of SD with gentle handling and then allowed to recover for 1 week. Taxonomic profiles of fecal microbiota were obtained at baseline, 24 h of SD, 48 h of SD, and 1 week of recovery. We used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to analyze the gut microbial composition and function and further characterize microbiota-derived metabolites in rats.ResultsThe microbiota composition analysis revealed that gut microbial composition and metabolites did not change in the rats after 24 h of SD but were significantly altered after 48 h of SD. These changes were reversible after 1 week of sleep recovery. A functional analysis was performed based on Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) annotations, indicating that 19 KEGG pathways were significantly altered in the gut microbiota in SD rats. These functional changes occurred within 24 h of SD, were more apparent after 48 h of SD, and did not fully recover after 1 week of sleep recovery.ConclusionThese results indicate that acute total SD leads to significant compositional and functional changes in the gut microbiota, and these changes are reversible.

The impact of total sleep deprivation upon supine and head up tilt hemodynamics using non-linear analysis in firefighters

PurposeThe impact of 31 h of total sleep deprivation (TSD) on cardiovascular autonomic modulation was evaluated in 46 volunteers all professional fire brigade units officers (all men, mean age = 32.11 ± 6.4). MethodsHemodynamic examination was obtained at baseline and after 31 h of Total Sleep Deprivation (TSD). Each measurement period included supine and head-up tilt (HUT) test response. Continuous beat-to-beat systolic blood pressure (sBP), diastolic blood pressure (dBP) and mean blood pressure (mBP), heart rate (HR), stroke volume (SV), left ventricular ejection time (LVET) and cardiac output (CO) were calculated in rest supine position and in response to HUT. Nonlinear analyses were conducted using Permutation Entropy (PE), Amplitude Aware Permutation Entropy (AAPE) and Fractal Dimension (FD). ResultsSupine increase of HR and decrease in RRI, LVET and entropy of LVET were observed after 31-h of TSD. Increase in entropy of mBP was indicated by AAPE and PE methods. Response to HUT, values of spectral analysis of blood pressure (normalized units of high frequency of sBP and dBP) was altered. Permutation entropy of mBP in response to HUT were significantly changed after 31-h of TSD. ConclusionsTSD alters autonomic nervous system modulation of cardiac and vascular functioning while supine and in response to orthostatic stress. TSD resulted in changes in cardiac and both spectral and two methods of analysis of entropy of blood pressure when supine. Values of spectral analysis of blood pressure and permutation entropy of mean blood pressure in response to HUT were significantly changed after 31 h of TSD.

Impact of total sleep deprivation and related mood changes on approach-avoidance decisions to threat-related facial displays.

Study ObjectivesTotal sleep deprivation is known to have significant detrimental effects on cognitive and socio-emotional functioning. Nonetheless, the mechanisms by which total sleep loss disturbs decision-making in social contexts are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the impact of total sleep deprivation on approach/avoidance decisions when faced with threatening individuals, as well as the potential moderating role of sleep-related mood changes.MethodsParticipants (n = 34) made spontaneous approach/avoidance decisions in the presence of task-irrelevant angry or fearful individuals, while rested or totally sleep deprived (27 h of continuous wakefulness). Sleep-related changes in mood and sustained attention were assessed using the Positive and Negative Affective Scale and the psychomotor vigilance task, respectively.ResultsRested participants avoided both fearful and angry individuals, with stronger avoidance for angry individuals, in line with previous results. On the contrary, totally sleep deprived participants favored neither approach nor avoidance of fearful individuals, while they still comparably avoided angry individuals. Drift-diffusion models showed that this effect was accounted for by the fact that total sleep deprivation reduced value-based evidence accumulation toward avoidance during decision making. Finally, the reduction of positive mood after total sleep deprivation positively correlated with the reduction of fearful display avoidance. Importantly, this correlation was not mediated by a sleep-related reduction in sustained attention.ConclusionsAll together, these findings support the underestimated role of positive mood-state alterations caused by total sleep loss on approach/avoidance decisions when facing ambiguous socio-emotional displays, such as fear.

040 Sleep Deprivation Disrupts Binding of Information with Its Context

Abstract Introduction Effective memory often requires recall of both specific information and the context in which the information was encountered. Total sleep deprivation (TSD) is known to impair memory for information items (e.g., words on a studied list), but the impact of TSD on binding, or associative linking, between items and context is not clear. Methods N=68 healthy adults (ages 22–40; 35 females) completed a 4-day (3-night) in-laboratory study. After a baseline night with 10h nighttime sleep opportunity, participants were randomly assigned to either 38h TSD (n=38) or a well-rested control (WRC) condition with 10h nighttime sleep opportunity (n=30). Both study arms concluded with a 10h nighttime recovery sleep opportunity. Participants completed a standardized recognition memory task at 14:50 on day 2 (baseline, session 1) and again 24h later (session 2). The memory task consisted of a study phase in which words with negative, positive, and neutral affective valence were spoken by a female or male speaker (50% each); followed immediately by a test phase, in which subjects made recognition judgments for the items (words) and their source (speaker). Results Mixed-effects ANOVA revealed significant interactions of session by condition for both word and speaker recognition (p<0.001). When sleep-deprived, TSD participants recognized fewer words and, for words that were correctly recognized, they were worse at recognizing the speaker, compared to baseline and to the WRC group. Negatively valenced words were associated with poorer word recognition (p<0.001), and in session 1 poorer source recognition (p = 0.032), but these valence effects did not interact with sleep deprivation. Conclusion TSD impaired memory for items, but more importantly, also impaired memory for the context in which items were presented, even if the items were themselves correctly recognized, and regardless of their affective valence. These results indicate that TSD may disrupt binding of information to its context, which could explain TSD deficits in decision-making tasks that require novel associative linking. Furthermore, our findings are important in real-world situations such as eyewitness accounts and perseveration of the influence of misinformation. Support (if any) NIH grant R21 CA167691 and CDMRP award W81XWH-20-1-0442

Generalisation in language learning can withstand total sleep deprivation

Research suggests that sleep plays a vital role in memory. We tested the impact of total sleep deprivation on adults’ memory for a newly learned writing system and on their ability to generalise this knowledge to read untrained novel words. We trained participants to read fictitious words printed in a novel artificial orthography, while depriving them of sleep the night after learning (Experiment 1) or the night before learning (Experiment 2). Following two nights of recovery sleep, and again 10 days later, participants were tested on trained words and untrained words, and performance was compared to control groups who had not undergone sleep deprivation. Participants showed a high degree of accuracy in learning the trained words and in generalising their knowledge to untrained words. There was little evidence of impact of sleep deprivation on memory or generalisation. These data support emerging theories which suggest sleep-associated memory consolidation can be accelerated or entirely bypassed under certain conditions, and that such conditions also facilitate generalisation.

0308 DRD2 C957T Genotype Influences Vigilant Attention Performance Impairment During Total Sleep Deprivation

Abstract Introduction There are substantial, phenotypical individual differences in the adverse impact of total sleep deprivation (TSD) on vigilant attention performance. Dopaminergic genotypes have been found to contribute to these phenotypical differences. Here we investigated the association between a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the dopamine receptor D2 (DRD2) gene, C957T (rs6277), on vigilant attention performance measured with the psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) in a laboratory TSD study. Methods N=46 healthy adults (ages 26.0±5.3y; 25 females) completed a 4-day in-laboratory study with a baseline day (10h time in bed: 22:00-08:00), a 38h TSD period, and a recovery day (10h time in bed: 22:00-08:00). DNA isolated from whole blood was assayed for DRD2 C957T genotype using real-time polymerase chain reaction. PVT performance was measured during TSD at 2-4h intervals, and analyzed for genotype using mixed-effects analysis of covariance of lapses of attention (RTs>500ms). Results The genotype distribution in this sample - 28.3% C/C, 50.0% C/T, 21.7% T/T - was found to be in Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (X21=0.0008, p=0.98). As expected, there was a significant effect of time awake on PVT performance (F14,602=26.67, p<0.001). There was a significant main effect of DRD2 genotype (F2,602=3.24, p=0.040) and a significant interaction of time awake by DRD2 genotype (F28,602=1.96, p=0.003). Subjects homozygous for the T allele showed greater impairment during extended wakefulness than carriers of the C allele. Genotype explained 7.6% of the variance in the PVT data observed during the 38h TSD period. Conclusion Subjects homozygous for the T allele of DRD2 C957T were considerably more vulnerable to TSD-induced PVT performance impairment than carriers of the C allele. A recent study showed that DRD2 C957T influences PVT performance in interaction with a SNP of the DAT1 gene. Here, DRD2 genotype was by itself also associated with PVT performance impairment during TSD. Support CDMRP awards W81XWH-16-1-0319 and W81XWH-18-1-0100.

1100 Self-Monitoring Of PVT Performance In Healthy Adults And Individuals With MDD

Abstract Introduction Negativity bias in depression has been repeatedly demonstrated in the judgment and decision-making literature. Research investigating the impact of sleep deprivation on self-evaluation of performance in healthy or depressed populations is limited. We examined 1) whether individuals with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) exhibit a negativity bias in subjective ratings of performance on the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT) as compared with healthy adults, and 2) the impact of total sleep deprivation (TSD) on these ratings. Methods N=33 individuals with MDD and n=9 healthy adults completed a 5-day study protocol including two baseline nights (B1-B2, 9h TIB), 36 hours of TSD, and one night of recovery sleep opportunity (Rec). The PVT was administered every 2-4 hours. A brief questionnaire was administered immediately prior to (PRE) and following (POST) the PVT, asking participants to estimate their average reaction time (RT) using a 9-point Likert-type scale. Mixed-effects models examined the impact of group (MDD, Control), protocol day (B1, B2, SD, Rec), and their interaction on objective PVT performance (mean RT) and subjective performance estimates (PRE and POST ratings). Results Mean RT was significantly slower during TSD (p<0.001) for all participants. Individuals with MDD and healthy adults did not differ in objective PVT performance (p=0.25) across days. There was no significant interaction between group and protocol day (p=0.96). Both groups predicted slower RTs during TSD as compared with baseline or recovery days (PRE-PVT, p=0.006). Individuals with MDD anticipated slower RTs as compared with healthy adults (p=0.001). On POST-PVT estimates, all participants reported subjective poorer performance during TSD (p<0.008). Individuals with MDD reported slower RTs as compared with healthy adults (p=0.002). Interaction effects between group and protocol day on PRE- and POST- performance ratings were not significant. Conclusion This project is the first to investigate subjective estimates of PVT performance in healthy and depressed individuals. Individuals with MDD subjectively reported slower response times as compared with control participants, despite similar objective performance. Depressive symptoms may be a potential confounder of subjective, but not objective, PVT performance. Support 5R01MH107571

0121 Effect of Total Sleep Deprivation on Word Recognition of Previously Studied Words with Different Emotional Valence

Abstract Introduction Stimuli with an emotional valence tend to produce better recognition from memory than neutral stimuli. Sleep loss is believed to increase reactivity to negative stimuli, as compared to positive stimuli, which may comparatively enhance subsequent recognition from memory for negative stimuli. We investigated the impact of total sleep deprivation (TSD) on recognition accuracy for words with different emotional valence using the Affective Item Source Memory Task (AISM). Methods N=14 adults (ages 21–39; 7 females) completed a 4-day in-laboratory study with 9h baseline sleep (22:00-07:00), 39h acute TSD, and 9h recovery sleep. The AISM was administered at 16:30 during baseline and after 34h TSD. During a 5min study phase, participants heard a list, twice, of 20 positive, 20 negative, and 20 neutral words spoken with a male or female voice. During an immediately subsequent 8min recognition phase, participants heard 120 words (50% new) and judged whether each word had been presented in the study list (item memory). For words judged to have been presented previously, participants indicated whether those were presented by a female or male speaker (source memory). Results Mixed-effects ANOVA showed effects of session (p<0.001) and valence (p<0.001) on item memory. At baseline, accuracy was greatest for neutral and positive words compared to negative words. During TSD, accuracy declined for all three valences, and no interaction of session by valence was detected. No effects of TSD or valence on source memory were observed. Conclusion Sleep deprivation reduced item memory for words of all valence types. However, there was no comparatively greater impact on item or source memory for negative words nor any differential effect of TSD for different valences. Whether our results would hold with longer time intervals between task phases or an intervening sleep period remains to be determined. Support Jazz Pharmaceuticals

Investigation of the impact of total sleep deprivation at home on the number of intrusive memories to an analogue trauma

Sleep enhances the consolidation of memory; however, this property of sleep may be detrimental in situations where memories of an event can lead to psychopathology, such as following a traumatic event. Intrusive memories of trauma are emotional memories that spring to mind involuntarily and are a core feature of post-traumatic stress disorder. Total sleep deprivation in a hospital setting on the first night after an analogue trauma (a trauma film) led to fewer intrusive memories compared to sleep as usual in one study. The current study aimed to test an extension of these findings: sleep deprivation under more naturalistic conditions—at home. Polysomnographic recordings show inconsistent sleep deprivation was achieved at home. Fewer intrusive memories were reported on day 1 after the trauma film in the sleep-deprived condition. On day 2 the opposite was found: more intrusive memories in the sleep-deprived condition. However, no significant differences were found with the removal of two participants with extreme values and no difference was found in the total number of intrusive memories reported in the week following the trauma film. Voluntary memory of the trauma film was found to be slightly impaired in the sleep deprivation condition. In conclusion, compared to our eariler findings using total sleep deprivation in a hospital setting, in the current study the use of inconsistent sleep deprivation at home does not replicate the pattern of results on reducing the number of intrusive memories. Considering the conditions under which sleep deprivation (naturalistic versus hospital) was achieved requires further examination.

Exploring gene expression biomarker candidates for neurobehavioral impairment from total sleep deprivation

BackgroundAlthough sleep deprivation is associated with neurobehavioral impairment that may underlie significant risks to performance and safety, there is no reliable biomarker test to detect dangerous levels of impairment from sleep loss in humans. This study employs microarrays and bioinformatics analyses to explore candidate gene expression biomarkers associated with total sleep deprivation (TSD), and more specifically, the phenotype of neurobehavioral impairment from TSD. Healthy adult volunteers were recruited to a sleep laboratory for seven consecutive days (six nights). After two Baseline nights of 10 h time in bed, 11 subjects underwent an Experimental phase of 62 h of continuous wakefulness, followed by two Recovery nights of 10 h time in bed. Another six subjects underwent a well-rested Control condition of 10 h time in bed for all six nights. Blood was drawn for measuring gene expression on days two, four, and six at 4 h intervals from 08:00 to 20:00 h, corresponding to 12 timepoints across one Baseline, one Experimental, and one Recovery day.ResultsAltogether 212 genes changed expression in response to the TSD Treatment, with most genes exhibiting down-regulation during TSD. Also, 28 genes were associated with neurobehavioral impairment as measured by the Psychomotor Vigilance Test. The results support previous findings associating TSD with the immune response and ion signaling, and reveal novel candidate biomarkers such as the Speedy/RINGO family of cell cycle regulators.ConclusionsThis study serves as an important step toward understanding gene expression changes during sleep deprivation. In addition to exploring potential biomarkers for TSD, this report presents novel candidate biomarkers associated with lapses of attention during TSD. Although further work is required for biomarker validation, analysis of these genes may aid fundamental understanding of the impact of TSD on neurobehavioral performance.

The impact of total sleep deprivation upon cognitive functioning in firefighters.

IntroductionFirefighters as a profession are required to maintain high levels of attention for prolonged periods. However, total sleep deprivation (TSD) could influence negatively upon performance, particularly when the task is prolonged and repetitive.PurposeThe aim of this study is to examine the influence of TSD on cognitive functioning in a group of firefighters.Subjects and methodsSixty volunteers who were active male fire brigade officers were examined with a computerized battery test that consisted of simple reaction time (SRT) (repeated three times), choice reaction time, visual attention test, and delayed matching to sample. Six series of measurements were undertaken over a period of TSD.ResultsPerformance in the second attempt in SRT test was significantly worse in terms of increased number of errors and, consequently, decreased number of correct responses during TSD. In contrast, the choice reaction time number of correct responses as well as the visual attention test reaction time for all and correct responses significantly improved compared to initial time points.ConclusionThe study has confirmed that subjects committed significantly more errors and, consequently, noted a smaller number of correct responses in the second attempt of SRT test. However, the remaining results showed reversed direction of TSD influence. TSD potentially leads to worse performance in a relatively easy task in a group of firefighters. Errors during repetitive tasks in firefighting routines could potentially translate into catastrophic consequences.

Impact of total sleep deprivation on behavioural neural processing of emotionally expressive faces

Sleep deprivation impacts subjective mood states, but very little research has examined the impact on processing emotional information. In the current study, we investigated the impact of total sleep deprivation on neural responses to emotional facial expressions as well as the accuracy and speed with which these faces were categorized. Forty-nine participants completed two tasks in which they were asked to categorize emotional facial expressions as Happy, Sad, Angry, or Fearful. They were shown the 'full' expression of the emotions in one task and more subtle expressions in a second task in which expressions were 'morphed' with neutral faces so that the intensity of emotion varied. It was expected that sleep deprivation would lead to greater reactivity (indexed by larger amplitude N170 event-related potentials), particularly for negative and more subtle facial expressions. In the full face task, sleep-deprived (SD) participants were significantly less accurate than controls (C) at identifying Sad faces and slower to identify all emotional expressions. P1 was smaller and N170 was larger for the SD compared to C group, but for all emotions, indicating generalized impairment in low-level visual processing. In the more difficult morphed face task, SD participants were less accurate than C participants for Sad faces; as well, the group difference in reaction time was greatest for Sad faces. For the SD group, N170 increased in amplitude with increasing perceptual difficulty for the Fearful and Angry faces, but decreased in amplitude with increasing difficulty for Sad faces. These data illustrate that sleep deprivation led to greater neural reactivity for the threat-related negative emotions as they became more subtle; however, there was a failure to engage these perceptual resources for the processing of Sad faces. Sleep loss preferentially impacted the processing of Sad faces; this has widespread implications for sleep-deprived groups.

Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Nocturnal Cytokine Concentrations in Depressed Patients and Healthy Control Subjects

Previous studies have reported alterations of cytokine and cytokine-receptor concentrations in psychiatric patient populations, including patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, study results are conflicting, and possible causes for these abnormalities are unknown. Since sleep deprivation may induce a rapid improvement of mood in depressed patients, the authors investigated the impact of total sleep deprivation (TSD) for one night, and subsequent recovery sleep, on nocturnal concentrations of interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-1-receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), and soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) in 15 unmedicated patients with MDD and 16 healthy volunteers. Whereas IL-6 levels normalized again during the recovery night in depressed patients, they were still elevated in control subjects. Serum levels of IL-1RA were higher in depressed patients than in controls, but were not affected by TSD. During recovery sleep, IL-1RA levels increased as compared with the preceding TSD night only in controls. Responders (N=8) differed from nonresponders (N=7) to TSD with regard to IL-1RA, which increased significantly during TSD in responders only. Sleep deprivation therefore seems to significantly affect cytokine levels in both depressed patients and healthy subjects, but does so in different ways. Sleep disturbances in depressed patients could account for the increased levels of cytokines found in these patients in several previous studies. The interaction between antidepressant effects of TSD and alterations of cytokines warrants further investigation.