The effects of sleep deprivation and time of day on cognitive performance

The extent to which the diurnal fluctuations of different cognitive processes could be affected by sleep loss may be explored to predict performance decrements observed in the real world. Twenty healthy male subjects voluntarily took part in 8 test sessions at 06:00, 10:00, 14:00, and 18:00 h, following either a night with or without sleep in random order. Measurements included oral temperature, simple reaction time, sign cancelation, Go/NoGo, and the Purdue pegboard test. The results indicate that simple reaction time and motor coordination had morning-afternoon variations closely following the rhythms of temperature and vigilance. Inhibitory attention (Go/NoGo) presented no morning-afternoon variations. Sleep deprivation may affect the profiles of cognitive performance depending on the processes solicited. Sustained and inhibitory attention are particularly affected in the morning (after 24 and 28 waking hours), while a complex task (visuo-motor coordination) would be affected after 32 waking hours only.

• Authors:
  • BOUGARD, Clément
  • MOUSSAY, Sébastien
  • ESPIE, Stéphane
  • DAVENNE, Damien
• Publication Date: 2016

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Pagination: pp 401-415
• Serial:
  • Biological Rhythm Research
  • Volume: 47
  • Issue Number: 3

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Alertness; Fatigue (Physiological condition); Motor reactions
• ITRD Terms: 2238: Attention; 2222: Fatigue (homme); 2247: Reaction (homme)
• Subject Areas: Safety and Human Factors;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01629345
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: Institut Francais des Sciences et Technologies des Transports, de l'Amenagement et des Reseaux (IFSTTAR)
• Files: ITRD
• Created Date: Mar 17 2017 10:36AM