Saccadic Eye Movements Attenuate Postural Sway but Less in Sleep-Deprived Young Adults

Abstract

Sleep deprivation affects the performance of postural control and several other aspects related to attentional mechanisms that may alter sensory cue acquisition strategies. This study aimed to examine the possible effects of horizontal saccades and ocular fixation on a target in the performance of postural control in young adults with sleep deprivation. Twenty-six adults formed two groups, tested in two evaluations. In the first evaluation, participants slept normally on the night before. In the second evaluation, 13 participants were sleep deprived (SD) and 13 slept normally (control group [CG]) on the night before. In both evaluations, each participant stood upright as still as possible, in two experimental conditions: fixating the eye on a target and performing saccadic movement toward a target presented in two different locations (0.5 Hz). Each participant performed 3 trials in each condition, lasting 62 s each. Body oscillation was obtained in both anterior-posterior and medial-lateral directions. Results showed that SD participants swayed with a larger magnitude and higher velocity after sleep deprivation in the fixation condition. In the saccadic condition, body sway magnitude and velocity were reduced but were still larger/higher in the SD participants. Sleep deprivation deteriorates the performance of postural control. Saccadic eye movements improve postural control performance even in sleep-deprived participants but are still not sufficient to avoid postural control deterioration due to sleep deprivation.

Detrimental effects of sleep deprivation on the regulatory mechanisms of postural balance: a comprehensive review

“…Overall, sleep deprivation leads to a deterioration in visuo-spatial performance, a reduction in the sensitivity of visual perception, a decrease in spatial orientation performance and spatial data storage ( Besnard et al, 2018 ; Vargas et al, 2020 ). Acute sleep loss not only reduced visual task performance and impaired visuospatial perception but also disrupted selective attention, probably due to a reduction in the downward bias of information processing in the sensory cortex ( Dyakova et al, 2019 ).…”

“…Saccadic eye movements improve postural balance even in sleep-deprived subjects but are still not sufficient to avoid postural balance deterioration due to sleep deprivation ( Vargas et al, 2020 ). Vargas et al (2020) specified that sleep-deprived subjects reduced postural sway magnitude when using horizontal saccades compared to when only fixating a stationary target. Horizontal saccades are not sufficient to overcome the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation ( Vargas et al, 2020 ).…”

“… Vargas et al (2020) specified that sleep-deprived subjects reduced postural sway magnitude when using horizontal saccades compared to when only fixating a stationary target. Horizontal saccades are not sufficient to overcome the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation ( Vargas et al, 2020 ). This limited deterioration of postural balance following sleep deprivation could stem from the synergistic relationship between the postural function and the visual function ( Bonnet and Baudry, 2016 ).…”

“… Bonnet and Baudry (2016) inferred that the relationship between these two functions would be congruent rather than competitive. Based on these considerations, Vargas et al (2020) proposed that there is no dual relation between these two functions even in sleep-deprived subjects. It can thus be suggested that although sleep deprivation negatively affects postural balance, it does not alter the saccadic eye movements that facilitate it.…”