The Effects of Two Types of Sleep Deprivation on Visual Working Memory Capacity and Filtering Efficiency

Abstract

Sleep deprivation has adverse consequences for a variety of cognitive functions. The exact effects of sleep deprivation, though, are dependent upon the cognitive process examined. Within working memory, for example, some component processes are more vulnerable to sleep deprivation than others. Additionally, the differential impacts on cognition of different types of sleep deprivation have not been well studied. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of one night of total sleep deprivation and 4 nights of partial sleep deprivation (4 hours in bed/night) on two components of visual working memory: capacity and filtering efficiency. Forty-four healthy young adults were randomly assigned to one of the two sleep deprivation conditions. All participants were studied: 1) in a well-rested condition (following 6 nights of 9 hours in bed/night); and 2) following sleep deprivation, in a counter-balanced order. Visual working memory testing consisted of two related tasks. The first measured visual working memory capacity and the second measured the ability to ignore distractor stimuli in a visual scene (filtering efficiency). Results showed neither type of sleep deprivation reduced visual working memory capacity. Partial sleep deprivation also generally did not change filtering efficiency. Total sleep deprivation, on the other hand, did impair performance in the filtering task. These results suggest components of visual working memory are differentially vulnerable to the effects of sleep deprivation, and different types of sleep deprivation impact visual working memory to different degrees. Such findings have implications for operational settings where individuals may need to perform with inadequate sleep and whose jobs involve receiving an array of visual information and discriminating the relevant from the irrelevant prior to making decisions or taking actions (e.g., baggage screeners, air traffic controllers, military personnel, health care providers).

Circadian Rhythms, Sleep Deprivation, and Human Performance

“…Some studies have reported differences in behavioral, sleep homeostatic and/or physiological responses to both types of deprivation. 32,176,177 Moreover, only a few experiments have systematically examined the same subjects in both types of deprivation. 167,175,178–180 These studies reported inconsistent results, likely due to small sample sizes, different populations, varying doses of sleep restriction, and different outcome measures.…”

Sleep deprivation and neurobehavioral dynamics

“…Some studies have reported differences in behavioral, sleep homeostatic and/or physiological responses to chronic partial versus acute total sleep loss [12,15,49]. A few studies have systematically examined the same subjects undergoing both acute total and chronic partial sleep deprivation [14,16-19].…”

Sleep and Plasticity in Schizophrenia

“…Animal studies suggest that prefrontal D1 receptors sustain the activity of prefrontal neurons while a stimulus is held in memory, and this persistent activity is considered the neural correlate of working memory (Gao et al 2001). At first glance, working memory might be considered a purely waking function; however, working memory performance is improved by prior sleep (Kuriyama et al 2008) and impaired by sleep deprivation (Drummond et al 2012; Hagewoud et al 2010). Sleep may therefore be a useful tool for probing abnormal DA function and working memory in schizophrenia.…”