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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2012 May;15(3):408-16.
doi: 10.1111/j.1467-7687.2012.01137.x. Epub 2012 Feb 23.

Circadian rhythms in executive function during the transition to adolescence: the effect of synchrony between chronotype and time of day

Constanze Hahn  1 , Jason M Cowell, Ursula J Wiprzycka, David Goldstein, Martin Ralph, Lynn Hasher, Philip David Zelazo
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Circadian rhythms in executive function during the transition to adolescence: the effect of synchrony between chronotype and time of day

Constanze Hahn et al. Dev Sci. 2012 May.

Abstract

To explore the influence of circadian rhythms on executive function during early adolescence, we administered a battery of executive function measures (including a Go-Nogo task, the Iowa Gambling Task, a Self-ordered Pointing task, and an Intra/Extradimensional Shift task) to Morning-preference and Evening-preference participants (N = 80) between the ages of 11 and 14 years who were tested in the morning or afternoon. Significant Chronotype × Time of Day interactions (controlling for amount of sleep the previous night) revealed that adolescents tested at their optimal times of day performed better than those tested at their nonoptimal times. Implications for our understanding of physiological arousal, sleep, and executive function during adolescence are discussed.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Executive function composite scores (based on Go-Nogo Task, the Iowa Gambling Task, Self-ordered Pointing Task [concrete version], and the Intra/Extradimensional Shift Task; see text for details), as a function of chronotype and time of day. Error bars represent standard errors.
Figure 2
Figure 2
(A) Percentage of commission errors on the Go-Nogo Task, as a function of chronotype and time of day. Error bars represent standard errors. (B) Performance on the Iowa Gambling Task (net score across 100 trials), as a function of chronotype and time of day. Error bars represent standard errors. (C) Performance (total errors) on the Self-ordered Pointing Task (concrete version), as a function of chronotype and time of day. Error bars represent standard errors. (D) Performance on the Intra/Extradimensional Shift Task (highest level reached, as a function of chronotype and time of day. Error bars represent standard errors.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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