Sleep deprivation effects on basic cognitive processes: which components of attention, working memory, and executive functions are more susceptible to the lack of sleep?

Abstract

Introduction: Sleep deprived people have difficulties to perform daily activities. Their performance depends on three basic cognitive processes: attention, working memory, and executive functions.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify which specific components of these cognitive processes are more susceptible to a 24-h sleep deprivation period.

Material and methods: Participants were 23 undergraduate students assigned to one of two groups: a control group (n=11, age=18.73±1.62 years) and a sleep deprivation group (n=12, age=18.08±1.16 years). After sleeping freely, control group participants performed a continuous performance task to evaluate the components of attention, a phonological and a visuospatial tasks to record these components of working memory, and a Stroop-like task to assess cognitive inhibition and flexibility, two components of executive functions, at noon for 3 days. Whereas, the sleep deprivation group participants performed the same tasks at noon: after sleeping freely for one night, after a 24-h sleep deprivation, and after one recovery night.

Results: After the sleep deprivation, participants had a significant reduction in tonic alertness, selective and sustained attention, components of attention; and in cognitive inhibition, component of executive functions.

Conclusion: A 24-h sleep deprivation period reduces several specific components of the basic cognitive processes, which are crucial for performing many everyday activities, thus increasing the risk of errors and accidents.

Keywords: Attention; Cognitive Science; Executive Function; Memory; Sleep Deprivation.

Figure 1

Sleep-wake protocol of the control and sleep deprived group for the training and the three recording sessions. The black dot represents the cognitive tasks and sleepiness scale application. *Control group participants were not sleep deprived.

Figure 2

Sleep deprivation effects on the components of attention, working memory and executive functions. White circles represent the control group and black circles represent the sleep-deprived group on the three conditions. Control group participants were not sleep deprived. Values are mean ± standard error of the mean, *p<0.01.