The wake maintenance zone shows task dependent changes in cognitive function following one night without sleep

Abstract

Study Objectives The interaction between homeostatic sleep pressure and circadian timing modulates the impact of sleep deprivation on cognition. We aimed to investigate how this interaction affects different cognitive functions. Methods Twenty-three healthy volunteers (18 males; mean age = 25.4 ± 5.7 years) underwent 40 hours of sleep deprivation under constant routine conditions. Performance on the Psychomotor Vigilance Test and a cognitive battery assessing vigilant attention, complex attention, recognition memory, and working memory was assessed in the morning (27 hours awake) and evening (37 hours awake) during sleep deprivation and compared to well-rested performance 24 hours earlier. C..