A one-hour sleep restriction impacts brain processing in young children across tasks: evidence from event-related potentials

Dev Neuropsychol. 2013;38(5):317-36. doi: 10.1080/87565641.2013.799169.

Abstract

The effect of mild sleep restriction on cognitive functioning in young children is unclear, yet sleep loss may impact children's abilities to attend to tasks with high processing demands. In a preliminary investigation, six children (6.6-8.3 years of age) with normal sleep patterns performed three tasks: attention ("Oddball"), speech perception (consonant-vowel syllables), and executive function (Directional Stroop). Event-related potentials (ERPs) responses were recorded before (Control) and following 1 week of 1-hour per day of sleep restriction. Brain activity across all tasks following Sleep Restriction differed from activity during Control Sleep, indicating that minor sleep restriction impacts children's neurocognitive functioning.

Publication types

  • Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Acoustic Stimulation
  • Actigraphy
  • Brain / physiopathology*
  • Brain Mapping*
  • Child
  • Electroencephalography
  • Evoked Potentials / physiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Orientation
  • Pattern Recognition, Visual
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Psychoacoustics
  • Sleep Deprivation / pathology*
  • Sleep Deprivation / physiopathology
  • Speech Perception / physiology