Citation

Wong ML, Lau EYY, Lam YC, Rusak B, Tseng CH, Lee TMC, Wing YK. Soc. Cogn. Affect. Neurosci. 2020; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2020, Oxford University Press)

DOI

10.1093/scan/nsaa140

PMID

33064803

Abstract

We assessed the effect of a daytime sleep opportunity on planning and risk-related decision making in emerging adults using multiple neurobehavioral assessments. 136 healthy emerging adults (20.0 ± 1.5 years), 65% female, performed the Risky-Gains Task (RGT) and the Tower of London test (TOL) twice. Between these assessments, they were randomized to either have a sleep opportunity monitored by polysomnography (Sleep group, n=101) or to stay awake (Wake group, n=35). During Test 2, in comparison to the Sleep group, the Wake group showed increased sleepiness, worse planning ability and more decrease in reaction times when selecting risky choices. Changes in TOL steps used and RGT response time was correlated with the number of central and frontal fast sleep spindles, respectively. These results indicate that among emerging adults who commonly have poor sleep patterns, a daytime sleep opportunity was related to better planning ability, better psychomotor vigilance and stable response speeds in risk-related decision-making. Changes in planning and risk-related decision making correlated with the number of sleep spindles during the nap, supporting a specific role for sleep in modulating planning and potentially other higher-order cognitive functions.

Language: en

Keywords

impulsivity; vigilance; daytime sleep; naps; planning and problem solving; risk-taking; sleep spindles