| Sleep is an important part of life; it plays an irreplaceable role on the human body energy reserve and recovery. Sleep not only to maintain the survival of individuals, but also to promote the growth and development, easy learning and form memory. Sleep deprivation (SD) or sleep loss (SL) will affect the normal function of the individual, so that reduce executive control, decline operating performance, increase subjective fatigue and negative emotions. If this situation do not timely interfered could result in serious consequences. SD and SL are very common in modern military activity, it is an important factor leading to fatigue failure, loss of combat effectiveness, and the attrition occurred during the war of the troops. Therefore, the research on the physiological, psychological mechanisms and control measures of SD has been the focus of military medicine in each country.Objective:This study aimed to establish 36 hours of total sleep deprivation model, to research the characteristics change of physical and psychological. In the experiment, we collected the event-related potentials (ERP) and behavioral data at different time points and then to analyze the SD's impact on executive control. We also observed the effect of recovery sleep to executive control after sleep deprivation; to assess central nervous system stimulant modafinil's effect against the of sleep deprivation.Method:In this study, a randomized, double-blind and self-controlled design was employed, there were 14 healthy young males (25.7±2.0y) in the experiment and all of them signed the information consent form. In this study, there was one control experiment and three SD experiments. In the control experiment, subjects came to the laboratory at 8:00 PM on the first day and received behavioral and ERP tests as a baseline value. At 8:00 AM in the next day, the tests results as the 0h value, after that, the ERP and behavior tests will be employed every 12h. At 8:00 AM on the fourth day, the subjects accepted the last ERP and behavioral tests and left. In the control trial, all the subjects had a normal sleep.In the SD experiment, when the subjects came to the laboratory at 8:00 in the evening, they received behavioral and ERP tests, and then they had a normal sleep. The SD began at 8:00 AM on the second day and the results as the 0h value. After that, the subjects accepted the ERP test separately at the 12h, 24h, and 36h after SD, and they accepted a behavior test every 4h interval after SD. After 36h total sleep deprivation, subjects had recovery sleep. Subjects at the 30h, 34 h of SD took 200mg modafinil, caffeine or placebo respectively. At the 8:00 AM in Day 4 subjects accept the last ERP and behavioral tests and left from laboratory.Results:1. We had established a model of 36h total sleep deprivation. Compared to the normal sleep we found that after 24h of SD, the Go correct response rate and Go wrong response of behavioral data began to increase. After 20h of SD, subjects'serial addition test results significantly lowered. In the letter cancellation task the average efficiency decreased and at the 32h the change even more obvious.2. Compared to the baseline values, the Nogo-N2 amplitudes on Fz began to decline and this change more obvious after 36h SD. The amplitudes and latencies of Nogo-P3 began to decrease at 24h and to aggravate at 36h. The latencies of Nogo-P3 of Fz had significant difference compared to 0h and 12h value. All the trial results suggested that with the prolonging of SD, the executive control of frontal lobe was damaged.3. Compared to 36h value, when subjects had 8h restorative sleep, their average correct reaction time shortened, Go correct response rate and Nogo response rate increased. After recovery sleep, the amplitudes of Nogo-N2, Nogo-P3 on Fz electrode and Nogo-P3 on Cz electrode increased compared to SD 36h values. The amplitudes of the Nogo-N2, Nogo-P3 on Fz and Nogo-P3 on Cz had no significant difference compared to baseline values, but their latencies were longer.4. The study of modafinil against the impact of SD on executive control showed that within the behavior indicators such as average correct reaction time, Go correct response rate, Nogo correct response rate, only the Go right response rate of caffeine group had significant statistical difference compared to the placebo group. In the modafinil group, the amplitudes of Nogo-N2 on Fz electrode were significantly higher than the placebo group (P <0.01) and the latencies of Nogo-P3 on Fz and Cz electrode were shorter than the placebo and caffeine group.Conclusion:This study confirmed that sleep deprivation have significant impact on the human executive control functions and the damage aggravated as the SD time prolonging. 8h restorative sleep could make the brain's executive control function partially to restore after 8h SD, but it can not return to the baseline level. And compared to behavioral data, ERP changed early and restored late, which suggested that in the monitoring process of SD, ERP is more sensitive than the traditional behavioral indicators. Modafinil had the good effect against to the damage of SD and modafinil could be better to improve cognitive function than caffeine and placebo did. The role of modafinil suggested that in the military field, this drug should become the best choice which against to SD. |
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