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A split-sleep schedule rescues short-term topographical memory after multiple nights of sleep restriction.
Sleep 2019 Februrary 5
Study Objectives: Chronic sleep restriction in adolescents is widespread, yet we know little about how to apportion the limited amount of sleep obtained to minimize cognitive impairment: should sleep occur only nocturnally, or be split across separate nocturnal and daytime nap periods? This is particularly relevant to hippocampal-dependent cognitive functions that underpin several aspects of learning.
Method: We assessed hippocampal function in four groups by evaluating short-term topographical memory with the four mountains test (4MT). All participants began with 9-hours nocturnal time-in-bed (TIB) for 2-days before following different sleep schedules over the next 3-days. Each day, one group had 5-hours nocturnal TIB (n=30), another, 6.5-hours nocturnal TIB (n=29), and a third had 6.5-hours split into 5-hours nocturnal TIB and a 1.5-hour TIB daytime nap (5.0+1.5h; n=29). A control group (n=30) maintained 9-hours nocturnal TIB. The 4MT was administered mid-afternoon (1.5-hours after awakening for those who napped).
Results: erformance of the 5.0h and 6.5h nocturnal TIB groups was significantly impaired relative to the 9.0h control group. Performance of participants on the split- sleep schedule (5.0+1.5h) did not significantly differ from controls.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that hippocampal function is sensitive to moderate multi-night sleep restriction, but deficits can be ameliorated by splitting sleep, at least for a period after waking from a daytime nap. While this split sleep schedule should not be considered a replacement for adequate nocturnal sleep, it appears to benefit the cognitive and neurophysiological functions that underpin learning in those who are chronically sleep deprived.
Method: We assessed hippocampal function in four groups by evaluating short-term topographical memory with the four mountains test (4MT). All participants began with 9-hours nocturnal time-in-bed (TIB) for 2-days before following different sleep schedules over the next 3-days. Each day, one group had 5-hours nocturnal TIB (n=30), another, 6.5-hours nocturnal TIB (n=29), and a third had 6.5-hours split into 5-hours nocturnal TIB and a 1.5-hour TIB daytime nap (5.0+1.5h; n=29). A control group (n=30) maintained 9-hours nocturnal TIB. The 4MT was administered mid-afternoon (1.5-hours after awakening for those who napped).
Results: erformance of the 5.0h and 6.5h nocturnal TIB groups was significantly impaired relative to the 9.0h control group. Performance of participants on the split- sleep schedule (5.0+1.5h) did not significantly differ from controls.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that hippocampal function is sensitive to moderate multi-night sleep restriction, but deficits can be ameliorated by splitting sleep, at least for a period after waking from a daytime nap. While this split sleep schedule should not be considered a replacement for adequate nocturnal sleep, it appears to benefit the cognitive and neurophysiological functions that underpin learning in those who are chronically sleep deprived.
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