The following is a summary of “Evaluation of cognitive and psychomotor faculties in relation to mood-related symptoms under the conditions of sleep deprivation,” published in the December 2023 issue of Psychiatry by Sochal et al.
Researchers launched a retrospective study to analyze whether mood-dependent differences exist in cognitive and psychomotor responses to deprivation of sleep (DS) among individuals experiencing depression.
They conducted a baseline sleep assessment using polysomnography (PSG) with 77 participants. Participants underwent DS monitored by actigraphy. Mood evaluation and cognitive function tests, including eye-hand coordination, were performed four times—pre/post-PSG and DS. The participants were categorized into respondents (RE, n = 48) and non-respondents (NR, n = 29) based on alleviating the severity of depression symptoms after DS.
The results showed an increased response speed to visual triggers after DS compared to baseline (P=0.024). In the RE, the psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) results were consistent, while NR exhibited an increase (P=0.008). Both groups showed improved exposure time in the eye-hand coordination test, with reduced total error duration observed only in RE individuals (P<0.001, P=0.009 for RE and NR, respectively). All subjects demonstrated enhanced proficiency in the trail-making test (P≤0.001 for Part 1 and 2 in all, NR, RE). Stroop test performance improved, irrespective of mood changes after DS (P=0.007, P=0.008 for Part 1 and 2, respectively), with cognitive interference remaining similar within groups (P=0.059, P=0.057 for NR and RE, respectively). A positive correlation was identified between PSG morning/DS morning depression severity and vigilance (R = 0.37, P=0.001, R = 0.33, P=0.005, for error duration eye-hand coordination test and PVT total average score, respectively).
They concluded that REM sleep loosened depression’s hold on cognition, emphasizing vigilance as a critical factor in symptom change. Explore the bio-secrets of the sleep-deprived brain.
Source: frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1332831/full
