Sleep deprivation affects gait control

Abstract

Different levels of sleep restriction affect human performance in multiple aspects. However, it is unclear how sleep deprivation affects gait control. We applied a paced gait paradigm that included subliminal rhythm changes to analyze the effects of different sleep restriction levels (acute, chronic and control) on performance. Acute sleep deprivation (one night) group exhibited impaired performance in the sensorimotor synchronization gait protocol, such as a decrease in the Period Error between the footfalls and the auditory stimulus as well as missing more frequently the auditory cues. The group with chronic sleep restriction also underperformed when compared to the control group with a tendency to a late footfall with respect to the RAC sound. Our results suggest that partial or total sleep deprivation leads to a decrease in the performance in the sensorimotor control of gait. The superior performance of the chronic sleep group when compared to the acute group suggests that there is a compensatory mechanism that helps to improve motor performance.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Oct 26, 2021
Source ID
10.1038/s41598-021-00705-9

Entities

People

  • Arturo Forner-Cordero
  • Guilherme S. Umemura
  • Hermano I Krebs
  • Jacques Duysens
  • João Pedro Pinho

Organizations

  • Office of Naval Research Global

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Brain and Cognitive Science; Experimental Psychology; Cognitive Neuroscience
  • Circadian Sleep-Wake Regulation and Chronobiology