Modulation of Neural Compensatory Response by Duration of Sleep Deprivation in a Cognitive Flexibility Task.

The neural compensation mechanism involves maintaining cognitive performance during sleep deprivation (SD) by triggering alternative neural activations. While cognitive task complexity modulates post‐SD neural activation, the role of SD duration remains uncertain. Thirty‐three healthy college students (16 male and 17 female) completed a 36‐h SD protocol, performing a switching task at baseline (pre‐SD), after 24 h of SD (SD‐24), and after 36 h of SD (SD‐36). Resting‐state EEG signals were recorded for 5 min at each SD stage and analysed using Standardised Low‐Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography. Behavioural results showed that task performance declined after SD‐24 compared to pre‐SD, but recovered toward baseline levels after SD‐36. Additionally, cognitive flexibility was lower after SD‐24 and SD‐36 than pre‐SD, with no significant difference observed between SD‐24 and SD‐36. EEG results indicated decreased activation of the orbitofrontal and superior frontal gyrus after SD‐24 and SD‐36 compared to pre‐SD, but increased activation of the superior parietal lobe after SD‐36 compared to SD‐24. The results of this study suggest that compensatory mechanisms depend on SD duration, indicating that effective neural compensation requires sustained wakefulness to activate fully. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]