Poor sleep leads to attention deficit –study

Monday 20th August 2012

The impact on attention span and memory ability after a night of poor sleep has been highlighted by a new study in India. A project at the National Brain Research Centre in Manesar, Haryana, looked at the performance of mice under controlled conditions that replicated both good and bad quality sleep.

The researchers found that sleep deprivation increases the presence of a molecule called adenosine, which is related to both memory problems and low levels of attention. During the experiment, mice that couldn’t produce adenosine performed as if they weren’t sleep deprived, underlining the role of the molecule.

The outcome of the research could theoretically lead to treatments relating to the area of the brain that effectively ‘controls’ feelings of sleep deprivation, and could be a benefit to people suffering from particular sleep disorders.

It was also noted that many of individuals checking into hospitals suffering from the effects of sleep deprivation were young professionals and students who worked regularly long hours at the expense of the recommended sleeping times.

The results of the study were published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Tags: sleep deprivation memory

Category: Sleep Research

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