Struggling to stay awake: EEG and Behaviour following sleep deprivation
2008 Research Project Grant Round
Approved for Funding by CMRF $63,981.00
For a period of 16 months
Start Date: 10 October 2008
Reseacher 1: Dr Carrie Innes
Van der Veer Institute
Photo: Research Team Members:Carrie Innes, Richard Jones,
Govinda Poudel, (Absent Leigh Signal)
From left: Sebastian Doeltgen demonstrates the EEG cap
Reseacher 2: Associate Professor Richard Jones
Van der Veer Institute
Reseacher 3: Dr Leigh Signal
Van der Veer Institute
Reseacher 4: Mr Govinda Poudel
Van der Veer Institute
Public safety depends on extended unimpaired performance, such as truck drivers, locomotive drivers, pilots, air traffic controllers, health professionals, and process control workers. Partial sleep deprivation, which leads to an increased propensity to lapse, is also a common feature of these occupations due to long, split, or irregular shifts. Lapses not only disrupt our ability to perform a task safely over an extended period of time but can lead to injury or death. For example, up to 33% of road traffic accidents have been attributed to lapses when drivers are tired or fatigued. The aim of our research is to use electroencephalography (EEG) to identify the brain activity associated with lapses and to investigate how this activity is affected by partial sleep deprivation in a group of 20 healthy subjects. EEG data collected in this study will complement other brain imaging data we are collecting using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Our research ultimately aims to enable the development of non-invasive early warning systems with the potential to save many lives.
