Insufficient Sleep and Visuospatial Memory Decline during Adolescence

Lee, Chang Woo; Jeon, Sehyun; Cho, Seong Jin; Kim, Seog Ju

Abstract

OBJECTIVES
The objective of this study was to investigate the correlation between insufficient sleep and visuospatial memory in adolescents using a computerized neurocognitive function test.
METHODS
A total of 103 high school students (26 males and 77 females; mean age 17.11 ± 8.50 years) without a serious psychiatric problem was recruited. All subjects were requested to complete a self-report questionnaire about weekday total sleep time and weekend total sleep time. The epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) and the beck depression inventory (BDI) were administered to measure daytime sleepiness and symptoms of depression. Seven subsets of the Cambridge Neuropsychological test automated battery were examined to assess visuospatial memory.
RESULTS
After controlling for age, sex, ESS, and BDI, longer weekend total sleep time was correlated with poor performance on delayed matching to sample (r = âˆ’0.312, p = 0.002) and immediate recall on pattern recognition memory (r = âˆ’0.225, p = 0.025). Increased weekend catch-up sleep time was correlated with poor performance of delayed matching to sample (r = âˆ’0.236, p = 0.018), immediate recall on pattern recognition memory (r = âˆ’0.220, p = 0.029), and delayed recall on pattern recognition memory (r = âˆ’0.211, p = 0.036) after controlling for age, sex, ESS, and BDI.
CONCLUSION
This study showed that increased weekend catch-up sleep time reflecting insufficient weekday sleep were associated with poor performance in delayed recall tasks of visual memory. This finding suggests that insufficient sleep during adolescence might produce a decline of visuospatial memory.