CIRCAFLEX

Team

Principal investigator: Prof. Dr. Nathalie Pattyn (VIPER, Royal Military Academy)

In collaboration with Prof. Dr. Marie Vandekerckhove (EXTO VUB), Dr. Daniel Neu (Brugmann, ULB), Prof. Dr. Nathalie Pattyn (EXTO VUB / VIPER KMS) and Prof. Dr. Romain Meeusen (MFYS VUB).

Publications

What

The aim of the current project is to look more closely into the influence of individual differences in the flexibility of the endogenous circadian system in response to sleep deprivation.

How

In this project, subjects with high and low behavioral flexibility of their circadian rhythm are selected and their differential response to experimental sleep deprivation is studied.

After a polysomnographically recorded habituation and baseline night subjects are kept awake for a period of 28 hours in a controlled laboratory environment, followed by a recuperation nap of 3.5hrs.

During the sleep deprivation period measurements of both subjective and objective sleepiness, fatigue, cognitive function, mood, endocrine and autonomic function and emotional regulation are taken, this to obtain an multidimensional image of the response of sleep.

The knowledge on inter-individual differences in the response to sleep deprivation can be particularly important in the domain of shiftwork, for instance when evaluating sleepiness induced safety consequences.

When

The study is currently ongoing.