Sleep ability mediates individual differences in the vulnerability to sleep loss: Evidence from a PER3 polymorphism

• Published in: Cortex Vol. 52; pp. 47 - 59
• Main Authors: Maire, M., Reichert, C.F., Gabel, V., Viola, A.U., Strobel, W., Krebs, J., Landolt, H.P., Bachmann, V., Cajochen, C., Schmidt, C.
• Format: Journal Article Web Resource
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.03.2014; Elsevier; Masson Publishing
• Subjects: Adult; Alleles; Attention - physiology; Attentional performance; Biological and medical sciences; Circadian phase; Circadian Rhythm - genetics; Disorders of higher nervous function. Focal brain diseases. Central vestibular syndrome and deafness. Brain stem syndromes; Female; Genetic Association Studies; Genotype; Humans; Individuality; Inter-individual variability; Male; Medical sciences; Nap sleep; Nervous system (semeiology, syndromes); Neurology; Neurosciences & behavior; Neurosciences & comportement; PER3 VNTR polymorphism; Period Circadian Proteins - genetics; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Polysomnography; Psychomotor Performance - physiology; Sciences sociales & comportementales, psychologie; Sleep - genetics; Sleep deprivation; Sleep Deprivation - genetics; Social & behavioral sciences, psychology; Young Adult; SMZ; NP; PER3 VNTR polymorphism; WMZ; USE; Sleep deprivation; SD; SE; TST; Inter-individual variability; TRT; Circadian phase; SL2; SLR; SL1; SEM; Nap sleep; Attentional performance; Cognition; Biological rhythm; Genetic determinism; Gene; Genetics; Sleep wake cycle; Neurological disorder; Ability; Human; Vigilance; Nervous system diseases; Deprivation; Attention; Sleep disorder; Vulnerability; Circadian rhythm; Sleep; Insomnia; Interindividual comparison; Performance; Nap; Polymorphism
• ISSN: 0010-9452; 1973-8102; 1973-8102
• DOI: 10.1016/j.cortex.2013.11.008

Sleep deprivation is highly prevalent in our 24/7 society with harmful consequences on daytime functioning on the individual level. Genetically determined, trait-like vulnerability contributes to prominent inter-individual variability in the behavioral responses to sleep loss and adverse circadian phase. We aimed at investigating the effects of differential sleep pressure levels (high vs low) on the circadian modulation of neurobehavioral performance, sleepiness correlates, and nap sleep in individuals genotyped for a polymorphism in the clock gene PERIOD3. Fourteen homozygous long (PER35/5) and 15 homozygous short (PER34/4) allele carriers underwent both a 40-h sleep deprivation and multiple nap protocol under controlled laboratory conditions. We compared genotypes regarding subjective and ocular correlates of sleepiness, unintentional sleep episodes as well as psychomotor vigilance during both protocols. Nap sleep was monitored by polysomnography and visually scored according to standard criteria. The detrimental effects of high sleep pressure on sleepiness correlates and psychomotor vigilance were more pronounced in PER35/5 than PER34/4 carriers. Under low sleep pressure, both groups showed similar circadian time courses. Concomitantly, nap sleep efficiency and subjective sleep quality across all naps tended to be higher in the more vulnerable PER35/5 carriers. In addition, PER3-dependent sleep-loss-related attentional lapses were mediated by sleep efficiency across the circadian cycle. Our data corroborate a greater detrimental impact of sleep deprivation in PER35/5 compared to PER34/4 carriers. They further suggest that the group with greater attentional performance impairment due to sleep deprivation (PER35/5 carriers) is superior at initiating sleep over the 24-h cycle. This higher sleep ability may mirror a faster sleep pressure build-up between the multiple sleep opportunities and thus a greater flexibility in sleep initiation. Finally, our data show that this higher nap sleep efficiency is positively related to attentional failures under sleep loss conditions and might thus be used as a marker for inter-individual vulnerability to elevated sleep pressure.