title: Sleep deprivation and time-on-task performance decrement in the rat psychomotor vigilance task.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The rat psychomotor vigilance task (rPVT) was developed as a rodent analog of the human psychomotor vigilance task (hPVT). We examined whether rPVT performance displays time-on-task effects similar to those observed on the hPVT.
  
  
  METHODS
  The rPVT requires rats to respond to a randomly presented light stimulus to obtain a water reward. Rats were water deprived for 22 h prior to each 30-min rPVT session to motivate performance. We analyzed rPVT performance over time on task and as a function of the response-stimulus interval, at baseline and after sleep deprivation.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was conducted in an academic research vivarium.
  
  
  METHODS
  Male Long-Evans rats were trained to respond to a 0.5 sec stimulus light within 3 sec of stimulus onset. Complete data were available for n = 20 rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Rats performed the rPVT for 30 min at baseline and after 24 h total sleep deprivation by gentle handling.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to baseline, sleep deprived rats displayed increased performance lapses and premature responses, similar to hPVT lapses of attention and false starts. However, in contrast to hPVT performance, the time-on-task performance decrement was not significantly enhanced by sleep deprivation. Moreover, following sleep deprivation, rPVT response times were not consistently increased after short response-stimulus intervals.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The rPVT manifests similarities to the hPVT in global performance outcomes, but not in post-sleep deprivation effects of time on task and response-stimulus interval.
authors.affiliation: Sleep and Performance Research Center and College of Medical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, WA.
authors.forename: Marcella
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oonk
authors.affiliation: Sleep and Performance Research Center and College of Medical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, WA.
authors.forename: Christopher J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.affiliation: Sleep and Performance Research Center and College of Medical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, WA.
authors.forename: James M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Krueger
authors.affiliation: Sleep and Performance Research Center and College of Medical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, WA.
authors.forename: Jonathan P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Wisor
authors.affiliation: Sleep and Performance Research Center and College of Medical Sciences, Washington State University, Spokane, WA.
authors.forename: Hans P A
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Van Dongen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001288:Attention / Q000502:physiology; D060766:Drinking Water; D008297:Male; D009042:Motivation; D010775:Photic Stimulation; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D051381:Rats; D020318:Rats, Long-Evans; D011930:Reaction Time; D012201:Reward; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water
keywords: gentle handling; neurobehavioral performance; rPVT; response times; response-stimulus interval; time-on-task decrement; total sleep deprivation; water deprivation