Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 11, 2026
Investigating the Deployment of Visual Attention Before Accurate and Averaging Saccades via Eye Tracking and Assessment of Visual Sensitivity
Published on: March 18, 2019
Total sleep deprivation effect on disengagement of spatial attention as assessed by saccadic eye movements
Marie-Laure Bocca1, Pierre Denise
1Université Paris Sud-11, UPRES EA 1609, UFR STAPS, F-91405 Orsay Cedex, France. marie-laure.bocca@staps.u-psud.fr
Objective:
Previous research has shown that total sleep deprivation (TSD) of short duration (one night) affects performance to some cognitive tasks subserved by a fronto-parietal network. The aim of our study was to assess the effects of TSD on visuo-spatial attention, which is a cognitive task involving this network. Specifically, the disengagement of spatial attention was investigated with gap and overlap paradigms of saccadic eye movements.
Methods:
Ten healthy young male subjects performed the two tasks the morning after a normal night and after a TSD night. The study was conducted using a balanced, crossover design.
Results:
TSD significantly increased the gap effect (difference of latency between overlap and gap).
Conclusions:
This result can be interpreted as an impaired disengagement of attention after TSD. As the peak velocity, which is an indicator of alertness, was not altered by TSD, the impairment in the disengagement of spatial attention does not result from a decrease in alertness.
Significance:
This study shows that saccadic eye movements enable studying alertness and disengagement of spatial attention simultaneously. The idea that specific brain areas are affected by TSD is confirmed by our results.
