The effect of experimental sleep fragmentation on error monitoring

Experimental sleep fragmentation (SF) is characterized by frequent brief arousals without reduced total sleep time and causes daytime sleepiness and impaired neurocognitive processes. This study explored the impact of SF on error monitoring. Thirteen adults underwent auditory stimuli-induced high-level (H) and low-level (L) SF nights. Flanker task performance and electroencephalogram data were collected in the morning following SF nights. Compared to LSF, HSF induced more arousals and stage N1 sleep, decreased slow wave sleep and rapid-eye-movement sleep (REMS), decreased subjective sleep quality, increased daytime sleepiness, and decreased amplitudes of P300 and error-related positivity (Pe). SF effects on N1 sleep were negatively correlated with SF effects on the Pe amplitude. Furthermore, as REMS was reduced by SF, post-error accuracy compensations were greatly reduced. In conclusion, attentional processes and error monitoring were impaired following one night of frequent sleep disruptions, even when total sleep time was not reduced.