Revisiting the Concept of Vigilance

Area of Science:

• Neuroscience
• Sleep Medicine
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Vigilance deficits are common after prolonged wakefulness, yet the concept of vigilance itself is poorly defined.
• Existing definitions are ambiguous, often conflating vigilance with sustained attention or wakefulness, hindering research progress.
• Historical definitions by Henry Head (1923) offer a more precise framework for understanding vigilance.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the current use of vigilance in sleep-wake research.
• To highlight the benefits and limitations of current vigilance definitions.
• To propose a re-conceptualization of vigilance based on historical definitions for novel insights.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of vigilance definitions in sleep-wake research.
• Analysis of historical definitions of vigilance, particularly those by Henry Head.
• Conceptual framework development for future research perspectives.

Main Results:

• Current definitions of vigilance are ambiguous and inconsistently applied in sleep-wake research.
• Revisiting Head's definitions provides a clearer, more useful concept of vigilance.
• A conceptual framework integrating resource allocation, compensatory behaviors, and environmental interactions is proposed.

Conclusions:

• Clarifying the definition of vigilance is crucial for advancing sleep-wake research.
• A refocused understanding of vigilance offers innovative approaches to studying sleep problems in children and young adults.
• Future research should adopt a multi-perspective framework for vigilance to better understand sleep-wake behaviors.