Task-specific effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive function and EEG brain network in night-shift nurses

Night-shift nurses experience chronic sleep deprivation, which impairs cognitive functions crucial for patient safety. However, the underlying reorganization of brain functional networks remains poorly understood. This study aimed to investigate the task-specific effects of sleep deprivation on brain network topology during sustained attention and working memory in night-shift female nurses.

In a within-subjects design, electroencephalography (EEG) data from 28 female nurses were recorded during a rested session (R-Session) and a sleep-deprived session (SD-Session) immediately following a night shift. Participants performed the psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) and 2-back tasks. Functional connectivity was estimated using the weighted phase lag index (wPLI), and brain network properties were quantified using graph theoretical analysis at both global and nodal levels.

Our findings revealed a clear behavioral dissociation: sleep deprivation significantly impaired PVT performance but had no effect on 2-back task performance. This dissociation was mirrored by distinct patterns of neural reorganization. During the PVT, the brain network exhibited a compensatory enhancement of global topology, characterized by a significant increase in clustering coefficient, global efficiency, local efficiency, and small-worldness, alongside a decrease in characteristic path length, particularly in the theta and beta bands. In contrast, the 2-back task showed only a localized increase in the theta-band clustering coefficient. Nodal analysis further revealed a critical topographical distinction: PVT-related efficiency changes were strongly right-lateralized, whereas 2-back changes were bilaterally distributed.

In conclusion, these results demonstrate that sleep deprivation elicits task-specific neurocognitive adaptations. Sustained attention appears highly vulnerable, prompting a broad compensatory reorganization of the right-hemispheric attention network. Conversely, working memory function remains behaviorally stable, underpinned by a more specific network reorganization, primarily involving increased local connectivity. This study deepens our understanding of the neural mechanisms underlying cognitive vulnerability and resilience in nurses group.