Age-related Changes in Sleep-wake Regulation

University of Zurich (UZH)

Status: Completed

Conditions: Sleep Deprivation

Treatments: Behavioral: Prolonged wakefulness

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03813082

PSS-Sleep

Details and patient eligibility

About

A sleep deprivation protocol combined with state-of-the-art, simultaneous positron emission tomography and magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging will be employed to investigate the effects of sleep deprivation and aging on hypothesized molecular markers of sleep need.

Enrollment: 29 patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 20 to 70 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• healthy male individuals
• age: 20-35 or 60-70 years
• right-handed
• non-smokers
• moderate caffeine/alcohol consumption
• normal BMI

Exclusion criteria

• Sleep/circadian rhythms disturbances
• former brain injuries with loss of consciousness and brain anomalies
• drug intake/consumption
• medication intake
• cardiac pacemaker
• neurological disorders
• prior participation (during past 2 years) in radiological or nuclear experiment

Trial design

Primary purpose: Basic Science

Allocation: Non-Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

---

29 participants in 2 patient groups

Sleep deprivation young men

Experimental group

Description:

Young study participants will complete four nights in the sleep laboratory, whereas they will stay awake during one night. PET brain imaging will be conducted at the same circadian time on three consecutive afternoons (prior, during and after prolonged wakefulness). Additionally, validated tests of vigilance and cognitive performance will be administered and the brain waves will be recorded in wakefulness and sleep.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Prolonged wakefulness

Sleep deprivation older men

Experimental group

Description:

Older study participants will complete four nights in the sleep laboratory, whereas they will stay awake during one night. PET brain imaging will be conducted at the same circadian time on three consecutive afternoons (prior, during and after prolonged wakefulness). Additionally, validated tests of vigilance and cognitive performance will be administered and the brain waves will be recorded in wakefulness and sleep.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Prolonged wakefulness