Electroencephalography during on-the-road driving in older untreated insomnia patients and normal sleepers

J Perrier; T R M Leufkens; J Bulla; S Jongen; M L Bocca; J G Ramaekers; A Vermeeren

doi:10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.04.002

Electroencephalography during on-the-road driving in older untreated insomnia patients and normal sleepers

Biol Psychol. 2015 Jul:109:20-8. doi: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.04.002. Epub 2015 Apr 13.

Authors

J Perrier¹, T R M Leufkens², J Bulla³, S Jongen², M L Bocca⁴, J G Ramaekers², A Vermeeren²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands; Normandie Univ, France; UNICAEN, COMETE, Caen 14032, France; INSERM, U 1075 COMETE, Caen 14032, France. Electronic address: perrier-j@phycog.org.
² Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology, Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
³ LMNO, Université de Caen, CNRS UMR 6139, 14032 Caen Cedex, France; Department of Mathematics, University of Bergen, P.O. Box 7800, 5020 Bergen, Norway.
⁴ Normandie Univ, France; UNICAEN, COMETE, Caen 14032, France; INSERM, U 1075 COMETE, Caen 14032, France.

PMID: 25882903
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2015.04.002

Abstract

Insomniacs report decreased performance in daily routines, which may have detrimental consequences for car driving. We compared changes over time in driving performance (measured as Standard Deviation of Lateral Position - SDLP) and background EEG between 20 untreated insomnia patients (52-70 years old) and 21 normal sleepers (54-73 years old) during a 1h on-the-road driving test after a normal night of sleep, in the morning. SDLP did not differ between groups and increased slightly over time to similar degrees in both groups. EEG alpha and beta power were lower in insomniacs as compared to normal sleepers. Alpha and beta power slightly reduced during driving in normal sleepers but remained at a constant low level in insomniacs. Changes in EEG power and SDLP were not related. It is concluded that on-the-road driving performance does not differ between older insomniacs and older normal sleepers and that changes in spectral EEG measures of cortical arousal and in driving performance are not related.

Keywords: Insomnia; On-the-road driving; SDLP; Time-on-task; Waking EEG.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

Age Factors
Aged
Arousal / physiology
Automobile Driving*
Case-Control Studies
Electroencephalography*
Evoked Potentials / physiology
Female
Humans
Male
Middle Aged
Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / physiopathology*