The impact of sleep deprivation on working memory can only be reversed by recovery sleep (RS). However, there are limited electrophysiological studies on the effect of RS on the improvement in working memory after sleep deprivation, and the changes in the early components of event-related potentials (ERPs) before and after RS are still unclear. Therefore, this study aims to explore the effects of RS on the earlier ERP components related to object working memory following 36 h of total sleep deprivation (TSD). Twenty healthy male participants performed an object working memory task after 36 h of TSD and after 8 h of RS. Electroencephalogram data were recorded accordingly while the task was performed. Repeated ANOVA showed that P2 amplitudes related to object working memory decreased significantly after 8 h of RS compared to after a 36 h period of TSD, but there was no significant difference from baseline (BS), which indicates a trend of recovery to the baseline state. An 8 h RS can partially improve impaired object working memory caused by TSD. However, a longer period of RS is needed for the complete recovery of cognitive function after a long period of TSD.
Keywords: event-related potentials; n-back; objective working memory; recovery sleep; sleep deprivation.