Variability of the averaged evoked potentials in healthy subjects after 24-hour sleep deprivation.

Variability of the averaged evoked visual potentials in healthy subjects after 24-hour sleep deprivation. Acta Physiol. Pol., 1977, 28 (1): 61-69. The authors evaluated the effects of 24-hour sleep deprivation on visual evoked potentials in 20 pilots aged 20 to 40 years, clinically healthy and with normal bioelectric cerebral activity. A slight reduction in the latency time of components was observed, mainly in the non-specific part of the visual evoked potentials, and a rise in the P3-N4 amplitude. An analysis of the duration of potential components suggests that sleep deprivation causes disturbances in the equilibrium between the processes of excitation and inhibition from non-specific structures (with increased excitation). All parameters assessed may evidence increased excitation of the central nervous system after activation with insomnia + light flashes, and may be useful for extending the diagnostic possibilities in cases of borderline pathological changes in cerebral bioelectric activity.