Psychomotor vigilance testing

Thome, D.R. et al., The Walter Reed Palm-held Psychomotor Vigilance Test, Sleep, 26(Suppl.), 182,... 

Wyatt JK, Dijk DJ, Ronda JM, Jewett ME, Powell JW, Dinges DF, Czeisler CA. Interaction of circadian- and sleep/wake homeostatic-processes modulate psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) performance. Sleep Res 1997 26 759. 

The MSLT has been performed in patients with UARS, and abnormal results have been reported, but the test is often borderline normal, equating well with the complaint of fatigue. No systematic study of cognitive function has been performed in UARS patients, and investigation of mental lapses using tests such as the psychomotor vigilance task (PVT), a reaction-time test, is also lacking. But reevaluation of subjects treated with nasal CPAP demonstrated that sleep efficiency and MSLT scores improve (28). 

A number of studies have been conducted examining the effects of sleep deprivation in medical trainees on performance on a variety of neuropsychological and neurobehavioral tests. Many of these studies have examined the impact of shortterm (on call) sleep loss on psychomotor function, sometimes in combination with simulated medical tasks. Reaction time, vigilance, and manual dexterity are among the parameters that have been shown to be negatively impacted by sleep loss in these studies, although these results are not universally found. For example, sleep deprivation in residents has also been associated with reduced per-... 

In summary, generally the speed or efficiency of neurocognitive and psychomotor task completion has been found to be more affected by restricted sleep than has the quality or accuracy of performance, although increased mental effort appears to mitigate these effects in the short term in some studies. Furthermore, studies that utilized tests that involve longer periods of sustained vigilance have been more likely to demonstrate adverse effects of sleep loss. 

The psychomotor and amnesic effects of single oral doses of lorazepam 2 mg were studied in 48 healthy subjects in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, parallel-group study (9). The effects were assessed by a battery of subjective and objective tests that explored mood and vigilance, attention, psychomotor performance, and memory. Vigilance, psychomotor performance, and free recall were significantly impaired by lorazepam. 

Measures chosen were comparable with those used in the other longitudinal studies being conducted The Bayley Scales of Infant Development (1969) were used to measure mental and psychomotor development at 6 months, 12 months and 24 months the Bayley Infant Behaviour Record and the Toddler Temperament Questionnaire (Fullard et al, 1978) to monitor behavioural problems. At 3 years the McCarthy Scales of Children s Abilities (1972) replaced the Bayley Scales, and this test was employed also at 4 years and, currently, at 5 years. At 5 years a special computer vigilance task is being employed to assess attention span and attain reaction time measures. (This task was written by Jacobson and Jacobson at Wayne State University, Detroit, USA.)... 

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