Combined Effects of Moderate Hypoxia and Sleep Restriction on Mental Workload

Aircraft pilots face a high mental workload (MW) under environmental constraints induced by high altitude and sometimes sleep restriction (SR). Our aim was to assess the combined effects of hypoxia and sleep restriction on cognitive and physiological responses to different MW levels using the Multi-...

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Main Authors: Anaïs Pontiggia, Pierre Fabries, Vincent Beauchamps, Michael Quiquempoix, Olivier Nespoulous, Clémentine Jacques, Mathias Guillard, Pascal Van Beers, Haïk Ayounts, Nathalie Koulmann, Danielle Gomez-Merino, Mounir Chennaoui, Fabien Sauvet
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-07-01
Series:Clocks & Sleep
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/6/3/24
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author Anaïs Pontiggia
Pierre Fabries
Vincent Beauchamps
Michael Quiquempoix
Olivier Nespoulous
Clémentine Jacques
Mathias Guillard
Pascal Van Beers
Haïk Ayounts
Nathalie Koulmann
Danielle Gomez-Merino
Mounir Chennaoui
Fabien Sauvet
author_facet Anaïs Pontiggia
Pierre Fabries
Vincent Beauchamps
Michael Quiquempoix
Olivier Nespoulous
Clémentine Jacques
Mathias Guillard
Pascal Van Beers
Haïk Ayounts
Nathalie Koulmann
Danielle Gomez-Merino
Mounir Chennaoui
Fabien Sauvet
author_sort Anaïs Pontiggia
collection DOAJ
description Aircraft pilots face a high mental workload (MW) under environmental constraints induced by high altitude and sometimes sleep restriction (SR). Our aim was to assess the combined effects of hypoxia and sleep restriction on cognitive and physiological responses to different MW levels using the Multi-Attribute Test Battery (MATB)-II with an additional auditory Oddball-like task. Seventeen healthy subjects were subjected in random order to three 12-min periods of increased MW level (low, medium, and high): sleep restriction (SR, <3 h of total sleep time (TST)) vs. habitual sleep (HS, >6 h TST), hypoxia (HY, 2 h, F<sub>I</sub>O<sub>2</sub> = 13.6%, ~3500 m vs. normoxia, NO, F<sub>I</sub>O<sub>2</sub> = 21%). Following each MW level, participants completed the NASA-TLX subjective MW scale. Increasing MW decreases performance on the MATB-II Tracking task (<i>p</i> = 0.001, MW difficulty main effect) and increases NASA-TLX (<i>p</i> = 0.001). In the combined HY/SR condition, MATB-II performance was lower, and the NASA-TLX score was higher compared with the NO/HS condition, while no effect of hypoxia alone was observed. In the accuracy of the auditory task, there is a significant interaction between hypoxia and MW difficulty (F<sub>(2–176)</sub> = 3.14, <i>p</i> = 0.04), with lower values at high MW under hypoxic conditions. Breathing rate, pupil size, and amplitude of pupil dilation response (PDR) to auditory stimuli are associated with increased MW. These parameters are the best predictors of increased MW, independently of physiological constraints. Adding ECG, SpO<sub>2</sub>, or electrodermal conductance does not improve model performance. In conclusion, hypoxia and sleep restriction have an additive effect on MW. Physiological and electrophysiological responses must be taken into account when designing a MW predictive model and cross-validation.
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spelling doaj-art-f8146f4aa01241ef93e2cdee93db040a2025-08-20T01:55:28ZengMDPI AGClocks & Sleep2624-51752024-07-016333835810.3390/clockssleep6030024Combined Effects of Moderate Hypoxia and Sleep Restriction on Mental WorkloadAnaïs Pontiggia0Pierre Fabries1Vincent Beauchamps2Michael Quiquempoix3Olivier Nespoulous4Clémentine Jacques5Mathias Guillard6Pascal Van Beers7Haïk Ayounts8Nathalie Koulmann9Danielle Gomez-Merino10Mounir Chennaoui11Fabien Sauvet12Armed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA), 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceArmed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA), 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceArmed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA), 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceArmed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA), 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceArmed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA), 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceURP 7330 VIFASOM, Université Paris Cité, 75004 Paris, FranceArmed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA), 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceArmed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA), 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceArmed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA), 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceÉcole du Val-de-Grâce (EVDG), 75005 Paris, FranceArmed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA), 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceArmed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA), 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceArmed Forces Biomedical Research Institute (IRBA), 91220 Brétigny-sur-Orge, FranceAircraft pilots face a high mental workload (MW) under environmental constraints induced by high altitude and sometimes sleep restriction (SR). Our aim was to assess the combined effects of hypoxia and sleep restriction on cognitive and physiological responses to different MW levels using the Multi-Attribute Test Battery (MATB)-II with an additional auditory Oddball-like task. Seventeen healthy subjects were subjected in random order to three 12-min periods of increased MW level (low, medium, and high): sleep restriction (SR, <3 h of total sleep time (TST)) vs. habitual sleep (HS, >6 h TST), hypoxia (HY, 2 h, F<sub>I</sub>O<sub>2</sub> = 13.6%, ~3500 m vs. normoxia, NO, F<sub>I</sub>O<sub>2</sub> = 21%). Following each MW level, participants completed the NASA-TLX subjective MW scale. Increasing MW decreases performance on the MATB-II Tracking task (<i>p</i> = 0.001, MW difficulty main effect) and increases NASA-TLX (<i>p</i> = 0.001). In the combined HY/SR condition, MATB-II performance was lower, and the NASA-TLX score was higher compared with the NO/HS condition, while no effect of hypoxia alone was observed. In the accuracy of the auditory task, there is a significant interaction between hypoxia and MW difficulty (F<sub>(2–176)</sub> = 3.14, <i>p</i> = 0.04), with lower values at high MW under hypoxic conditions. Breathing rate, pupil size, and amplitude of pupil dilation response (PDR) to auditory stimuli are associated with increased MW. These parameters are the best predictors of increased MW, independently of physiological constraints. Adding ECG, SpO<sub>2</sub>, or electrodermal conductance does not improve model performance. In conclusion, hypoxia and sleep restriction have an additive effect on MW. Physiological and electrophysiological responses must be taken into account when designing a MW predictive model and cross-validation.https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/6/3/24hypoxiasleep restrictionMATB-IIauditory oddballECGeye tracking
spellingShingle Anaïs Pontiggia
Pierre Fabries
Vincent Beauchamps
Michael Quiquempoix
Olivier Nespoulous
Clémentine Jacques
Mathias Guillard
Pascal Van Beers
Haïk Ayounts
Nathalie Koulmann
Danielle Gomez-Merino
Mounir Chennaoui
Fabien Sauvet
Combined Effects of Moderate Hypoxia and Sleep Restriction on Mental Workload
Clocks & Sleep
hypoxia
sleep restriction
MATB-II
auditory oddball
ECG
eye tracking
title Combined Effects of Moderate Hypoxia and Sleep Restriction on Mental Workload
title_full Combined Effects of Moderate Hypoxia and Sleep Restriction on Mental Workload
title_fullStr Combined Effects of Moderate Hypoxia and Sleep Restriction on Mental Workload
title_full_unstemmed Combined Effects of Moderate Hypoxia and Sleep Restriction on Mental Workload
title_short Combined Effects of Moderate Hypoxia and Sleep Restriction on Mental Workload
title_sort combined effects of moderate hypoxia and sleep restriction on mental workload
topic hypoxia
sleep restriction
MATB-II
auditory oddball
ECG
eye tracking
url https://www.mdpi.com/2624-5175/6/3/24
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