The Effects of Sleep on Attention and Language

A special issue of Brain Sciences (ISSN 2076-3425). This special issue belongs to the section "Behavioral Neuroscience".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 January 2022) | Viewed by 14919

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Psychology, Northumbria University, Newcastle NE1 8ST, UK
Interests: psycholinguistics; language

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Guest Editor
Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology, Russian Academy of Science, 117485 Moscow, Russia
Interests: memory; sleep

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Everybody knows that insufficient sleep can ruin our day. Scientific findings confirm the essential role of sleep in memory consolidation and other related cognitive functions. Importantly, sleep impairment is the most frequent collateral syndrome of neurological and psychiatric disorders. Sleep deprivation affects not only body physiology but also diminishes the brain’s ability to maintain directed attention resulting in poor cognitive performance. However, existing evidence is inconsistent and may be accounted for by individual differences in chronotype, cognitive and neuroendocrinology profiles and even time-of-day chosen for behavioral testing. Whilst we know that sleep is essential for learning and memory, we know little about how sleep affects language learning.

This Special Issue aims to cover a wide scope of multidisciplinary research on the effects of sleep on language learning and attention. In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but not limited to) the following impacts on language and attention: sleep deprivation, sleep disorders, chronotype, spontaneous and targeted memory reactivation during sleep.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Dr. Andriy Myachykov
Dr. Olga Martynova
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • sleep
  • sleep deprivation
  • sleep disorders
  • chronotype
  • language
  • attention
  • memory
  • learning

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 323 KiB  
Article
Does Where You Live Predict What You Say? Associations between Neighborhood Factors, Child Sleep, and Language Development
by Queenie K. W. Li, Anna L. MacKinnon, Suzanne Tough, Susan Graham and Lianne Tomfohr-Madsen
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(2), 223; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12020223 - 6 Feb 2022
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2648
Abstract
Language ability is strongly related to important child developmental outcomes. Family-level socioeconomic status influences child language ability; it is unclear if, and through which mechanisms, neighborhood-level factors impact child language. The current study investigated the association between neighborhood factors (deprivation and disorder) assessed [...] Read more.
Language ability is strongly related to important child developmental outcomes. Family-level socioeconomic status influences child language ability; it is unclear if, and through which mechanisms, neighborhood-level factors impact child language. The current study investigated the association between neighborhood factors (deprivation and disorder) assessed before birth and child language outcomes at age 5, with sleep duration as a potential underlying pathway. Secondary analysis was conducted on data collected between 2008 and 2018 on a subsample of 2444 participants from the All Our Families cohort study (Calgary, Canada) for whom neighborhood information from pregnancy could be geocoded. Neighborhood deprivation was determined using the Vancouver Area Neighborhood Deprivation Index (VANDIX), and disorder was assessed using crime reports. Mothers reported on their children’s sleep duration and language ability. Multilevel modeling indicated that greater neighborhood deprivation and disorder during pregnancy were predictive of lower scores on the Child Communication Checklist–2 (CCC–2) at 5 years. Path analyses revealed an indirect effect of neighborhood disorder on language through child sleep duration at 12 months. These results add to growing evidence that child development should be considered within the context of multiple systems. Sleep duration as an underlying link between environmental factors and child language ability warrants further study as a potential target for intervention. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Sleep on Attention and Language)
19 pages, 1158 KiB  
Article
Prior Exposure and Toddlers’ Sleep-Related Memory for Novel Words
by Emma L. Axelsson, Jaclyn Swinton, Isabel Y. Jiang, Emma V. Parker and Jessica S. Horst
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(10), 1366; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11101366 - 18 Oct 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 3336
Abstract
Children can easily link a novel word to a novel, unnamed object—something referred to as fast mapping. Despite the ease and speed with which children do this, their memories for novel fast-mapped words can be poor unless they receive memory supports such as [...] Read more.
Children can easily link a novel word to a novel, unnamed object—something referred to as fast mapping. Despite the ease and speed with which children do this, their memories for novel fast-mapped words can be poor unless they receive memory supports such as further exposure to the words or sleep. Axelsson, Swinton, Winiger, and Horst (2018) found that 2.5-year-old children who napped after fast mapping had better retention of novel words than children who did not nap. Retention declined for those who did not nap. The children received no memory supports and determined the word-object mappings independently. Previous studies report enhanced memories after sleeping in children and adults, but the napping children’s retention in the Axelsson et al. study remained steady across time. We report a follow-up investigation where memory supports are provided after fast mapping to test whether memories would be enhanced following napping. Children’s retention of novel words improved and remained greater than chance; however, there was no nap effect with no significant difference between the children who napped and those who did not. These findings suggest that when memory supports are provided, retention improves, and the word–object mappings remain stable over time. When memory traces are weak and labile, such as after fast mapping, without further memory supports, sleeping soon after helps stabilise and prevent decay of word–object mappings. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Sleep on Attention and Language)
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14 pages, 1445 KiB  
Article
The Role of Sleep in Retention of New Words in Habitually and Non-Habitually Napping Children
by Katherine Esterline and Rebecca L. Gómez
Brain Sci. 2021, 11(10), 1320; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci11101320 - 5 Oct 2021
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 3836
Abstract
Daytime napping contributes to retention of new word learning in children. Importantly, children transition out of regular napping between ages 3–5 years, and the impact of this transition on memory is unclear. Here, we examined the performance of both non-habitually napping children (nap [...] Read more.
Daytime napping contributes to retention of new word learning in children. Importantly, children transition out of regular napping between ages 3–5 years, and the impact of this transition on memory is unclear. Here, we examined the performance of both non-habitually napping children (nap 0–3 days per week, n = 28) and habitually napping children (nap 4–7 days per week, n = 30) on a word learning task after a delay including either sleep or wakefulness. Children ages 3.5–4.5 years old experienced a brief exposure to two novel labels and their referents during training, a scenario that replicates learning experiences children encounter every day. After a 4-h delay, children were tested on the object-label associations. Using mixed effects logistic regression, we compared retention performance. Non-habitual nappers and habitual nappers displayed a different pattern of retention such that non-habitually napping children did equally well on a test of retention regardless of whether they napped or stayed awake during the delay. In contrast, habitually napping children needed a nap after learning to retain the novel object-label associations 4 h later. As a group, habitual nappers who remained awake after learning performed no better than chance on the retention test. As children transition out of naps, they may be less susceptible to interference and are better able to retain newly learned words across a delay including wakefulness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Sleep on Attention and Language)
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Review

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14 pages, 510 KiB  
Review
Effects of CPAP on Language Recovery in Post-Stroke Aphasia: A Review of Recent Literature
by Eve Mercer, Eleanor Sherfey, Candice Ogbu and Ellyn A. Riley
Brain Sci. 2022, 12(3), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/brainsci12030379 - 12 Mar 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 3362
Abstract
Obstructive sleep apnea is highly prevalent in the post-stroke population, and has been shown to affect cognitive, neurological, and functional status. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment is one of the most effective interventions for obstructive sleep apnea, but compliance is often low [...] Read more.
Obstructive sleep apnea is highly prevalent in the post-stroke population, and has been shown to affect cognitive, neurological, and functional status. Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) treatment is one of the most effective interventions for obstructive sleep apnea, but compliance is often low due to confounding effects of co-occurring conditions, side effects of treatment titration procedures, and individual patient personality characteristics, perceptions, and social factors. Current research suggests that CPAP treatment for obstructive sleep apnea is not associated with significant risk and can subsequently improve post-stroke motor and neurocognitive function. However, effects of CPAP treatment on post-stroke speech and language recovery remain unclear. Post-stroke communication disorders (e.g., aphasia, dysarthria, and apraxia) are also highly prevalent in this population. Knowledge of the potential positive impact of CPAP on language recovery could contribute to patients’ motivation to comply with CPAP treatment and provide incentive for speech-language pathologists to refer patients to sleep medicine specialists. In this review of the literature, we examine the question of what effect CPAP treatment may have on post-stroke speech and language function and recovery, as well as summarize the current knowledge on cognitive, neurological, and functional effects. While this review of the literature found CPAP to have varying effects on different cognitive domains, there was not sufficient evidence to determine effects on language recovery. Further research is necessary to determine the potential effects of CPAP treatment on speech and language recovery among stroke patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Effects of Sleep on Attention and Language)
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