Quantitative EEG Changes Under Continuous Wakefulness and with Fatigue Countermeasures: Implications for Sustaining Aviator Performance

摘要

Sleep management, naps, and pharmacological countermeasures may be combined to assist operators requiring around the clock tasks. We used QEEG methodologies to elucidate the CNS effects of stimulants (caffeine, modafinil, and dextroamphetamine) combined with sleep deprivation. Thirty-two UH-60 pilots were tested during 87 hours of continuous wakefulness using frequency analysis to quantify eight EEG channels for up to 20 frequency bands. Data were analyzed using brain mapping techniques and repeated measure analysis of variance. After 50 hours awake, all groups showed the sleep deprivation effects: increases in slow-waves and decreases in alpha activity. Caffeine and modafinil groups appeared to have the greatest degree of effect, producing delays on the electrophysiological deterioration for up to 46 hours into the sleep deprivation cycle. Additional analysis of these data could systematically correlate cognitive tasks and QEEG data for each pharmacologic intervention.