Good night, sleep tight : performance and EEG measures in primary insomnia patients and during sleep deprivation in health volunteers

Real driving investigations in conditions of sleep deprivation are scarce and little is known about the effects of sleep deprivation on cortical brain activity (that can partly explain behavior) during real driving. As to insomnia; its relationship with daytime performance decrements is still unclear as well its effects on cortical brain activity. This dissertation aimed to identify the daytime performance deficits and cortical brain activity modifications associated with sleep deprivation and insomnia, particularly during real driving. It shows a cumulative effect of sleep deprivation and task duration effects on real driving performance. This can be dangerous for traffic safety. The results also revealed that insomnia induces behavioral deficits on driving performance at least using driving simulator settings. Finally, the research demonstrates specific changes of brain activity during driving and during sleep in this population compared to good sleepers.