The Role of Naps and Overnight Sleep on Cognitive Learning in Preschoolers

Not Applicable

• Conditions: Sleep
• Interventions: Behavioral: Nap/wake conditions on memory; Behavioral: Nap/wake conditions on overnight physiology

• Registration Number: NCT04758663
• Lead Sponsor: University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Brief Summary

The goal of this research is to understand the role of sleep on memory function in early childhood. Specifically, we seek to examine how promoted naps vs. promoted waking in habitual and non-habitual napping children may impact overnight sleep physiology and subsequent memory consolidation.

Detailed Description

With time spent awake, sleepiness increases (i.e., sleep pressure; Borbely, 1982). In young adults, naps following sleep deprivation have significantly elevated slow wave activity (SWA; 1-4 Hz) relative to naps following normal overnight sleep (Werth et al., 1996). Similarly in preschool children, overnight sleep following nap deprivation yields significantly greater SWS relative to when a nap was taken earlier in the day (Lassonde et al., 2016). This impact on subsequent sleep physiology suggests that naps may be an extension of overnight sleep. How napping status (i.e., habitual and non-habitual napping) impacts overnight sleep physiology and subsequent memory consolidation is unknown. Thus, this study aims to investigate how napping vs. staying awake in habitual and non-habitual napping children may impact overnight sleep physiology and subsequent memory consolidation.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2021-02-12
• Study First Submitted QC: 2021-02-12
• Study First Posted: 2021-02-17
• Study Start: 2021-04-12
• Status Verified: 2021-05
• Last Update Submitted: 2021-05-12
• Last Update Posted: 2021-05-13
• Primary Completion: 2022-06-30
• Study Completion: 2023-06-30

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: UNKNOWN
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 40

Inclusion Criteria

• Family lives within 30 miles of UMass Amherst
• Is 33-71 months at the time of enrollment
• Meets the definition of a habitual (5+ naps/week) or non-habitual (<2 naps/week) napper
• Normal or corrected-to-normal vision and hearing
• Access to a computer with an internet connection for online sessions with the research team.

Exclusion Criteria

• Diagnosis of any sleep disorder (other than mild parasomnia which is routine at this age) past or present
• Current use of psychotropic or sleep-altering medications
• Traveling beyond 1 time zone within 1 month of participation
• Fever or symptoms of respiratory illness at the time of participation
• Diagnosed developmental disability

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Declarative memory	Nap/wake conditions on memory	Napping v. wake effect on declarative memory in habitual and non-habitual nappers.
Overnight Physiology	Nap/wake conditions on overnight physiology	Napping v. wake effect on overnight physiology in habitual and non-habitual nappers.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Overnight sleep physiology	9-11 hours of sleep overnight	Amount of slow wave activity and other non-REM sleep features in overnight sleep following a day where a nap was involved compared to when there was no nap earlier in the day.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Change in memory accuracy	2-3 hours/24 hours	Accuracy on the memory task following the nap compared to before the nap relative to the same memory change measured over an interval spent awake. Further, accuracy on the memory task 24hrs later compared to before the nap/wake interval.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

University of Massachusetts; 🇺🇸 Amherst, Massachusetts, United States