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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2024 May 1;14(1):10029.
doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-60223-2.

Effects of sleep deprivation on food-related Pavlovian-instrumental transfer: a randomized crossover experiment

Wai Sze Chan  1
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Effects of sleep deprivation on food-related Pavlovian-instrumental transfer: a randomized crossover experiment

Wai Sze Chan. Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Recent research suggests that insufficient sleep elevates the risk of obesity. Although the mechanisms underlying the relationship between insufficient sleep and obesity are not fully understood, preliminary evidence suggests that insufficient sleep may intensify habitual control of behavior, leading to greater cue-elicited food-seeking behavior that is insensitive to satiation. The present study tested this hypothesis using a within-individual, randomized, crossover experiment. Ninety-six adults underwent a one-night normal sleep duration (NSD) condition and a one-night total sleep deprivation (TSD) condition. They also completed the Pavlovian-instrumental transfer paradigm in which their instrumental responses for food in the presence and absence of conditioned cues were recorded. The sleep × cue × satiation interaction was significant, indicating that the enhancing effect of conditioned cues on food-seeking responses significantly differed across sleep × satiation conditions. However, this effect was observed in NSD but not TSD, and it disappeared after satiation. This finding contradicted the hypothesis but aligned with previous literature on the effect of sleep disruption on appetitive conditioning in animals-sleep disruption following learning impaired the expression of appetitive behavior. The present finding is the first evidence for the role of sleep in Pavlovian-instrumental transfer effects. Future research is needed to further disentangle how sleep influences motivational mechanisms underlying eating.

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Conflict of interest statement

The author declares no competing interests.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Percentage of Responding for the Signaled Hyperpalatable Food Before and After Satiation (Combined Sleep Conditions). Note. CS- = no cue. CS-same = cue predicting the reward associated with the key. CS-different = cue predicting reward associated with the other key. CS-no-reward = cue predicting the absence of reward. The box area covers the middle 50% of the data values. The upper whisker covers the top 25% of the data values and the lower whisker covers the bottom 25% of the data values. The values displayed in the boxes indicate the mean values. The satiation × cue 2-way interaction is significant, showing that the effect of cue is significant only before satiation. Significant post-hoc comparisons are indicated along with the mean difference and the 95% confidence interval. *Bonferroni-corrected p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Rate of Responding for Hyperpalatable Food by Sleep and Satiation Conditions. Note. TSD, total sleep deprivation. NSD, normal sleep duration. The box area covers the middle 50% of the data values. CS- = no cue. CS-same = cue predicting the reward associated with the key. CS-different = cue predicting reward associated with the other key. CS-no-reward = cue predicting the absence of reward. The upper whisker covers the top 25% of the data values and the lower whisker covers the bottom 25% of the data values. The values displayed in the boxes indicate the mean values. The sleep × cue × satiation interaction effect is significant. Significant post-hoc comparisons are indicated along with the mean difference and the 95% confidence interval. *Bonferroni-corrected p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Cue × Satiation Interaction Effect on the Rate of Responding for Non-Hyperpalatable Food. Note. CS- = no cue. CS-same = cue predicting the reward associated with the key. CS-no-reward = cue predicting the absence of reward. CS-different = cue predicting reward associated with the other key. The box area covers the middle 50% of the data values. The upper whisker covers the top 25% of the data values and the lower whisker covers the bottom 25% of the data values. The values displayed in the boxes indicate the mean values. Significant post-hoc comparisons are indicated along with the mean difference and the 95% confidence interval. *Bonferroni-corrected p < 0.05; ** p < 0.01; *** p < 0.001.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Main effects of satiation and cue on response vigor. Note. CS- = no cue. CS-O3 = cue predicting another reward (hyperpalatable). CS-O4 = cue predicting another reward (non-hyperpalatable). CS-no-reward = cue predicting the absence of reward. Panel A indicates the main effect of satiation. Panel B indicates the main effect of Cue. The box area covers the middle 50% of the data values. The upper whisker covers the top 25% of the data values and the lower whisker covers the bottom 25% of the data values. The values displayed in the boxes indicate the mean values. Significant post-hoc comparisons are indicated along with the mean difference and the 95% confidence interval. *Bonferroni-corrected p < 0.05; *** p < 0.001.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Experimental Procedures. Note. PIT—Pavlovian-instrumental transfer paradigm. 3B—3-back working memory test. GNG—Go no go test. DD—delay discounting task. The sequence of the two conditions was randomized.
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