ReviewFrontiers in neuroscience2025
The effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive flexibility: a scoping review of outcomes and biological mechanisms.
Review in Frontiers in neuroscience, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Sleep deprivation and memory: A neurobiological perspective.IBRO neuroscience reports · 2026Article
- Effect of horse sleep behavior on performance in a field-side spatial reversal learning test.Scientific reports · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Sleep is vital for physical and mental health, yet sleep deprivation is a widespread issue that may impair cognitive flexibility, leading to rigid thinking and slower decision-making. This scoping review synthesizes evidence on the impact of sleep deprivation or sleep loss on cognitive flexibility. Objective: To provide a comprehensive understanding of the complex and multifaceted effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive flexibility. Methods: We searched PubMed, Web of Science, ClinicalKey, Cochrane, Scopus, SinoMed, and CNKI for studies evaluating the effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive flexibility. Two researchers independently screened and extracted data, assessing study quality using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT). Results: Among the 410 retrieved articles, 6 randomized controlled trials and 11 non-randomized studies were included, focusing on the impact of sleep deprivation on cognitive flexibility across children, adolescents, college students, clinicians, athletes, and other adults. Eight studies found that sleep deprivation reduces cognitive flexibility, six reported no significant impact, and two noted temporary improvements due to physical stress. One study highlighted that being overweight exacerbates the negative effects of sleep deprivation on cognitive flexibility. Conclusions: Sleep deprivation may predominantly impair accuracy rather than reaction time. Total sleep deprivation consistently reduces task-switching accuracy and cognitive flexibility, whereas partial sleep deprivation's effects remain unclear. The primary biological mechanisms involve decreased cerebral oxygen supply, impaired cerebrovascular reactivity, and alterations in gene expression and hormone levels. Rigorous randomized trials with objective measures are needed to assess long-term impacts across populations and age groups.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What Socratic holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.