Neural indicators of sleep loss and sleep propensity in male military trainees: insights from dry-electrode EEG - an exploratory study

Morrone, J., Coakley, S. L., Blacker, S. D., Myers, S. D., Hough, P., Vine, C., Maroni, T. D., Stanley, N., Halson, S., Siddall, A. G., Patterson, S., Jones, M., Chillingsworth, K. and Pedlar, C. R. (2025) Neural indicators of sleep loss and sleep propensity in male military trainees: insights from dry-electrode EEG - an exploratory study. Physiological Reports, 13 (7). pp. 1-35. ISSN 2051-817X

[thumbnail of Morrone, J, et al (2025). Neural indicators of sleep loss and sleep propensity in male military trainees: Insights from dry-electrode EEG. Physiological Reports, 13, e70301, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70301].] Text (Morrone, J, et al (2025). Neural indicators of sleep loss and sleep propensity in male military trainees: Insights from dry-electrode EEG. Physiological Reports, 13, e70301, which has been published in final form at https://doi.org/10.14814/phy2.70301].)
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Abstract

This study examined the impact of reduced sleep on electroencephalogram (EEG) activity during cognitive tasks in Military Clearance Diver trainees using a novel dry-electrode EEG system. Seven male participants underwent two 5-day periods: a baseline and a ‘live-in’ phase with increased workload and reduced sleep (5.4 ± 0.1 vs. 7.4 ± 0.7 hours). EEG was recorded daily in the early morning (AM) and late afternoon (PM) during a Psychomotor Vigilance Test (PVT), two oculography tests (AM: n = 4; PM: n = 3), and two minutes of eyes-closed rest. Significant increases in theta (t(29) = 2.308, p = 0.028, d = 0.421) and alpha (t(29) = 2.124, p = 0.042, d = 0.388) power spectrum densities were observed in the ‘live-in’ phase during the PVT. These findings align with increased lower frequency activity over time awake, reflecting heightened sleep propensity. Sleep loss was further confirmed by declining Odds Ratio Product (ORP) values. This study demonstrates the feasibility of dry-electrode EEG in detecting fatigue-related neural changes and highlights the potential of ORP as a quantifiable fatigue marker. These insights may inform operational settings, such as military diver performance monitoring and fatigue management strategies.

Publication Type: Articles
Additional Information: © 2025 The Author(s). This research project was funded by Ministry of Defence (UK) and managed by Defence Science Technology Laboratory (Dstl); it was contracted through the Human Social Science Research Capability (HSSRC).
Uncontrolled Keywords: fatigue, dry-electrode, psychomotor vigilance tsk, oculography, Odds Ratio Product
Subjects: Q Science > QP Physiology
R Medicine > RE Ophthalmology
U Military Science > U Military Science (General)
Divisions: Academic Areas > Institute of Sport > Area > Exercise Physiology
Academic Areas > Institute of Sport > Research Theme > Occupational Performance
Research Entities > Centre for Health and Allied Sport and Exercise Science Research (CHASER)
Related URLs:
Depositing User: Christopher Vine
Date Deposited: 24 Mar 2025 11:38
Last Modified: 31 Mar 2025 10:40
URI: https://eprints.chi.ac.uk/id/eprint/8026

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