Title : The effects of sleep deprivation on memory recollection through visual and written representation
Abstract:
Sleep deprivation is a growing concern, especially among teenagers, as increased digital engagement continues to disrupt sleep patterns. While the negative effects of sleep loss on cognitive performance have been well-documented, the impact of sleep deprivation on different forms of memory recollection—specifically, written versus visual representations—remains underexplored. This study investigates whether sleep deprivation impairs memory recollection more significantly when information is presented in a written format compared to a visual format.
To examine this question, we conducted an experiment with 100 15-year-old female participants, divided into two main groups: sleep-deprived (4 hours of sleep per night for two nights) and non- sleep-deprived (8 hours of sleep per night for two nights). Within these groups, participants were further divided based on the mode of information presentation: written stories or silent visual films conveying the same content. Using fMRI, we tracked brain activation patterns during initial information processing and later during a reading comprehension test administered after a short delay.
Our findings suggest that sleep deprivation significantly weakens memory performance across both written and visual modalities. However, the impairment was more pronounced in the written condition, where sleep-deprived participants exhibited notably lower activation levels in brain regions associated with textual processing, such as the left fusiform gyrus and occipital lobe. In contrast, while memory recollection for visual information was also affected, the prefrontal and inferotemporal cortex activation showed a smaller disparity between sleep- deprived and non-sleep-deprived groups.
These results contribute to existing literature by emphasizing that memory recollection is influenced not only by age and gender but also by sleep quality. The findings hold implications for academic settings, suggesting that sleep deprivation may disproportionately hinder students' ability to retain written information compared to visual content. Limitations include potential inconsistencies in actual sleep duration among participants and uncontrolled external factors affecting memory retention. Future research may explore additional cognitive and environmental factors that influence memory performance across different media formats.
This study highlights the importance of adequate sleep for effective memory processing, particularly in educational contexts where written comprehension plays a fundamental role.
