Concussions May Stunt Recovery from Sleep Deprivation

People who have suffered traumatic brain injury had slower reaction times and more false starts after disrupted sleep than healthy controls, according to a study presented at the Society for Neuroscience meeting.

Written byJef Akst

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Neurobiologist Allison Brager knows the effects of sleep deprivation first hand. When the Army officer and chief of the Sleep Research Center at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research traveled to Kuwait earlier this year to monitor sleep habits among soldiers, she stayed awake for 45 hours straight as she traveled with a unit engaged in a marksmanship exercise. “When we came off the range in the morning and traveled back to the base, I felt shaky,” she tells The Scientist. “Physiologically, I didn’t feel right.”

But these are the conditions soldiers deal with repeatedly throughout their careers. In addition to sleep deprivation, combat personnel are at high risk of traumatic brain injury, either as a result of explosive devices or from the kickback on shoulder-mounted munitions, Brager explained today (November 5) at a press conference at the annual Society for Neuroscience conference in San ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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