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Final Program


Final Congress Guide

Clinical Sciences/Health Conditions

300 Section - Effect of Occupational Sleep Deprivation on Cognitive Function in Night-Shift Nurses: A Multimodal functional near-infrared spectroscopy Study Based on Task-Activation and Resting-State Networks

Wednesday, May 20, 2026
6:00 PM - 7:30 PM PT

    Presenting Author/Autor expositor(s)

  • JF

    Jia Fu, MS

    physical therapist
    the First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China
    Heng Yang, Hunan, China (People's Republic)

    • Co-Author/Coautor(s)

  • CL

    Changhao Le, MS

    physical therapist
    the first affiliated hospital of university ofsouth china
    Hengyang City, Hunan, China (People's Republic)

  • YZ

    Yahua Zeng, MS

    Deputy Chief Nurse
    the First Affiliated Hospital of University of South China
    Heng Yang, Hunan, China (People's Republic)

    • Corresponding Author/Autor a quien dirigir la corr(s)

  • JZ

    Jun Zhou, PhD

    head of department
    Rehabilitation department
    Hengyang City, Hunan, China (People's Republic)

    • Co-Author/Coautor(s)

  • MQ

    Mengjian Qu, MS

    Chief therapist
    Rehabilitation department
    Hengyang City, Hunan, China (People's Republic)

Objectives : Shift work imposes chronic sleep deprivation and circadian misalignment on nurses, potentially impairing core cognitive functions critical for clinical decision-making. This study aimed to quantify the neural impact of occupational sleep deprivation on core cognitive functions (attention, working memory, executive control) in night-shift nurses using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), addressing the gap in neuroimaging research on occupational cognitive deficits among Chinese healthcare workers.

Design: Using a matched-group design, 30 participants were recruited: 15 night-shift nurses (tested post-shift) and 15 daytime healthcare controls. Both groups completed cognitive tasks—Attention (PVT, Cancellation Test), Working Memory (2-back, Digit Span), and Executive Function (Stroop, DSST)—while fNIRS recorded oxygenated hemoglobin (HbO) from prefrontal, motor, and occipital regions.

Results:

fNIRS Neural Mechanisms: During attention tasks, night-shift nurses exhibited compensatory increased activation in the left occipital lobe but significantly reduced activation in multiple prefrontal regions (vlPFC, dlPFC) and the left motor area. Executive tasks revealed significantly lower activation in the right dlPFC. Resting-state analysis demonstrated significantly decreased functional connectivity between the left dlPFC and bilateral motor areas, alongside widespread reduced prefrontal intra-connectivity.

Behavioral Performance: Night-shift nurses showed significantly impaired performance, including prolonged PVT reaction times, decreased accuracy on the 2-back and Stroop tasks, and impaired Digit Span, indicating cognitive decline across attention, working memory, and executive domains.

Conclusion: Occupational sleep deprivation in nurses leads to cognitive decline, associated with prefrontal functional inhibition and network disconnection, centered on the left dlPFC. Compensatory occipital activation maintains basic alertness but not complex cognition. Optimizing shift schedules and developing cognitive protection strategies are essential to mitigate clinical decision-making risks.