Cognitive impairments by alcohol and sleep deprivation indicate trait characteristics and a potential role for adenosine A ₁ receptors

Abstract

Significance Modern work environments favor working around the clock, at the cost of insufficient sleep and increased risk for fatigue-related human error. Performance impairments caused by sleep loss show great variability among individuals and resemble the effects of ethanol intoxication. We found that there are individual trait characteristics that make individuals either vulnerable or resilient to both alcohol and to sleep deprivation. We also provide evidence by molecular brain imaging that ethanol induces an up-regulation of cerebral A 1 adenosine receptors, reminiscent of the effects of sleep deprivation. Targeting the brain’s adenosine system might help to identify countermeasures for fatigue- and alcohol-related human error.