Psychobiological 24-hour patterns : theory, methods and summary of empirical studies

• The principal aim of this work was to study the characteristics of 24-hour patterns in various performance functions, in subjective wakefulness, and in physiological variables-their temporal interrelationships and correlation with individual habits. Human subjects were isolated in groups under controlled conditions, and were deprived of sleep for 72 hours. In these groups measures of several performances, subjective ratings of wakefulness, body temperature, and urinary catecholamine excretion were obtained at three-hour intervals. The results show significant 24-hour rhythmic patterns in adrenaline excretion, body temperature, self-rated wakefulness, and some of the performance measures. Further, there were consistent differences in the phasing of these patterns, such that adrenaline excretion peaked earlier than did body temperature, subjective wakefulness, and test performance. There were no significant differences in the phasing of 24-hour patterns between habitually morning-active subjects (”larks”) and evening-active subjects (”owls”). Ön the other hand, an interaction between ”morningness-eveningness” and type of task was evident, such that extremely morning-active subjects showed an almost inversed rhythm in a short-term-memory task. 

Subject headings

SAMHÄLLSVETENSKAP  -- Psykologi (hsv//swe)

SOCIAL SCIENCES  -- Psychology (hsv//eng)

Publication and Content Type

vet (subject category)

dok (subject category)