Neural Correlates of Self-regulation on Academic Functioning

Neural Correlates of the Associations Between Sleep Functioning, Self-regulation, Academic Functioning, and Problem Behaviors

The main objectives of the study include: 1. What are the differences in self-regulation and its neurophysiological and neuroanatomical correlates between college students with poor and excellent sleep functioning? 2. Does sleep functioning (assessed both by questionnaires and actigraphy), and self-control/self-regulation (questionnaire and imaging data) predict academic achievement and problem behaviors in college students?

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Self-Control
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Deception

Detailed Description

Based on the Self-Control Theory, individual differences in characteristics such as impulsivity, risk-seeking, and self-regulation consistently predict health-compromising and problem behaviors as well as academic functioning and success in adolescents and young adults.[1] Although suboptimal self-regulation is normative in adolescence and young adulthood, [2] it might result in negative consequences for adolescents' and young adults' health and well-being, including substance use, school/college dropout, or troubles with law. A recent line of research suggested that self-regulation problems are associated with insufficient and poor sleep.[3] As adolescents and young adults frequently report poor sleep functioning,[4] their self-regulation abilities might be further compromised by unfavorable sleep functioning with consequences for youths' problem behaviors and academic success. To mitigate this problem, some efforts have followed to ensure that adolescents get enough quality sleep (e.g., delayed school start times). However, the associations between sleep functioning, self-regulation, academic functioning, and problem behaviors were established predominantly using questionnaire data. Neurophysiological correlates of these associations have not been extensively studied. In the proposed study, this gap in scholarship will be addressed by linking sleep functioning to self-regulation indicated by neuropsychological and neuroanatomical data, and predicting academic achievement and problem behaviors with sleep and self-regulation. This explorative, pilot study is a first step in efforts to understand the issue; it will be carried out with a college student sample (N = 48, 50% female) which will also have implications for future research focused on adolescents (middle and high school students). Pilot data will inform the development of a larger study that will include adolescents (middle and high school students) and will support grant applications. Results will have a potential for prevention /intervention programs and policy targeting youth, such as school start times setting. This study will be carried out as a collaboration between the Department of Family Sciences at the University of Kentucky and the Department of Human Development and Family Studies at the Texas Tech University. Data will be collected following the same procedures described in this application both at the University of Kentucky and Texas Tech campuses. Research team at the Texas Tech University has submitted their own Institutional Review Board (IRB) application that is now being reviewed.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 30

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Kentucky
    • Lexington, Kentucky, United States, 40506
      • University Of Kentucky

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 24 years (Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The study sample will consist of 24 healthy college students (12 males and 12 females) between ages 18 - 24 years.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Healthy college-age youth between the ages of 18 and 24 years

Exclusion Criteria:

• Gross impairment of vision or hearing
• Inability to read and follow written instructions
• Physical, neurological, or concurrent psychiatric impairments
• Regular intake of psychotropic medication (such as methylphenidate used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), antidepressants, or anti-anxiety medication)
• A history of head injury that resulted in loss of consciousness/a history of brain surgery/or seizures
• A current/past history of smoking and/or alcohol or drug abuse (i.e., five or more drinks in one sitting or 15 drinks or more during a week for men, and four drinks on one occasion or eight drinks over the course of a week for women; additionally, regular drug use, including marijuana)
• Current pregnancy
• Any metallic objects in your body (such as braces, pacemakers, surgical devices, piercings that cannot be removed etc.) Enrollment of the subjects will start in May 2018 and will be finished by the end of December 2018.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Observational Models: Ecologic or Community
• Time Perspectives: Cross-Sectional

Number of groups / cohorts

2

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort	Intervention / Treatment
Rested; Based on Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, participants scoring in the top 10-20% will be assigned to the rested group and will experience deception as part of the delayed gratification task	Behavioral: Deception; Participants will be deceived during delayed gratification task.
Sleep-deprived; Based on Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, participants scoring in the bottom 10-20% will be assigned to the sleep-deprived group and will experience deception as part of the delayed gratification task	Behavioral: Deception; Participants will be deceived during delayed gratification task.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences of Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) Blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) responses for Stop Signal Reaction Time Task (SSRT) Stop Signals	Rested versus sleep deprived group differences of functional magnetic resonance imaging reactivity of the whole brain while performing a Stop Signal Reaction Time Task	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences of fMRI BOLD responses for a Go-NoGo Continuous Performance Task (CPT)	Rested versus sleep deprived group differences of functional magnetic resonance imaging reactivity of the whole brain while performing a Go-NoGo Continuous Performance Task	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences of brain structural connectivity	Rested versus sleep deprived group differences of brain structural connectivity as measured by diffusion tensor imaging and analyzed using tract-based spatial statistics	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences of brain structure	Rested versus sleep deprived group differences of brain structure as determined by voxel based morphometry of structural magnetic resonance imaging data	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in sleep time preferences	Morningness-eveningness Questionnaire	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in hours of sleep	Sleep quantity	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional studyUp to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in low self-control	Low Self-Control Scale (LSC); Low self-control scale (24 items) measures low self-control.; The total score ranges from 1 to 5.; Five subscales called impulsivity, simple tasks, risk seeking, physical activities, self-centered, and temper, each provide subscale score ranging from 1 to 5.; Higher values indicate higher lower self-control, in other words, worse outcomes.; A total score is developed by averaging all 24 items across all subscales. Subscale scores also represent the averaged responses to their corresponding items.	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in sensation seeking and impulsivity	Zuckerman Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking Scale; Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking Scale (19 items) measures impulsivity and sensation seeking.; Total score ranges from 0 to 19. Impulsivity (i.e., one of the two subscales) score ranges from 0 to 8 (8 items), whereas Sensation Seeking score ranges from 0 to 11 (11 items).; For total as well as for each subscale scores, higher values indicate more impulsivity and sensation seeking, respectively.; Total and subscale scores are computed by summing the responses (19, 11, and 8 items respectively).	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in internalizing behaviors	Weinberger Adjustment Inventory	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in deviance/externalizing subscales	Normative Deviance Scale, Short Form; Normative Deviance Scale-Short Form (21 items); the scale measures involvement in deviant and norm-violating behaviors.; Total scores range from 1 to 5. Seven subscale scores (i.e., vandalism, alcohol use, drug use, school misconduct, general deviance, theft, assault) each range from 1 to 5, 3 items each.; Higher scores indicate greater deviance (more frequent involvement), in other word, worse outcome.; A total score, as well as subscale scores, are computed by averaging responses of the corresponding items.	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in GPA/SAT/ACT Scores	Grade point average (GPA)/Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)/American College Test (ACT) Score	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Academic Dishonesty Scale	Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in school attitudes	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in academic concentration	Academic Concentration Measure	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in academic aspirations and expectations	Academic Expectations and Aspirations	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in school attitudes	School Attitudes Assessment Survey	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Test, Dimensional Change Card Sort Test, List Sorting Working Memory Test	NIH toolbox Cognition Battery	Up to 45 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in Flanker Inhibitory Control and Attention Test, Dimensional Change Card Sort Test, Picture Sequence Memory Test,	NIH toolbox Cognition Battery	Up to 30 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in commission errors in Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), , omission errors	Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART)	Up to 30 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study
Rested versus sleep deprived group differences in commission errors in a Go-NoGo CPT, omission errors	Go/NoGo continuous performance task (CPT)	Up to 30 days following selection for inclusion based on prescreen, cross-sectional study

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Alexander Vazsonyi
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Alexander T Vazsonyi, Ph.D., University Of Kentucky

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Gottfredson MR, Hirschi T. A general theory of crime. Stanford: Stanford University Press; 1990.
• Steinberg L, Albert D, Cauffman E, Banich M, Graham S, Woolard J. Age differences in sensation seeking and impulsivity as indexed by behavior and self-report: evidence for a dual systems model. Dev Psychol. 2008 Nov;44(6):1764-78. doi: 10.1037/a0012955.
• Owens JA, Dearth-Wesley T, Lewin D, Gioia G, Whitaker RC. Self-Regulation and Sleep Duration, Sleepiness, and Chronotype in Adolescents. Pediatrics. 2016 Dec;138(6):e20161406. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-1406. Epub 2016 Nov 3.
• Wheaton AG, Jones SE, Cooper AC, Croft JB. Short Sleep Duration Among Middle School and High School Students - United States, 2015. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2018 Jan 26;67(3):85-90. doi: 10.15585/mmwr.mm6703a1.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 11, 2018
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 31, 2019
• Study Completion (Actual): August 31, 2019

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: May 14, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: May 24, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): June 8, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): September 17, 2019
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 16, 2019
• Last Verified: September 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Sleep; Self-regulation; Problem behaviors; Academic functioning; College age youth
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Behavioral Symptoms; Problem Behavior
• Other Study ID Numbers: 44065

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: No
• IPD Plan Description: No plan at this time

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No