Sleep deprivation in rats produces attentional impairments on a 5-choice serial reaction time task.

Study Objectives: To develop a rodent model of the attentional dysfunction caused by sleep loss.

Design: The attentional performance of rats was assessed after 4, 7, and 10 hours of total sleep deprivation on a 5-choice serial reaction time task, in which rats detect and respond to brief visual stimuli.

Setting: The rats were housed, sleep deprived, and behaviorally tested in a controlled laboratory setting.