Understanding how sleep loss affects children's attention and impulsivity
Official title: Brain-behavior vulnerability to sleep loss in children: a dimensional study of attention and impulsivity
Funded at Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital · NIH-11184219 · Data updated 2026-11-12
This project wants to understand how not getting enough sleep affects the brains and behaviors of children, especially their attention and ability to control impulses.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Riverside, UNITED STATES) |
| Project start | August 9, 2021 |
| Project end | May 31, 2026 |
| Funding year | 2025 |
| Award (this year) | $523,985 |
| NIH project number | 5R01HD103665-05 |
| Project ID | NIH-11184219 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Children aged 10-13 years old, with varying levels of attention and impulsivity, would be ideal candidates for this project.
✕Less likely to help
Patients outside the 10-13 age range or those not experiencing issues with attention and impulsivity related to sleep may not directly benefit from participating in this specific project.
What this research studies
Many children and teenagers don't get enough sleep, which can make it harder to pay attention and control their actions. This project will look closely at how sleep loss impacts these skills and why some children might be more affected than others. We will ask 10-13-year-old children to participate in a sleep experiment at home, where we compare their brain activity and thinking skills after good sleep versus after a few nights of less sleep. We'll use special brain scans (fMRI), brain wave measurements (EEG), and other tests to see these changes.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, this work could help us better understand why some children struggle with attention and impulsivity due to sleep issues, potentially leading to new ways to support them.
How similar studies have gone: While the impact of sleep loss on adults is known, this project uses a novel approach to deeply understand these effects in children, especially those with varying attention and impulsivity levels.
Where this research is happening
-
Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital
Riverside, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Saletin, Jared Meyer — Emma Pendleton Bradley Hospital
- Study coordinator: Saletin, Jared Meyer
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About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.