Master of Mathematical Sciences, The Ohio State University, 2013, Mathematics

Sleep inertia is known to cause delayed reaction times and general performance deficits immediately after awakening, but specifics manifested in children are not well defined. This research aims to elucidate the effects of sleep inertia in children aged 5 to 12. Results were that younger children sustained slower reaction times than older children at baseline and upon awakening. All age groups had greater impairment after a second awakening, possibly due to a circadian effect and/or cumulative fatigue. All groups had improved reactions in the final 2 minutes of testing compared to the first 2 minutes after awakening (though reaction times were still slower than at baseline), suggesting partial recovery in sleep inertia with increased time. Recovery from sleep inertia may be due to wake-promoting neuromodulators; the increase in concentration may be responsible for improved performance with extended time awake. The current study constructs a model based on volume transmission of these neuromodulators. The model is capable of producing results similar to those observed in individuals with little variance in reaction time, but the model struggles to produce adequate replications of more variable data. Furthermore, the model cannot produce many of the dynamics found in the observed data, suggesting that the current model, if appropriate at all, requires many alterations.

Committee: Best Janet PhD (Advisor); Splaingard Mark MD (Advisor); Dawes Adriana PhD (Committee Member) Subjects: Mathematics