Driving simulation with EEG monitoring in normals and obstructive sleep apnea patients.

In this study, the authors hypothesized that impaired performance on driving simulation and electroencephalographically (EEG) defined attention lapses are greater in obstructive sleep apnea patients than in the normal population. Participants completed a 60-minute driving simulation with continuous EEG monitoring. Sleep apnea patients demonstrated increased lane position variability, crashes, and attention lapses throughout the task. Attention lapses appeared to underlie the poorer driving performance. Because sleepiness can occur in other populations, for example shift workers and on-call physicians, these results support the need for the development of countermeasures, highway safety education programmes, and the recognition and treatment of sleep disorders. (A)