Speed/accuracy trade-off in the effects of acute total sleep deprivation on a sustained attention and response inhibition task.

Total sleep deprivation (TSD) is known to impair sustained attention. However, previously reported effects of TSD on response inhibition are mixed. We administered a "stop-signal" variation of the psychomotor vigilance test, which included 25% of trials requiring withholding of a response to assess response inhibition alongside sustained attention. Participants completed the task at baseline and after 34.5 h of wakefulness. Accuracy was not reduced during TSD. However, response times were significantly slower. A speed/accuracy trade-off allowed participants to effectively withhold responses on inhibition trials and conferred resilience of inhibitory control during TSD under conditions of relatively low time pressure.