HJF research psychologist receives Sleep Research Society's Young Investigator Award

Tracy Rupp, Ph.D., research psychologist in the Behavioral Biology Branch of the Army's Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, has won the prestigious Young Investigator Award from the Sleep Research Society. Dr. Rupp is an employee of The Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc.

Rupp and her colleagues are investigating soldier performance when troops have little or no opportunity for sleep. The institute is investigating factors that determine individual differences in resiliency or vulnerability to sleep loss. The studies are contributing to the development of a comprehensive sleep/performance management program for sustaining soldier performance during continuous operations.

Specifically, Rupp is identifying ways to optimize soldier performance in environments that are not conducive to sleep. Her research is examining countermeasures that could be employed to ward off the effects of sleep deprivation.

"Ultimately, the goal would be to have a sleep-management system that uses mathematical modeling to better predict performance. The data would be beneficial for informing commanders, who can then determine if soldiers should get additional sleep," Rupp said.

Institute studies have shown that soldiers who are awake 48 to 72 hours can retain many of their motor skills (including, hitting a target), but their judgment declines rapidly with lack of sleep. Rupp's research shows that extending sleep periods, or "banking sleep," benefits individuals during an immediate challenge and has positive effects on later performance.

The third in a series of studies, Rupp's work builds on the idea that the amount of prior sleep is important and that connective processes in the brain can remember sleep behavior. Her studies also concur with long-standing scientific literature showing that individuals who accrue chronic sleep debt, or the lack of sleep, can benefit from banking sleep before embarking on a performance challenge.

"Tracy has contributed greatly to our scientific mission, and to the broader field of sleep research," said Thomas J. Balkin, Ph.D., Chief, Department of Behavioral Biology at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research. "Her finding, that the benefits of sleep are 'banked' by the brain for use during subsequent periods of sleep loss, has clear implications for the conduct of both military and civilian operations. In essence, these findings tell us to sleep as much as we can, whenever we can, because an extra hour of sleep today might prove critical for maintaining alertness and performance sometime next week."

The Sleep Research Society's Young Investigator Award recognizes an outstanding research effort by a new investigator in the field of sleep research. The award, for excellence in scientific research, is presented to three young investigators each year. The award helps promote training and education in sleep research, and provides forums for the exchange of knowledge pertaining to sleep and foster scientific investigation on all aspects of sleep and its disorders.

"The Sleep Research Society is proud to recognize the research excellence of Dr. Tracy Rupp for her recent study into sleep extension and its effects on alertness and performance and post-recovery sleep," said Clifford Saper, M.D., Ph.D., the society's president. Her investigation has provided valuable insight into our understanding of the physiological mechanisms of chronic sleep debt."

Provided by Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine