0013 Impact of Circadian Misalignment on Executive Functioning and Risk Taking in Adolescents

Abstract Introduction Circadian misalignment, the discrepancy between one’s internal circadian rhythms and one’s sleep patterns, is prevalent among adolescents. Circadian misalignment may confer risk for executive function difficulties and risky behavior in teens. This study aims to investigate the impact of experimentally-induced circadian misalignment on executive functioning and risk taking in adolescents. Methods Twenty-nine night owl adolescents (14-18 years) underwent a 20-day sleep manipulation protocol, which included two conditions simulating night owl (aligned group) and morning lark (misaligned group) sleep patterns. The study included a 5-night stabilization, 2-night washout, and two 5-day sleep conditions (aligned vs misaligned). Executive functioning and risk-taking were assessed using the Trail Making Task, (an objective executive functioning task), Iowa Gambling Task (an objective risk-taking task), and the Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation System (BIS/BAS; a self-report measure of both executive function and risk tasking), following each experimental condition. Normality for the dependent variables were assessed using the Shapiro-Wilk test, and statistical comparisons were run with Wilcoxon Signed Rank tests for non-normal variables and paired samples t-tests for normal variables. Results The Trail Making Task displayed no significant differences between the aligned and misaligned groups in completion times (p=.108). There were no significant differences between groups on the BAS-drive (p=.522), BAS-fun ( p=.273), and BAS-reward (p=.791) sub-components. In contrast, the misaligned group had significantly higher scores on the BIS component (p=.021). Additionally, the misaligned group had higher average total T-scores in risk taking on the Iowa Gambling Task (p=.022). Conclusion Our results indicate that those in the misaligned condition showed significantly increased risk-taking in a gambling task (compared to when in the aligned condition), which is consistent with prior findings emphasizing the impact of circadian misalignment on risky behavior. Interestingly, adolescents experiencing circadian misalignment also had elevated behavioral inhibition scores, suggesting that alongside greater behavioral observations of risk taking, they also self-reported to have heightened nervous reactions to expected punishment and increased sensitivity to aversive outcomes. This study enhances understanding of circadian alignment's impact on adolescent decision making, which may inform pre-clinical behavioral interventions aimed to improve adolescent health and well-being. Support (if any)