Sleeping while awake: The impact of sleep intrusions on sustained attention

This research examined sleep-like slow wave activity during wakefulness in adults with and without ADHD during attention tasks. We found that wake slow waves are influenced by noradrenaline, dopamine, and serotonin, key neuromodulators of attention, and are associated with lapses in sustained focus. Importantly, we showed that in ADHD, slow waves occur more frequently and contribute to attentional lapses, reflected in both task performance and self-reports. Together, these findings advance our understanding of ADHD and provide evidence that wake slow waves represent a promising biomarker and potential therapeutic target for treatment development.