What is the Origin of Psychomotor Vigilance?

The term and its associated measurement tool, the Psychomotor Vigilance Task (PVT), were developed in human factors and sleep research to objectively quantify the performance decrement associated with sleep loss and circadian misalignment. It integrates "psycho," referring to the cognitive process, and "motor," referring to the physical response, to capture the speed and accuracy of the brain-body reaction.

What is the Mechanism of Psychomotor Vigilance?

Vigilance is supported by the ascending reticular activating system and the norepinephrine and acetylcholine systems, which maintain a state of cortical arousal. When fatigue accumulates, there is a progressive decline in the efficiency of these systems, leading to increased response latencies and errors of omission, known as "microsleeps." The body's stress hormones, particularly the circadian rhythm of cortisol, influence the baseline level of alertness, with proper hormonal signaling being crucial for maintaining peak psychomotor performance throughout the active day.

Psychomotor Vigilance

Meaning

Psychomotor vigilance is a clinical measure of an individual’s capacity for sustained, focused attention and quick, accurate response to infrequent, unpredictable stimuli over an extended period. This metric is a sensitive indicator of cognitive state, reflecting the integrity of the arousal and attentional systems and is profoundly affected by sleep deprivation, fatigue, and neurochemical imbalance. High psychomotor vigilance is essential for tasks requiring sustained operational readiness and rapid decision-making.