Losing a single night of sleep can indeed impair cognitive functions, but the duration and extent of impairment can vary. Research suggests that after just one night of sleep deprivation, cognitive functions like attention, reasoning, and decision-making are affected, and this impact can last beyond the immediate day after. Some studies show that full recovery of cognitive function may take up to 3-4 days, depending on how much sleep debt was accrued and how well the recovery sleep is.
However, the effects are not equally severe for everyone, and some cognitive abilities might bounce back faster than others. While it's important to catch up on sleep, recovery can differ depending on individual resilience and the sleep quality afterward.
The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is a part of the prefrontal cortex in the mammalian brain. The ventral medial prefrontal is located in the frontal lobe at the bottom of the cerebral hemispheres and is implicated in the processing of risk and fear, as it is critical in the regulation of amygdala activity in humans. It also plays a role in the inhibition of emotional responses, and in the process of decision-making and self-control. It is also involved in the cognitive evaluation of morality.
The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC or DMPFC is a section of the prefrontal cortex in some species' brain anatomy. It includes portions of Brodmann areas BA8, BA9, BA10, BA24 and BA32, although some authors identify it specifically with BA8 and BA9. Some notable sub-components include the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (BA24 and BA32), the prelimbic cortex, and the infralimbic cortex.