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Abstract
<p class="first" id="d37132414e110">Recent advances shifted the focus on single-brain
functioning toward two-brain communication
during learning interactions, following the demonstration that interpersonal brain
synchronization (IBS) can track instructor-learner information exchange. Here, we
investigated (i) whether sleep deprivation (SD) that potentially impacts both social
interactions and learning abilities modulates IBS, and (ii) conversely whether and
to what extent IBS might compensate for SD-related learning deficits. Instructors
(always with regular sleep, RS) were asked to teach numerical reasoning strategies
to learners (either SD or RS), during which the activity of both brains was simultaneously
recorded using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS). SD learners initially
performed below their baseline level, worse than RS learners, but learning improvement
was comparable between RS and SD conditions after learning with the instructor. IBS
within the instructor-learner dyads was higher in the SD (vs. RS) condition in the
left inferior frontal cortex. In addition, clustered IBS (estimated by nonnegative
matrix factorization) was correlated with performance improvement. Finally, Granger
Causality analyses revealed biased causality with higher instructor-to-learner than
learner-to-instructor directionality in brain signal processing. Together, these results
indicate that SD-related learning deficits can to some extent be compensated via interactions
with an instructor, as reflected by increased IBS and preserved learning ability.
It suggests an essential role of the instructor in driving synchrony between teaching
and SD learning brains during interactions.
</p>