脑电生物反馈辅助治疗老年失眠症的疗效观察

目的 研究脑电生物反馈疗法辅助治疗老年失眠症的效果.方法 将67例老年失眠症患者随机分为研究组（34例,使用右佐匹克隆合并脑电生物反馈治疗8周）和对照组（33例,单用右佐匹克隆治疗8周）.采用多导睡眠（PSG）监测技术和匹兹堡睡眠质量指数量表（PSQI）评定疗效.结果 治疗后第8周末,两组多导睡眠脑电图中实际睡眠总时间、睡眠效率、睡眠维持率、睡眠潜伏期、REM（快速眼动）潜伏期、REM睡眠比例、夜间觉醒次数、觉醒总时间较治疗前显著改善（P＜0.05）;且研究组睡眠脑电图各项数据与对照组比较差异有统计学意义（P＜0.05）.两组PSQI评分均低于各自治疗前（P＜0.05）,研究组PSQI评分显著低于对照组（P＜0.05）.结论 脑电生物反馈疗法辅助治疗老年失眠症有较好的效果.     

An open-label trial of evidence-based cognitive behavior therapy for nightmares and insomnia in crime victims with PTSD.

OBJECTIVE: Insomnia and nightmares are perceived as secondary phenomena in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Scant treatment research has targeted these two sleep disturbances. This study reports on an open-label trial of cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia and disturbing dreams in crime victims with PTSD. The relationship among nightmares, sleep disturbances, and PTSD symptoms is discussed. METHOD: Sixty-two participants completed a 10-hour group treatment consisting of imagery rehearsal for nightmares and sleep hygiene, stimulus control, and sleep restriction for insomnia. Nightmare frequency, sleep quality, sleep impairment, and ratings for PTSD, anxiety, and depression symptoms were assessed at baseline and at the 3-month follow-up. RESULTS: All measures demonstrated improvement that was roughly equivalent to changes in clinical severity from severe to moderate for sleep quality, sleep impairment, and nightmare frequency, from borderline severe to borderline moderate for PTSD symptoms, and from extremely severe to borderline severe for anxiety and depression symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: In this uncontrolled study, successful treatment for insomnia and nightmares in crime victims was associated with improvement in symptoms of PTSD, anxiety, and depression. Participants with clinical improvements in PTSD symptoms demonstrated significantly greater improvement in sleep quality and nightmare frequency than those whose PTSD symptoms did not improve.     

Reliability of sleep log data versus actigraphy in veterans with sleep disturbance and PTSD

The goal of the study was to assess inter-rater reliability of the daily sleep log (a self-rating) with actigraphy (an objective measure of sleep based on activity) in veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This analysis focused on time asleep and number of awakenings during bedtime. Study participants consisted of 21 veterans with a lifetime diagnosis of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and current sleep disturbance symptoms. Data collection included study participants' daily charting of sleep logs and actigraphy (utilizing study participants' activity level). Data analysis included the following: (1) interrater reliability for the tabulation of self-reported sleep logs by two trained raters using 99 nights of sleep from 10 cases; (2) comparison of sleep log data versus actigraphic findings for sleep time during 241 bedtimes; (3) comparison of sleep log data versus actigraphic findings for awakenings during 241 bedtimes. Findings showed that the two raters had intraclass correlation scores of .801 for time spent asleep and .602 for time spent in bed-acceptable scores for tabulation of the sleep logs. Comparison of patients' sleep logs versus actigraphy for 241 nights showed that 10 out of 21 study participants had acceptable intraclass correlations of 0.4 or above for duration of sleep. However, sleep logs and actigraphic data on number of sleep awakenings showed poor intraclass correlation, with only 1 subject having an intraclass correlation greater than .30. In conclusion, these data strongly suggest that sleep logs do not reproduce actigraphic records in patients with PTSD even though the sleep logs were reliably quantified. Sleep logs especially under-count awakenings in PTSD patients with sleep complaints.     

Effects of changing from typical to atypical antipsychotic drugs on subjective sleep quality in patients with schizophrenia in a Japanese population

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of the atypical antipsychotic drugs risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, and perospirone on the subjective quality of sleep in patients with schizophrenia. METHOD: Subjects were 92 inpatients (mean age = 59.9 years) who had been receiving treatment with conventional antipsychotic drugs and who met the DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 4 atypical antipsychotic drugs (olanzapine, perospirone, quetiapine, and risperidone). Subjective sleep quality and psychopathology were assessed twice: at baseline and 8 weeks after switching. Data were collected from June 2001 to December 2001. Subjective sleep quality was assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and psychopathology was measured by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). RESULTS: Subjective sleep quality as assessed by the PSQI was significantly improved with administration of olanzapine, risperidone, or quetiapine, but not with perospirone, in comparison with conventional antipsychotic drugs. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the improvement of sleep quality with administration of atypical antipsychotic drugs was predicted by poor sleep quality at baseline. In addition, improvement of sleep quality was significantly correlated with improvement of negative symptoms as assessed by the PANSS. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrated that atypical antipsychotic drugs improved subjective quality of sleep in patients with schizophrenia compared with conventional antipsychotic drugs, suggesting that the marked potency of serotonin-2 receptor blockade in atypical antipsychotic drugs may be involved in the mechanism of this improvement. These improvements were correlated with improvement of negative symptoms.     

Test-retest reliability and validity of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index in primary insomnia

OBJECTIVE: Psychometric evaluation of the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for primary insomnia. METHODS: The study sample consisted of 80 patients with primary insomnia (DSM-IV). The length of the test-retest interval was either 2 days or several weeks. Validity analyses were calculated for PSQI data and data from sleep diaries, as well as polysomnography. To evaluate the specificity of the PSQI, insomnia patients were compared with a control group of 45 healthy subjects. RESULTS: In primary insomnia patients, the overall PSQI global score correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability was .87. Validity analyses showed high correlations between PSQI and sleep log data and lower correlations with polysomnography data. A PSQI global score > 5 resulted in a sensitivity of 98.7 and specificity of 84.4 as a marker for sleep disturbances in insomnia patients versus controls. CONCLUSION: The PSQI has a high test-retest reliability and a good validity for patients with primary insomnia.     

Bright light treatment improves sleep in institutionalised elderly--an open trial

STUDY OBJECTIVES: This study evaluates the effects of bright light therapy among demented nursing home patients with sleep disturbances. DESIGN AND SETTING: 11 nursing home patients with actigraphically measured sleep efficiency below 85% took part in an open, non-randomised study where the subjects served as their own control. INTERVENTION: After two weeks of baseline measurements and two weeks of pretreatment measurements, patients received bright light exposure 2 h/day within the period 08:00-11:00 for two weeks. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: Sleep-wake patterns during the 24-h day were evaluated by nursing staff ratings and wrist-worn motor activity devices (actigraphs). Sleep improved substantially with bright light exposure. Waking time within nocturnal sleep was reduced by nearly two h, and sleep efficiency improved from 73% to 86%. Corresponding improvements were found in nursing staff ratings. Effects were consistent across subjects. CONCLUSIONS: The findings add further evidence of the effectiveness of morning bright light exposure in the treatment of disturbed sleep among demented nursing home patients.     

Clinical significance of mobile health assessed sleep duration and variability in bipolar disorder

ObjectiveSleep disturbances are prevalent, persistent, and impairing features of bipolar disorder. However, the near-term and cumulative impact of the severity and variability of sleep disturbances on symptoms and functioning remains unclear. We examined self-reported daily sleep duration and variability in relation to mood symptoms, medication adherence, cognitive functioning, and concurrent daily affect.MethodsForty-one outpatients diagnosed with bipolar disorder were asked to provide daily reports of sleep duration and affect collected via ecological momentary assessment with smartphones over eleven weeks. Measures of depressive and manic symptoms, medication adherence, and cognitive function were collected at baseline and concurrent assessment of affect were collected daily. Analyses examined whether sleep duration or variability were associated with baseline measures and changes in same-day or next-day affect.ResultsGreater sleep duration variability (but not average sleep duration) was associated with greater depressive and manic symptom severity, and lower medication adherence at baseline, and with lower and more variable ratings of positive affect and higher ratings of negative affect. Sleep durations shorter than 7–8 h were associated with lower same-day ratings of positive and higher same-day ratings of negative affect, however this did not extend to next-day affect.ConclusionsGreater cumulative day-to-day sleep duration variability, but not average sleep duration, was related to more severe mood symptoms, lower self-reported medication adherence and higher levels of negative affect. Bouts of short- or long-duration sleep had transient impact on affect. Day-to-day sleep variability may be important to incorporate into clinical assessment of sleep disturbances in bipolar disorder.     

Unilateral subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation improves sleep quality in Parkinson's disease

BackgroundSleep disturbances are common in Parkinson’s disease (PD). Bilateral subthalamic nucleus (STN) deep brain stimulation (DBS) is superior to best medical therapy in the treatment of motor symptoms in advanced PD, and observational studies suggest that bilateral STN DBS improves sleep in these patients as well. Unilateral STN DBS also improves motor function in PD, but its effects on sleep have not been extensively investigated.MethodsWe report the effects of unilateral STN DBS on subjective sleep quality as measured by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) in 53 consecutive PD patients. These subjects completed the PSQI prior to surgery and at 3 and 6 months post-operatively. The primary outcome measure was the change in the global PSQI at 6 months post-operatively versus the pre-operative baseline, measured with repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).ResultsPatients with PD who underwent unilateral STN DBS had a significant improvement in PSQI at 6 months post-operatively (baseline 9.30 ± 0.56 (mean ± SEM), 6 months: 7.93 ± 0.56, p = 0.013). Supplemental analyses showed that subjects selected for STN DBS placed on the right had worse baseline subjective sleep quality and more improvement in PSQI at 6 months compared to patients who received left STN DBS.ConclusionThis prospective case series study provides evidence that unilateral STN DBS improves subjective sleep quality in patients with PD at up to 6 months post-operatively as measured by the PSQI.     

Associations between Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index factors and health outcomes in women with posttraumatic stress disorder

ObjectiveThe Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is a widely used measure of subjective sleep disturbance in clinical populations, including individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Although the severity of sleep disturbance is generally represented by a global symptom score, recent factor analytic studies suggest that the PSQI is better characterized by a two- or three-factor model than a one-factor model. This study examined the replicability of two- and three-factor models of the PSQI, as well as the relationship between PSQI factors and health outcomes, in a female sample with PTSD.MethodsThe PSQI was administered to 319 women with PTSD related to sexual or physical assault. Confirmatory factor analyses tested the relative fit of one-, two-, and three-factor solutions. Bivariate correlations were performed to examine the shared variance between PSQI sleep factors and measures of PTSD, depression, anger, and physical symptoms.ResultsConfirmatory factor analyses supported a three-factor model with Sleep Efficiency, Perceived Sleep Quality, and Daily Disturbances as separate indices of sleep quality. The severity of symptoms represented by the PSQI factors was positively associated with the severity of PTSD, depression, and physical symptoms. However, these health outcomes correlated as much or more with the global PSQI score as with PSQI factor scores.ConclusionsThese results support the multidimensional structure of the PSQI. Despite this, the global PSQI score has as much or more explanatory power as individual PSQI factors in predicting health outcomes.     

A brief sleep scale for Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Addendum for PTSD

Sleep disturbances reflect a core dysfunction underlying Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Specifically, disruptive nocturnal behaviors (DNB) may represent PTSD-specific sleep disturbances. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index Addendum for PTSD (PSQI-A) is self-report instrument designed to assess the frequency of seven DNB. The goal of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the PSQI-A to characterize DNB in a group of participants with and without PTSD. Results indicate that the PSQI-A has satisfactory internal consistency and good convergent validity with two standard PTSD measures even when excluding their sleep-related items. A global PSQI score of 4 yielded a sensitivity of 94%, a specificity of 82%, and a positive predictive value of 93% for discriminating participants with PTSD from those without PTSD. The PSQI-A is a valid instrument for PTSD applicable to both clinical and research settings.     

Clinical efficacy of individual cognitive behavior therapy for psychophysiological insomnia in 20 outpatients

Aim: Twenty patients (14 of them women) suffering from psychophysiological insomnia (PPI) were enrolled for cognitive behavior therapy (CBT). The mean age of the patients was 56.9 years, and the mean duration of insomnia morbidity was 8.9 years. Each received individual combined CBT treatments consisting of stimulus control, sleep reduction, cognitive therapy and sleep hygiene education over a period of 1 month. Methods: Just before the CBT and after its completion, sleep measurements were conducted that involved (i) sleep logs, Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (DBAS), and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI); (ii) actigraphy measurement; (iii) dissociation between subjective and objective evaluation of sleep calculated from sleep logs and actigraphy results; and (iv) correlation between DBAS and the aforementioned sleep parameters. Because the intention was to focus on patients' incorrect cognition about sleep, the definition ‘changes in dissociation between the sleep log and actigraphically measured sleep’ was used as the primary outcome and ‘changes in DBAS score’ as the secondary outcome. Results: After the CBT the following was found: (i) underestimation by PPI patients of the objective evaluation of sleep; (ii) a decrease in the dissociation between the subjective and objective evaluation of sleep; (iii) improvement of the DBAS; and (iv) improvement of sleep logs and actigraphy measurements. Moreover, there was a correlation between the improvement of PSQI, sleep logs and DBAS. Conclusion: CBT for insomnia is able to redress incorrect cognition about sleep, leading to improvement of the disorder.     

Sleep restoration is associated with reduced plasma C-reactive protein and depression symptoms in military personnel with sleep disturbance after deployment

BackgroundDeployed military personnel are vulnerable to chronic sleep disturbance, which is highly comorbid with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression, as well as declines in health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Inflammation is associated with HRQOL declines and sleep-related comorbidities; however, the impact of sleep changes on comorbid symptoms and inflammation in this population is unknown.MethodsIn this observational study, we examined the relationship between reported sleep changes and concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers, interleukin 6 (IL-6), and C-reactive protein (CRP) in peripheral blood. The sample was dichotomized into two groups: (1) decrease in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI; restorative sleep) and (2) no change or increase in PSQI (no change). Mixed between–within subjects analysis of variance tests were used to determine group differences on changes of inflammation and comorbid symptoms.ResultsIn our sample of 66 recently deployed military personnel with insomnia, 34 participants reported restorative sleep whereas 32 reported no sleep changes. The two groups did not differ in demographic or clinical characteristics, with the exception of PTSD diagnosis at baseline. The restorative sleep group had significant reductions in CRP concentrations and depression symptoms, as well as reduced fatigue and improvements in emotional well-being, social functioning, and physical functioning at follow-up.ConclusionsMilitary personnel who report sleep restoration after deployment have reduced CRP concentrations, decreased severity of depression, and improved HRQOL. These findings suggest that treatment for sleep disturbances may be associated with improvements in mental and physical health, thereby supporting continued study in this line of research.     

Evaluation of risperidone in the treatment of behavioral and psychological symptoms and sleep disturbances associated with dementia

BACKGROUND: Dementia is associated with progressive cognitive impairment and behavioral and psychological symptoms. Sleep-wake cycle disturbances are common in patients with dementia. This study evaluated the efficacy and safety of risperidone in the treatment of the behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) and associated sleep-wake cycle disturbances. METHODS: In this open-label, 12-week, observational, prospective study, the effects of risperidone were assessed using the Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) total and subscale scores. Sleep-wake cycle disturbances were rated by patients/caregivers using a newly developed sleep behavior questionnaire that included assessment of sleep duration, quality, awakenings, and effects on daily activities. Tolerability assessments included the Udvalg for Kliniske Undersogelser (UKU) subscale for extrapyramidal symptoms (EPS) and the recording of adverse events. RESULTS: A total of 338 patients entered the study, with 321 patients completing. Following 12 weeks of risperidone treatment (mean dose 1.49 mg/day at end-point), the mean NPI score was reduced to 10.6 from a baseline score of 28.7. Compared with baseline, patients/caregivers reported significant improvements following 12 weeks of risperidone in total sleep hours at night (5.5 vs. 7.1 hours), hours awake in bed at night (2.3 vs. 1.2 hours), insomnia (40.1% vs. 8.4%), and other sleep-related variables. Six patients reported a total of 10 adverse events, including somnolence (n = 3) and sialorrhea (n = 2). Scores on the UKU subscale of EPS improved significantly (mean 4.0 at baseline vs. 1.7 at week 12). CONCLUSIONS: Risperidone is effective and well tolerated in the treatment of BPSD and associated sleep disturbances.     

Fatigue and sleep quality are associated with changes in inflammatory markers in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy

Fatigue and sleep disturbances are two of the most common and distressing symptoms reported by cancer patients. Fatigue and sleep are also correlated with each other. While fatigue has been reported to be associated with some inflammatory markers, data about the relationship between cancer-related sleep disturbances and inflammatory markers are limited. This study examined the relationship between fatigue and sleep, measured both subjectively and objectively, and inflammatory markers in a sample of breast cancer patients before and during chemotherapy. Fifty-three women with newly diagnosed stage I-III breast cancer scheduled to receive at least four 3-week cycles of chemotherapy participated in this longitudinal study. Fatigue was assessed with the Multidimensional Fatigue Symptom Inventory-Short Form (MFSI-SF), sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and objective sleep was measured with actigraphy. Three inflammatory markers were examined: Interleukin-6 (IL-6), Interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA) and C-reactive protein (CRP). Data were collected before (baseline) and during cycle 1 and cycle 4 of chemotherapy. Compared to baseline, more fatigue was reported, levels of IL-6 increased and IL-1RA decreased during chemotherapy. Reports of sleep quality remained poor. Mixed model analyses examining changes from baseline to each treatment time point revealed overall positive relationships between changes in total MFSI-SF scores and IL-6, between changes in total PSQI scores and IL-6 and IL-1RA, and between total wake time at night and CRP (all p's<0.05). These relationships suggest that cancer-related fatigue and sleep disturbances may share common underlying biochemical mechanisms.     

Persistence of sleep disturbances following cognitive-behavior therapy for posttraumatic stress disorder

Objectives

The objectives of the present study were (1) to assess the impact of cognitive-behavior therapy (CBT) for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on associated sleep disturbances and (2) to explore the correlates of persistent sleep difficulties in terms of anxiety and depression symptoms and perceived health.

Method

Fifty-five individuals with PTSD were administered a series of assessments designed to evaluate sleep, PTSD symptoms, symptoms of anxiety and depression, and perceived health before and after individual CBT for PTSD and at 6-month follow-up.

Results

Significant improvements were observed on sleep quality, sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency, and sleep disturbances. These changes were not fully maintained after 6 months, and 70% of people who reported baseline sleep difficulties (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index >5) still reported significant problems with sleep after treatment. Persistent sleep difficulties were associated with more severe posttraumatic, anxious, and depressive symptoms as well as poorer health.

Conclusion

Although CBT for PTSD had a favorable impact on sleep, the majority of participants suffered from residual sleep difficulties. Individuals with persistent sleep difficulties posttreatment may experience more residual posttraumatic, depression, and anxiety symptoms and poorer mental and physical health than those who do not report sleep problems posttreatment. Further research in this area will allow clinicians to treat sleep problems in these individuals more effectively.     

失眠伴抑郁与单纯失眠患者失眠认知行为治疗的疗效分析

目的分析失眠认知行为疗法(cognitive behavioral therapy on insomnia,CBT-i)对失眠伴抑郁患者以及单纯失眠患者的疗效。方法71例符合失眠症诊断的患者,根据贝克抑郁量表(Beck Depression Inventory,BDI)得分分为单纯失眠组(<14分,33例)和失眠伴抑郁组(≥14分,38例)。2组患者每天填写睡眠日记,并给予8周标准的CBT-i治疗,在治疗前(基线)、治疗第4周、治疗第8周、治疗结束后4周(第3个月)、治疗结束后16周(第6个月)采用匹兹堡睡眠质量指数(Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index,PSQI)、失眠严重程度指数(Insomnia Severity Index,ISI)、BDI、贝克焦虑量表(Beck Anxiety Inventory,BAI)、SF-36健康调查简表对2组患者睡眠质量、抑郁焦虑程度、个人健康状况等进行评估,采用独立样本t检验进行组间比较,采用重复测量方差分析进行各时间点组内比较。结果与基线时比较,单纯失眠组和失眠伴抑郁组第8周、第3个月和6个月随访时入睡潜伏期、睡眠效率、PSQI、ISI、BDI、BAI、SF-36组内比较差异均有统计学意义。失眠伴抑郁组较单纯失眠组在基线、第8周、第3个月和6个月随访时BAI(t=-6.340、-3.301、-3.511、-2.982)、SF-36(t=4.162、3.195、2.022、3.629)评分差异有统计学意义(P<0.01或0.05),2组ISI评分在第6个月随访时差异有统计学意义[(7.3±4.6)分与(4.7±3.4)分,t=-2.044,P=0.048]。2组入睡潜伏期和睡眠效率以及PSQI的评分在第8周、第3个月和6个月随访时与基线的变化量差异均无统计学意义;而2组BAI、BDI评分在第8周与第3个月和6个月随访时与基线的变化量差异有统计学意义。结论CBT-i对失眠伴抑郁患者和单纯失眠患者均有效,且可以缓解失眠伴抑郁患者的抑郁症状以及改善患者生活质量。     

A comparative study of the components of sleep quality in medical outpatients

Background. Almost any medical illness that causes significant pain or discomfort may negatively affect the quality of sleep. Moreover sleep disorders may coexist with medical disorders in people of all ages. Measuring sleep dysfunction is an area of active research, but few studies examined subjective ratings of sleep quality in medical patients Method. A total of 250 medical patients with various somatic complaints who attended the ENT, internal, neurology, orthopaedics and urology clinics participated in this study. The patients completed the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) which measures the quality of sleep in seven major domains and helps discriminate between individuals who experience poor sleep versus individuals who sleep well. A score ≥6 is considered as a significant sleep disturbance. Results. The PSQI score of the patients from all selected clinics were higher than the reported cut-off point (Mean = 8, SD = 3.42). Significant differences were found in sleep duration (component 3) and sleep disturbances (component 5) between clinics. Pain and worry were the major causes of sleep disturbances reported by the majority of the patients. Conclusion. Sleep disturbances in medically ill patients require careful evaluation for proper treatment that will alleviate the sleep problem without exacerbating concomitant illnesses. Essentially any condition that causes pain or discomfort may cause insomnia and must be considered in the overall treatment plan.     

Parkinson’s disease sleep scale, sleep logs, and actigraphy in the evaluation of sleep in parkinsonian patients

The aim of this study was to compare the results of the day-to-day self-evaluation of sleep quality by sleep logs with Parkinson’s disease sleep scale (PDSS) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. Actigraphy was used as an independent analysis of nighttime activity interfering with sleep. A total of 71 idiopathic PD patients and 21 age- and sex-matched normal individuals lacking any type of sleep disturbance were recruited. Sleep was evaluated by PDSS, 7-d sleep log and actigraphy. Sleep logs and PDSS showed reduced sleep quality and daytime somnolence scores in moderate/severe PD patients as compared to healthy controls. Significant correlations were found between sleep quality in sleep logs and all domains of PDSS sleep quality, except for the presence of nocturia, which correlated with nocturnal activity. PD severity and depression were the only predictors of reduced sleep quality. The retrospective and day-to-day sleep self-evaluations were coincident. Reduced sleep quality was related to increased PD severity and depression scores.     

Sleep quality and daytime sleepiness in patients treated with adjunctive perampanel for focal seizures

PurposeThe purpose of this study was to evaluate subjective sleep quality and daytime sleepiness in patients receiving adjunctive perampanel for focal seizures.MethodsWe conducted a multicenter, prospective, interventional, open-label study in patients aged > 16 with focal seizures who received adjunctive perampanel (flexible dosing: 2–12 mg). Sleep quality was assessed with the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and daytime sleepiness with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) at baseline and 3 and 6 months after initiating perampanel. Patients with modifications in their baseline AEDs or sleep medications were excluded.ResultsIn 72 patients with drug-resistant focal seizures, mean baseline PSQI score (± standard deviation) was 7.26 (± 4.6), and ESS was 6.19 (± 4.2). At 3 months (median perampanel dose: 4 mg), there was no significant mean change from baseline in ESS score (n = 61) and a significant improvement in PSQI (− 1.51 points; n = 44; p = 0.007), driven mainly by improved sleep efficiency (p = 0.012). In the 31 patients with 6-month data, ESS (but not PSQI) improved significantly at 6 months vs baseline (p = 0.029). The only factor significantly correlated with sleep parameters was number of baseline AEDs (higher number correlated with worse daytime sleepiness). Seizure frequency was reduced significantly from baseline at 3 and 6 months. In bivariate analysis, neither PSQI nor ESS was associated with seizure frequency, suggesting that the changes in daytime sleepiness and sleep quality may be independent of the direct effect on seizures.ConclusionAdjunctive perampanel did not worsen sleep quality or daytime sleepiness at 3 months and reduced daytime sleepiness in patients continuing perampanel for 6 months. Perampanel may be a suitable AED in patients with sleep disorders, in addition to refractory focal seizures.     

Risperidone in psychotic combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder: an open trial

RATIONALE: Psychotic symptoms that frequently occur in combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) complicate its pharmacotherapy. We hypothesized that war veterans with psychotic PTSD, resistant to prior antidepressant treatment, would respond well to 6 weeks of treatment with the atypical antipsychotic risperidone, given as a monotherapy. METHOD: Twenty-six male war veterans with psychotic PTSD (DSM-IV) completed the 6-week inpatient treatment with risperidone (2-4 mg/day) during the period from November 1999 through December 2002. The primary outcome measure was change from baseline to endpoint (6 weeks) in Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total and subscale scores. Secondary outcome measures were changes in PTSD Interview (PTSD-I) and Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness scale (CGI-S) total and subscale scores. Clinical improvement was assessed by CGI-S, CGI-Improvement scale, and Patient Global Impression of Improvement scale, while adverse events were recorded by Drug-Induced Extrapyramidal Symptoms Scale. RESULTS: Treatment with risperidone for either 3 or 6 weeks in an open trial significantly reduced total and subscales scores on the PANSS and on the PTSD-I and CGI-S when compared to baseline scores in patients with psychotic PTSD. CONCLUSION: Our preliminary data from the open trial indicate that risperidone decreased most of the psychotic and PTSD symptoms. Psychotic PTSD patients, unresponsive to antidepressant treatment, improved significantly after treatment for either 3 or 6 weeks with risperidone.