High Prevalence Of Sleep Disorders Research Articles

Sleep disturbance in psoriasis: a case-controlled study.

Sleep is essential for daytime functioning and health. Given the physical symptoms of psoriasis, a higher prevalence of sleep disorders can be expected. So far, the studies examining sleep disturbance in psoriasis have been of less-than-optimal methodological quality and with mixed results. To examine the prevalence of sleep disturbance in patients with plaque psoriasis compared with a control group, to evaluate associations with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and examine possible disease-related predictors of disturbed sleep. We used a cross-sectional, case-controlled design. Participants included 179 consecutively recruited patients with plaque psoriasis and 105 controls. Measures included psoriasis severity (Psoriasis Area and Severity Index); HRQoL (Dermatology Life Quality Index); insomnia severity [Insomnia Severity Index (ISI)]; sleep quality [Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)]; stress (Perceived Stress Scale); itch (Itch Severity Scale); and depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory). Analyses included group comparisons and regression analyses to identify predictors of sleep disturbance. A total of 25% of patients with psoriasis reported clinical insomnia (ISI > 15), compared with 10·5% of controls. In all, 53·6% of patients with psoriasis were poor sleepers (PSQI > 5), compared with 21·9% of controls. Itch was statistically significantly associated with all sleep-related outcomes. A higher proportion of patients with psoriasis experience poor sleep than controls from the general population. Itch was the main predictor of impaired sleep. Improved control of psoriasis with decreased itch may improve sleep disturbance in psoriasis.

Mental disorders among workers in the healthcare industry: 2014 national health insurance data

BackgroundNumerous studies have shown that healthcare professionals are exposed to psychological distress. However, since most of these studies assessed psychological distress using self-reporting questionnaires, the magnitude of the problem is largely unknown. We evaluated the risks of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, and any psychiatric disorders in workers in healthcare industry using Korea National Health Insurance (NHI) claims data from 2014, which are based on actual diagnoses instead of self-evaluation.MethodsWe used Korea 2014 NHI claims data and classified employees as workers in the healthcare industry, based on companies in the NHI database that were registered with hospitals, clinics, public healthcare, and other medical services. To estimate the standardized prevalence of the selected mental health disorders, we calculated the prevalence of diseases in each age group and sex using the age distribution of the Korea population. To compare the risk of selected mental disorders among workers in the healthcare industry with those in other industries, we considered age, sex, and income quartile characteristics and conducted propensity scored matching.ResultsIn the matching study, workers in healthcare industry had higher odds ratios for mood disorders (1.13, 95% CI: 1.11–1.15), anxiety disorders (1.15, 95% CI: 1.13–1.17), sleep disorders (2.21, 95% CI: 2.18–2.24), and any psychiatric disorders (1.44, 95% CI: 1.43–1.46) than the reference group did. Among workers in healthcare industry, females had higher prevalence of psychiatric disorders than males, but the odds ratios for psychiatric disorders, compared to the reference group, were higher in male workers in healthcare industry than in females.ConclusionsThe prevalence of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, sleep disorders, and all psychiatric disorders for workers in the healthcare industry was higher than that of other Korean workers. The strikingly high prevalence of sleep disorders could be related to the frequent night-shifts in these professions. The high prevalence of mental health problems among workers in healthcare industry is alarming and requires prompt action to protect the health of the “protectors.”

Shift work, night work and sleep disorders among pastry cookers and shopkeepers in France: a cross-sectional survey

ObjectiveMost research on night and shift work focuses on employee health in large companies, primarily in the healthcare and transportation sectors. However, many night workers work on their own or...

Sleep Disorders and Their Management in Children With Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Referred to Sleep Clinics.

The nature of sleep disorders in children with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS) is unknown. We aimed to describe the type, the management, and the short-term outcome of sleep disorders in children with EDS referred to sleep clinics. This is a retrospective review of medical records and polysomnography tests of children with EDS younger than 18 years who were referred to the sleep clinic. Demographic information and medical history were collected, and polysomnography tests were reviewed. Questionnaires completed during previous clinic visits, including the Pediatrics Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ), Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS), and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL), were also evaluated. Sixty-five patients with EDS-hypermobility type were included. The mean age was 13.15 ± 3.9 years. There were 68% of patients who were female, and 91% of patients were Caucasian. The mean follow-up period was 1.14 ± 1.55 years. Common sleep diagnoses included insomnia (n = 14, 22%), obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) (n = 17, 26%), periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD) (n = 11, 17%), and hypersomnia (n = 10, 15%). In addition, 65% required pharmacologic treatment and 29% were referred to behavioral sleep medicine. For OSA, two patients required continuous positive airway pressure. A significant improvement was observed in the PSQ, ESS, and PedsQL scores during follow-up visits after treatment (n = 34; P = .0004, 0.03, and 0.01, respectively). There is a high prevalence of sleep disorders, including OSA, insomnia, PLMD, and hypersomnia in children with EDS referred to sleep clinics. Specific management can improve quality of life and questionnaire scores of this patient population. Our study emphasizes the importance of screening for sleep disorders in children with EDS.

Physical neighborhood and social environment, beliefs about sleep, sleep hygiene behaviors, and sleep quality among African Americans

ObjectivesAfrican Americans (AAs) have a higher prevalence of sleep disorders than other racial/ethnic groups. However, little is known about the relationships among individual and neighborhood factors related to sleep quality in AAs. The purposes of this study were to (1) describe beliefs about sleep, sleep hygiene behaviors, and sleep quality among AAs; and (2) examine the relationships among sociodemographic characteristics, neighborhood environment, beliefs about sleep, sleep hygiene behaviors, and sleep quality. MethodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study of 252 AA men and women in the Greater New Haven, CT, USA community. We assessed their sociodemographic characteristics, neighborhood environment, beliefs about sleep, sleep hygiene, and sleep quality with the following measures, respectively: the Neighborhood Environment Scale, the brief version of Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep, the Sleep Hygiene Practice Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. We performed descriptive statistics, correlations and multiple hierarchical regression. ResultsAbout 72% of the participants (mean age: 53.88 ± 14.17 years, 77.8% women) reported experiencing sleep disturbance. People with poor sleep quality were more likely to report poorer neighborhood social environment (social cohesion), poorer overall neighborhood environment, more dysfunctional beliefs toward sleep, and poorer sleep hygiene than those who had good sleep quality. In the final multivariate model that controlled for a number of chronic comorbid conditions, neighborhood environment, beliefs about sleep, and sleep hygiene behaviors were significantly associated with sleep quality. ConclusionsFuture efforts are needed to improve sleep among AAs by considering both the individual's belief about sleep, sleep hygiene behaviors and neighborhood factors.

Chronic fatigue syndrome and sleep disorders: Clinical associations and diagnostic difficulties

IntroductionChronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterised by the presence of intractable fatigue and non-restorative sleep, symptoms which are also very prevalent in multiple diseases and appear as side effects of different drugs. Numerous studies have shown a high prevalence of sleep disorders in patients with CFS. However, non-restorative sleep and fatigue are frequently symptoms of the sleep disorders themselves, so primary sleep disorders have to be ruled out in many cases of CFS. DevelopmentThis review was performed using a structured search of the MeSH terms ([Sleep]+[Chronic fatigue syndrome]) in the PubMed database. ConclusionIdentifying primary sleep disorders in patients meeting diagnostic criteria for CFS will allow for a more comprehensive treatment approach involving new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies that may improve quality of life for these patients.

The Importance of Sleep Hygiene in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome from the View of Iranian Traditional Medicine and Modern Medicine.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is known as the most common hormonal disorder in women at reproductive age. Recent studies have revealed a high prevalence of sleep disorders in PCOS, suggesting that it is an amendable factor for these patients; however, the sleep was not considered in their treatment plan. According to the Iranian traditional medicine (ITM), sleep is an important item in the lifestyle modification of all diseases. The aim of this study is to determine the importance of sleep hygiene in PCOS from the view of ITM and Modern Medicine. In this study, some keywords about “sleep and PCOS” were searched in medical databases and some ITM books. Lifestyle modification is one of the first steps in treatment of patients with PCOS in which the emphasis will be mainly on exercise and diet. Despite proof of the high prevalence of sleep disorders in these patients, modification of sleep is not considered in their lifestyle. ITM as a holistic medicine emphasizes on lifestyle modification under the title of “Settah-e-Zaruria” (In Persian), the six essential schemes for the prevention and treatment of all diseases. Management of sleep is one of these schemes. There are many advices about sleep hygiene in both ITM and modern medicine. It seems that lifestyle modification should be expanded in PCOS patients to include more options, and sleep hygiene should be considered in their lifestyle alongside food and exercise.

Accumulation of rest deficiency precedes sudden death of epileptic Kv1.1 knockout mice, a model of sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.

Chronic sleep deficiency is associated with early mortality. In the epileptic population, there is a higher prevalence of sleep disorders, and individuals with severe refractory epilepsy are at greater risk of premature mortality than the general population. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy affects 1:1000 cases of epilepsy each year. Ketogenic diet (KD) treatment is one of the few effective options for refractory seizures. Despite KD reducing seizures and increasing longevity in Kv1.1 knockout (KO) mice, they still succumb to sudden death. This study aims to determine whether (1) the rest profiles of KO and KD-treated KO (KOKD) mice resemble each other as a function of either age or proximity to death and (2) the timing of death correlates with acute or chronic changes in rest. Noninvasive actimetry was used to monitor rest throughout the lives of KO and wild-type (WT) littermates administered standard diet or KD. As KO mice age, rest is reduced (P<.0001). Rest is significantlyimproved in KDKO mice (P<.0001), resembling WT values at several ages. When age is removed as a variable and data are realigned to the day of death, the rest profiles of KO and KOKD groups worsen to similar degrees as a function of proximity to death. The amount of rest acutely is not sensitive to the timing of death, whereas chronic rest deficiency profiles (10-15days prior to death) of both groups were indistinguishable. Chronic accumulation of rest deficiency over the final 15days was associated with 75% of deaths. Our data suggest that the accumulated rest deficiency is associated with sudden death in Kv1.1 KO mice. These data (1) support the proposed clinical hypothesis that chronic sleep deficiency may be associated with early mortality in epileptic patients and (2) warrant future preclinical and clinical studies on sleep monitoring in epileptic patients.

The Prevalence of Self-Reported Sleep Problems and Some Factors Affecting It Among the Elderly in Amirkola

Background: Knowing the quality of sleep in the elderly and its effective factors helps to take measures in increasing or decreasing their effect. Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the sleep problems and its effective factors in the elderly of Amirkola, the northern part of Iran. Methods: This cross-sectional study was extracted from the Amirkola health and ageing project (AHAP), which is a cohort project regarding the elderly in the city of Amirkola, the northern part of Iran. Since 2011, it has been started and has continued so far. Data including age, sex, level of education, life status, occupation, smoking, physical activity, self-reported chronic diseases, depressive symptoms by Geriatric depression scale (GDS), cognitive status by mini-mental state examination (MMSE), history of medication, and questions regarding sleep problems were collected by interviewing with older people or their close relatives. Results: The overall prevalence of sleep disorders in this study was 354 (24.8%). Gender, drug use, marital status, chronic pain, depression, urinary incontinence, education level, metabolic syndrome, occupation, MMSE, hypnotics, and diabetes were associated with the prevalence of sleep disorders. According to the logistic regression analyses, 12-month back pain (OR = 1.64, P = 0.003), hypnotic drugs (OR = 1.5, P = 0.03), depression (OR = 1.66, P = 0.001), age range of 75 to 79 years old (OR = 0.58, P = 0.01), accompanying chronic disease (OR = 1.15, P < 0.001), and MMSE (OR = 1.59, P = 0.003) had a significant role in sleep problems. Conclusions: This study showed a high prevalence of sleep disorders in the elderly in Amirkola, especially in women. It is necessary to assess all older individuals with sleep disorders for identifying and treatment risk factors.

IpRGCs: possible causation accounts for the higher prevalence of sleep disorders in glaucoma patients.

Sleep accounts for a third of one's lifetime, partial or complete deprivation of sleep could elicit sever disorders of body function. Previous studies have reported the higher prevalence of sleep disorders in glaucoma patients, but the definite mechanism for this phenomenon is unknown. On the other hand, it is well known by us that the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGCs) serve additional ocular functions, called non-image-forming (NIF) functions, in the regulation of circadian rhythm, melatonin secretion, sleep, mood and others. Specifically, ipRGCs can directly or indirectly innervate the central areas such as suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), downstream pineal gland (the origin of melatonin), sleep and wake-inducing centers and mood regulation areas, making NIF functions of ipRGCs relate to sleep. The more interesting thing is that previous research showed glaucoma not only affected visual functions such as the degeneration of classical retinal ganglion cells (RGCs), but also affected ipRGCs. Therefore, we hypothesize that higher prevalence of sleep disorders in glaucoma patients maybe result from the underlying glaucomatous injuries of ipRGCs leading to the abnormalities of diverse NIF functions corresponding to sleep.

An investigation into the association between demographic and morbidity factors, and sleep disturbance

The recognition of sleep disorders is important because in the long term, they are associated with numerous deleterious health outcomes. Despite the high prevalence of sleep disorders, they are widely under-diagnosed at general practice level. This study aims to investigate the association between demographic and morbidity factors, and self-reported sleep disturbance symptoms. A quantitative cross-sectional study design was used. The data collection tool was an anonymous questionnaire consisting of 22 sleep symptoms categorised into four subscales: 1. Insomnia, 2. Daytime Distress, 3. Sleep Disorder, 4. Psychological Distress. Participants were adults ≥18 years of age attending their general practitioner. A total of 281 questionnaires were analysed (70.3% response rate). Participants with a diagnosis of depression and those who experienced low mood 'very frequently' had significantly higher median scores on all four subscales. Those with a body mass index (BMI) >30kg/m2 had a higher median score on subscale 3, compared to those with lower BMIs. Smokers had higher median scores on subscales 1-3 compared to non-smokers. Participants >65 years of age had lower median scores on all subscales compared to younger participants. Married participants had lower median scores on subscales 1-3 compared to unmarried participants. A total of 37% reported that they would be willing to participate in an overnight sleep study, and 5.3% had been formally diagnosed with a sleep disorder. A number of factors are significantly associated with sleep disturbance, particularly depression, low mood, elevated BMI and smoking. General practitioners should consider these factors to increase recognition of patients who would benefit from sleep disorder investigation.

Excessive daytime somnolence is associated with hypoglycemia in adult Latinos with type 2 diabetes mellitus

ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine the frequency of sleep disorders in hypoglycemic diabetic patients and possible relationships with scores of sleep disorders and restless legs syndrome in mestizo population in Guayaquil, Ecuador. MethodsA multicenter, cross-sectional study conducted at an outpatient endocrinology clinic in urban and rural Ecuador regions, included 290 participants with type 2 diabetes mellitus with severe hypoglycemic episodes, completed, validated, and culturally adapted sleep questionnaires to assess daytime sleepiness, risk of sleep apnea and restless legs syndrome. Logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify factors associated with severe hypoglycemia. ResultsThe prevalence of EDS was 56.8%, RLS prevalence of 46.2%, and 38.6% prevalence of high risk Berlin score. Multivariate logistic regression indicated hypoglycemic T2DM in the range of 56–75 years old were more likely to have high ESS (p 0.0001). ConclusionA high prevalence of sleep disorders in diabetic Latinos living in Ecuador was evidenced. The presence of somnolence in patients older than 56 years and high HbA1c levels should alert the clinician for the occurrence of hypoglycemic episodes.

Decreased alertness due to sleep loss increases pain sensitivity in mice

Extended daytime and nighttime activities are major contributors to the growing sleep deficiency epidemic, as is the high prevalence of sleep disorders like insomnia. The consequences of chronic insufficient sleep for health remain uncertain. Sleep quality and duration predict presence of pain the next day in healthy subjects, suggesting that sleep disturbances alone may worsen pain, and experimental sleep deprivation in humans supports this claim. We demonstrate that sleep loss, but not sleep fragmentation, in healthy mice increases sensitivity to noxious stimuli (referred to as 'pain') without general sensory hyper-responsiveness. Moderate daily repeated sleep loss leads to a progressive accumulation of sleep debt and also to exaggerated pain responses, both of which are rescued after restoration of normal sleep. Caffeine and modafinil, two wake-promoting agents that have no analgesic activity in rested mice, immediately normalize pain sensitivity in sleep-deprived animals, without affecting sleep debt. The reversibility of mild sleep-loss-induced pain by wake-promoting agents reveals an unsuspected role for alertness in setting pain sensitivity. Clinically, insufficient or poor-quality sleep may worsen pain and this enhanced pain may be reduced not by analgesics, whose effectiveness is reduced, but by increasing alertness or providing better sleep.

Clinical characteristics of sleep disorders in patients with Parkinson's disease.

In order to investigate the sleep quality and influencing factors in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), 201 PD patients were enrolled and underwent extensive clinical evaluations. Subjective sleep evaluation was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS). It was found that poor sleep quality (77.11%) and excessive daytime sleepiness (32.34%) were commonly seen in PD patients and positively correlated with disease severity. Then 70 out of the 201 PD patients and 70 age- and sex-matched controls underwent a polysomnographic recording. The parameters were compared between PD group and control group and the influencing factors of sleep in PD patients were analyzed. The results showed that sleep efficiency (SE) was significantly decreased (P<0.01), and sleep latency (SL) and the arousal index (AI) were increased (P<0.05) in the PD group as compared with those in the control group. SE and total sleep time (TST) were positively correlated with the Hoehn and Yahr (H&Y) stage. There was significant difference in the extent of hypopnea and hypoxemia between the PD group and the control group (P<0.05). Our results indicate that PD patients have an overall poor sleep quality and a high prevalence of sleep disorder, which may be correlated with the disease severity. Respiratory function and oxygen supply are also affected to a certain degree in PD patients.

The Impact of Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, a Potential Risk Factor to Endometrial Cancer, on the Quality of Sleep

Polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) is a common endocrine disorder in women during their reproductive age. Recent studies showed that PCOS may be a risk factor to the development of endometrial cancer. This risk factor may be associated with sleep disorders including sleep-disordered breathing and excessive daytime sleepiness. The mechanisms leading to this high prevalence of sleep disorders in PCOS have not yet been identified. However, possible causes include alterations in body fat composition due to excess androgen levels and/or the effects of the metabolic syndrome. These effects on sleep disorders may have an impact on daily physical activities.

Development of A Novel Tool, The Owl-Sleep Inventory, for the Assessment of Sleep Disorders in Children With Comorbid Psychiatric Illness

Abstract BACKGROUND: The high prevalence of sleep disorders in children with psychiatric illness is widely recognized and has a significant impact on families. Ascertainment of sleep disorders remains difficult in a fast-paced clinical setting, owing to the lack of short and efficient assessment tools. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we tested a one-page parent-response behavioural questionnaire aimed at identifying patients for sleep clinic referral: the OWL-Sleep Inventory (OWL-SI : Godbout and Martello, 2009). DESIGN/METHODS: The OWL-SI contains 9 questions scored 1 to 3: “never/rarely” (1 point), “sometimes” (2 points), “usually” (3 points), with a subjective cut-off of 16 points. We cross-referenced the OWL-SI against a longer, widely used and validated tool, the Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ: Owens et al., 2000). Medical charts of 408 pediat-ric patients with primary psychiatric diagnosis referred to a specialized sleep clinic were reviewed. Within this group, 261 parents/caregivers had completed both the CSHQ and OWL-SI questionnaires between 2011 and mid-2015. The mean age of patients was 7.13±3.54 years (195 boys, 67 girls) and most were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD, 46.6%) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD, 25.6%). Internal consistency of the items for both the CSHQ and the OWL-SI was evaluated as well as the correlation between the two sleep measures. RESULTS: Total scores for the OWL-SI and the CSHQ were significantly correlated (r=0.623, p&amp;lt;0.001). The CSHQ successfully identified more than 98% of patients later confirmed by a clinician as having sleep disturbance, with a cut-off of 41. ASD and ADHD patients scored positively on the CSHQ (55.25 and 55.60). However, the OWL-SI identified only 53% of patients at a cut-off of 16, with mean scores of 16.17 and 15.25 for patients with ASD and ADHD respectively. When lowered to a cut-off of 11, the questionnaire was efficacious at identifying 95.4% of children needing specialized services referral. CONCLUSION: Parental response to the novel tool OWL-SI correlated significantly with the CSHQ scores. Following this study, the cut-off for the OWL-SI was lowered to 11in order to commensurate with the widely used CSHQ and the answers “never” and “rarely” are scored separately as 0 and 1, respectively. Further studies assessing prospective validity will permit to determine the optimal cut-off score leading to referral.

Effects of Sleep Quality on the Academic Performance of Undergraduate Medical Students

Abstract Background: Medical students are exposed to a significant level of pressure because of their academic demands. Thus, they are at increased risk for sleep disorders. Objectives: This study was conducted to examine the prevalence of sleep disturbance among medical students and investigate any relationship between sleep disorder and academic performance. Materials and Methods: This work is a cross-sectional questionnaire-based study. Participants of this study consisted of first-, second-, and third-year medical students. The Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) was adopted to identify sleep disorder, and the grade point average of the students was recorded for academic performance. Results: A total of 177 respondents, with a response rate of 55%, were obtained. According to the PSQI score, 36.6% of participants were considered to have abnormal sleep habits, with a statistically significant increase in female students (P < 0.05). Abnormal PSQI scores were associated with lower academic achievement (P < 0.05). Marital status, habitat, smoking and physical activity were also associated with PSQI scores. Conclusions: A high prevalence of sleep disorder was found in this population, specifically among female students. Analysis of the relationship between sleep disorder and academic performance indicates a significant relationship of PSQI scores with marital status, habitat, smoking, physical activity, and academic performance. Keywords: Academic Performance, Medical Students, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Sleep Quality

Síndrome de fatiga crónica y los trastornos del sueño: relaciones clínicas y dificultades diagnósticas

IntroductionChronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) is characterised by the presence of intractable fatigue and non-restorative sleep, symptoms which are also very prevalent in multiple diseases and appear as side effects of different drugs. Numerous studies have shown a high prevalence of sleep disorders in patients with CFS. However, non-restorative sleep and fatigue are frequently symptoms of the sleep disorders themselves, so primary sleep disorders have to be ruled out in many cases of CFS. DevelopmentThis review was performed using a structured search of the MeSH terms ([Sleep]+[Chronic fatigue syndrome]) in the PubMed database. ConclusionIdentifying primary sleep disorders in patients meeting diagnostic criteria for CFS will allow for a more comprehensive treatment approach involving new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies that may improve quality of life for these patients.

Quantitative Electroencephalographic Analysis Provides an Early-Stage Indicator of Disease Onset and Progression in the zQ175 Knock-In Mouse Model of Huntington's Disease

Patients with Huntington's disease (HD) show a high prevalence of sleep disorders that typically occur prior to the onset of motoric symptoms and neurodegeneration. Our understanding of the pathophysiological alterations in premanifest HD is limited, hindering the ability to measure disease modification in response to treatment. We used a full-length knock-in HD model to determine early changes in the electroencephalogram (EEG) and sleep that may predict the onset and progression of the disease. A 10-month longitudinal study was designed to determine the effect of the HD mutation on the EEG and sleep/wake changes in heterozygous (HET) and homozygous (HOM) zQ175 mice and wild-type (WT) littermates from 8 to 48 w of age. Mice were instrumented with tethered headmounts to record EEG/electromyography signals. Telemeters were implanted to continuously measure locomotor activity (LMA) and body temperature (Tb). Sleep deprivation (SDep) was performed at 8, 12, 16, 24, 32, and 48 w of age. The HD mutation disrupted the EEG field potential from 8-12 w in an age- and mutant huntington dose-dependent manner, prior to changes in sleep/wake states, LMA, and Tb. Prominent effects of the HD mutation on the EEG included a progressive reduction in low frequency power, a slowing of rapid eye movement peak theta frequency, and the emergence of state-dependent beta/gamma oscillations. There was no effect of genotype on the relative increase in nonrapid eye movement delta power or sleep time in response to SDep. The expression of the Huntington's disease (HD) mutation results in complex EEG alterations that occur prior to deficits in behavioral measures and are one of the earliest phenotypes uncovered in this mouse model. Despite these EEG changes, homeostatic responses to sleep loss were preserved in HET and HOM zQ175 mice. Greater insight into the localization and response of these EEG alterations to novel therapies may enable early intervention and improve outcomes for patients with HD.

The Association between Physical Activity and Sleep Disorders in Adolescents and Young Adults with Down syndrome: A Questionnaire Study

The high prevalence of sleep disorders is well documented in individuals with Down syndrome (DS). Thus, given the robust association between physical activity and sleep disorders in the typical population, more work is needed to examine this association in this population. The total of twenty-nine adolescents and young adults with DS participated in the current study. Parents reported on well-validated questionnaires to measure the levels of physical activity and sleep-related disorders in their children with DS. First, our result indicates that high active participants had lower parental reports of features associated with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) compared with low active participants. Further, after controlling for age and BMI, the levels of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity showed negative correlations with parental ratings of OSA. Both results suggest physical activity, in particular moderate-tovigorous intensity exercise, may determine the severity of OSA in adolescents and young adults with DS. Therefore, future work should consider the role of physical activity that may reduce the onset of sleep disorders in individuals with DS.