Scientific Publications by FDA Staff

J Clin Sleep Med 2020 Jul 14 [Epub ahead of print]

Low repeatability of the Epworth sleepiness scale and the need to redefine the minimal clinically important difference.

Hunasikatti M

STUDY OBJECTIVES:Reduced gray matter volume in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) has recently been found in patients with NREM parasomnia, providing a neuroanatomical substrate for the arousal state dissociation. It remains unclear whether PCC changes in NREM parasomnias might also play a role for cognitive or affective dysfunction in these patients. Aim of this exploratory study was to investigate neurobehavioral correlates of PCC abnormalities in patients with NREM parasomnia. METHODS:The Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality Questionnaire (RST-PQ) and the Stress Coping Questionnaire (SVF-120) were used to assess personality and stress coping in 15 patients with NREM parasomnia and 15 age and sex-matched healthy controls. Patients’ left PCC gray matter volume was quantified with voxel-based morphometry on 3 Tesla T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data. RESULTS:In the RST-PQ, increased trait reactivity of the behavioral inhibition system and goal-drive persistence contributed most to the discrimination of patients and controls. In the SVF-120, patients showed an increased negative coping trait (i.e. anxious rumination) related to an increase of adjusted left PCC volume. CONCLUSIONS:The results suggest subclinical behavioral abnormalities in patients with NREM parasomnias. Such traits might trigger maladaptive emotion regulation processes related to a relative PCC volume increase. The findings encourage further longitudinal studies on this topic, which can provide insights into the causal relations underlying the PCC volume – behavior correlation. Such future studies will have a more direct implication on the clinical management of patients with NREM parasomnias.