1
|
Faerman A, Nabasny A, Wright B, Juengst SB. Associations of Nightmares and Sleep Disturbance With Neurobehavioral Symptoms Postconcussion. J Head Trauma Rehabil 2024; 39:E105-E112. [PMID: 38709831 DOI: 10.1097/htr.0000000000000891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study investigates the association of nightmares beyond general sleep disturbance on neurobehavioral symptoms in adults with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). DESIGN Secondary analysis of a concussion cohort study. PARTICIPANTS One hundred and eleven adults older than 20 years with mTBI were recruited from a specialized concussion treatment center. MAIN MEASURES Behavioral Assessment Screening Tool, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and self-report of nightmare frequency in the past 2 weeks. RESULTS Among adults with mTBI, nightmares accounted for the greatest amount of variability in negative affect (β = .362, P < .001), anxiety (β = .332, P < .001), and impulsivity (β = .270, P < .001) after adjusting for age and sex. Overall sleep disturbance had the strongest association with depression (β = .493, P < .001), fatigue (β = .449, P < .001), self-reported executive dysfunction (β = .376, P < .001), and overall burden from concussive symptoms (β = .477, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS Nightmares and sleep disturbance are differentially associated with variance in neurobehavioral symptoms. Nightmares were independently associated with neurobehavioral symptoms representing an excess of normal functioning (eg, anxiety, impulsivity), while general sleep disturbance was associated with neurobehavioral symptoms representing functioning below normal levels (eg, depression, fatigue, self-reported executive dysfunction). Clinical and research implications are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Afik Faerman
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, California (Dr Faerman); Departments of Applied Clinical Research (Mr Nabasny and Dr Wright) and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (Drs Wright and Juengst), University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Brain Injury Research Center, TIRR Memorial Hermann, Houston, Texas (Dr Juengst); and Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, UT Health Sciences Center at Houston, Houston, Texas (Dr Juengst)
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Tomacsek V, Blaskovich B, Király A, Reichardt R, Simor P. Altered parasympathetic activity during sleep and emotionally arousing wakefulness in frequent nightmare recallers. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 2024; 274:265-277. [PMID: 36862312 PMCID: PMC10914885 DOI: 10.1007/s00406-023-01573-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2023]
Abstract
Nightmare disorder is characterized by dysfunctional emotion regulation and poor subjective sleep quality reflected in pathophysiological features such as abnormal arousal processes and sympathetic influences. Dysfunctional parasympathetic regulation, especially before and during rapid eye movement (REM) phases, is assumed to alter heart rate (HR) and its variability (HRV) of frequent nightmare recallers (NM). We hypothesized that cardiac variability is attenuated in NMs as opposed to healthy controls (CTL) during sleep, pre-sleep wakefulness and under an emotion-evoking picture-rating task. Based on the polysomnographic recordings of 24 NM and 30 CTL participants, we examined HRV during pre-REM, REM, post-REM and slow wave sleep, separately. Additionally, electrocardiographic recordings of resting state before sleep onset and under an emotionally challenging picture-rating task were also analyzed. Applying repeated measures analysis of variance (rmANOVA), a significant difference was found in the HR of NMs and CTLs during nocturnal segments but not during resting wakefulness, suggesting autonomic dysregulation, specifically during sleep in NMs. As opposed to the HR, the HRV values were not significantly different in the rmANOVA in the two groups, implying that the extent of parasympathetic dysregulation on a trait level might depend on the severeness of dysphoric dreaming. Nonetheless, in the group comparisons, the NM group showed increased HR and reduced HRV during the emotion-evoking picture-rating task, which aimed to model the nightmare experience in the daytime, indicating disrupted emotion regulation in NMs under acute distress. In conclusion, trait-like autonomic changes during sleep and state-like autonomic responses to emotion-evoking pictures indicate parasympathetic dysregulation in NMs.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vivien Tomacsek
- Doctoral School of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
- Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, 46 Izabella Street, Budapest, 1064, Hungary.
| | - Borbála Blaskovich
- Institute of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Munich, Germany
| | - Anna Király
- National Institute of Locomotor Diseases and Disabilities, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Richárd Reichardt
- Institute of Education and Psychology at Szombathely, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Péter Simor
- Institute of Psychology, ELTE Eötvös Loránd University, 46 Izabella Street, Budapest, 1064, Hungary
- UR2NF, Neuropsychology and Functional Neuroimaging Research Unit at CRCN-Center for Research in Cognition and Neurosciences and UNI-ULB Neurosciences Institute, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Brussels, Belgium
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Kaźmierczak M, Nicola SM. The Arousal-motor Hypothesis of Dopamine Function: Evidence that Dopamine Facilitates Reward Seeking in Part by Maintaining Arousal. Neuroscience 2022; 499:64-103. [PMID: 35853563 PMCID: PMC9479757 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroscience.2022.07.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Revised: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 07/12/2022] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Dopamine facilitates approach to reward via its actions on dopamine receptors in the nucleus accumbens. For example, blocking either D1 or D2 dopamine receptors in the accumbens reduces the proportion of reward-predictive cues to which rats respond with cued approach. Recent evidence indicates that accumbens dopamine also promotes wakefulness and arousal, but the relationship between dopamine's roles in arousal and reward seeking remains unexplored. Here, we show that the ability of systemic or intra-accumbens injections of the D1 antagonist SCH23390 to reduce cued approach to reward depends on the animal's state of arousal. Handling the animal, a manipulation known to increase arousal, was sufficient to reverse the behavioral effects of the antagonist. In addition, SCH23390 reduced spontaneous locomotion and increased time spent in sleep postures, both consistent with reduced arousal, but also increased time spent immobile in postures inconsistent with sleep. In contrast, the ability of the D2 antagonist haloperidol to reduce cued approach was not reversible by handling. Haloperidol reduced spontaneous locomotion but did not increase sleep postures, instead increasing immobility in non-sleep postures. We place these results in the context of the extensive literature on dopamine's contributions to behavior, and propose the arousal-motor hypothesis. This novel synthesis, which proposes that two main functions of dopamine are to promote arousal and facilitate motor behavior, accounts both for our findings and many previous behavioral observations that have led to disparate and conflicting conclusions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Marcin Kaźmierczak
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Ave, Forchheimer 111, Bronx, NY 10461, USA
| | - Saleem M Nicola
- Departments of Neuroscience and Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 1300 Morris Park Ave, Forchheimer 111, Bronx, NY 10461, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Mallett R, Picard-Deland C, Pigeon W, Wary M, Grewal A, Blagrove M, Carr M. The Relationship Between Dreams and Subsequent Morning Mood Using Self-Reports and Text Analysis. AFFECTIVE SCIENCE 2022; 3:400-405. [PMID: 36046002 PMCID: PMC9382969 DOI: 10.1007/s42761-021-00080-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2021] [Accepted: 09/04/2021] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
While material from waking life is often represented in dreams, it is less clear whether and how dreams impact waking life. Here, we assessed whether dream mood and content from home diaries predict subsequent waking mood using both subjective self-reports and an objective automated word detection approach. Subjective ratings of dream and morning mood were highly correlated within participants for both negative and positive valence, suggesting that dream mood persists into waking. Text analyses revealed similar relationships between affect words in dreams and morning mood. Moreover, dreams referencing death or the body were related to worse morning mood, as was first-person singular pronoun usage (e.g., "I"). Dreams referencing leisure or ingestion, or including first-person plural pronouns (e.g., "we"), were related to better morning mood. Together, these results suggest that subjective experiences during sleep, while often overlooked, may be an important contributor to waking mood. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s42761-021-00080-8.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Remington Mallett
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas At Austin, Austin, TX USA
| | | | - Wilfred Pigeon
- Sleep & Neurophysiology Research Laboratory, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY USA
| | - Madeline Wary
- Sleep & Neurophysiology Research Laboratory, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY USA
| | - Alam Grewal
- Sleep & Neurophysiology Research Laboratory, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY USA
| | - Mark Blagrove
- Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| | - Michelle Carr
- Sleep & Neurophysiology Research Laboratory, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY USA
- Department of Psychology, Swansea University, Swansea, UK
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Liu X, Liu ZZ, Liu BP, Jia CX. Nightmare frequency and psychopathological problems in a large sample of Chinese adolescents. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 2022; 57:805-816. [PMID: 35064282 DOI: 10.1007/s00127-022-02224-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2021] [Accepted: 01/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Nightmares are common, especially in pediatric populations and psychiatric patients. Nightmares are associated with daytime distress and negative health outcomes. The data on the prevalence and psychopathological profiles of nightmares in Chinese adolescents are limited. This study examined age and gender differences in nightmare frequency and associated psychopathological problems in a large sample of Chinese adolescents. METHODS A total of 11,831 adolescent students (mean age = 14.9, 12-18 years) participated in the baseline survey of Shandong Adolescent Behavior and Health Cohort. Participants completed a self-administered questionnaire to report their nightmare frequency, trait anger, hopelessness, and multiple domains of behavioral/emotional problems. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to examine psychopathological problems in relation to nightmare frequency. RESULTS Of the sample, 45.2% reported having nightmares at least once in the past month and 7.9% at least once/week. Girls reported more frequent nightmares than boys. Nightmare frequency significantly declined with age for both boys and girls. Mean scores on trait anger, hopelessness, attention, internalizing problems, and externalizing problems significantly increased with nightmare frequency. Frequent nightmares (at least once/week) were significantly associated with 2-4-fold increased likelihood of behavioral/emotional problems after adjusting for adolescent and family covariates. CONCLUSION Nightmares are prevalent in Chinese adolescents. Frequent nightmares are associated with multiple domains of psychopathological problems. Assessment and intervention of frequent nightmares should be incorporated into routine clinical practice and mental health services in adolescents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xianchen Liu
- Center for Public Health Initiatives, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA.
| | - Zhen-Zhen Liu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Bao-Peng Liu
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| | - Cun-Xian Jia
- Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, Cheeloo College of Medicine, Shandong University, Jinan, China
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Marquis LP, Julien SH, Daneault V, Blanchette-Carrière C, Paquette T, Carr M, Soucy JP, Montplaisir J, Nielsen T. Local Neuronal Synchronization in Frequent Nightmare Recallers and Healthy Controls: A Resting-State Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study. Front Neurosci 2021; 15:645255. [PMID: 33815047 PMCID: PMC8012764 DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2021.645255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 02/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Nightmares are highly dysphoric dreams that are well-remembered upon awakening. Frequent nightmares have been associated with psychopathology and emotional dysregulation, yet their neural mechanisms remain largely unknown. Our neurocognitive model posits that nightmares reflect dysfunction in a limbic-prefrontal circuit comprising medial prefrontal and anterior cingulate cortices, hippocampus, and amygdala. However, there is a paucity of studies that used brain imaging to directly test the neural correlates of nightmares. One such study compared the regional homogeneity (ReHo) of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging blood-oxygen level-dependent signals between frequent nightmare recallers and controls. The main results were greater regional homogeneity in the left anterior cingulate cortex and right inferior parietal lobule for the nightmare recallers than for the controls. In the present study, we aimed to document the ReHo correlates of frequent nightmares using several nightmare severity measures. We acquired resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging data from 18 frequent nightmare recallers aged 18-35 (3 males and 15 females) and 18 age- and sex-matched controls, as well as retrospective and prospective disturbed dreaming frequency estimates and scores on the Nightmare Distress Questionnaire. While there were inconsistent results for our different analyses (group comparisons, correlational analyses for frequency estimates/Nightmare Distress scores), our results suggest that nightmares are associated with altered ReHo in frontal (medial prefrontal and inferior frontal), parietal, temporal and occipital regions, as well as some subcortical regions (thalamus). We also found a positive correlation between retrospective disturbed dreaming frequency estimates and ReHo values in the hippocampus. These findings are mostly in line with a recent SPECT study from our laboratory. Our results point to the possibility that a variety of regions, including but not limited to the limbic-prefrontal circuit of our neurocognitive model, contribute to nightmare formation.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Louis-Philippe Marquis
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, CIUSSS-NÎM – Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Sarah-Hélène Julien
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, CIUSSS-NÎM – Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Véronique Daneault
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, CIUSSS-NÎM – Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Cloé Blanchette-Carrière
- Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, CIUSSS-NÎM – Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Tyna Paquette
- Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, CIUSSS-NÎM – Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Michelle Carr
- Department of Psychiatry, Sleep & Neurophysiology Research Laboratory, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, NY, United States
| | | | - Jacques Montplaisir
- Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, CIUSSS-NÎM – Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Tore Nielsen
- Center for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, CIUSSS-NÎM – Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada
| |
Collapse
|