The spectral fingerprint of sleep problems in post-traumatic stress disorder

Study Objectives

Sleep problems are a core feature of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aim of this study was to find a robust objective measure for the sleep disturbance in patients having PTSD.

Methods

The current study assessed EEG power across a wide frequency range and multiple scalp locations, in matched trauma-exposed individuals with and without PTSD, during rapid eye movement (REM) and non-REM (NREM) sleep. In addition, a full polysomnographical evaluation was performed, including sleep staging and assessment of respiratory function, limb movements, and heart rate. The occurrence of sleep disorders was also assessed.

Results

In patients having PTSD, NREM sleep shows a substantial loss of slow oscillation power and increased higher frequency activity compared with controls. The change is most pronounced over right-frontal sensors and correlates with insomnia. PTSD REM sleep shows a large power shift in the opposite direction, with increased slow oscillation power over occipital areas, which is strongly related to nightmare activity and to a lesser extent with insomnia. These pronounced spectral changes occur in the context of severe subjective sleep problems, increased occurrence of various sleep disorders and modest changes in sleep macrostructure.

Conclusions

This is the first study to show pronounced changes in EEG spectral topologies during both NREM and REM sleep in PTSD. Importantly, the observed power changes reflect the hallmarks of PTSD sleep problems: insomnia and nightmares and may thus be specific for PTSD. A spectral index derived from these data distinguishes patients from controls with high effect size, bearing promise as a candidate biomarker.

Randomized controlled trial of multi-modular motion-assisted memory desensitization and reconsolidation (3MDR) for male military veterans with treatment-resistant post-traumatic stress disorder

OBJECTIVE

To explore the potential efficacy of multi-modular motion-assisted memory desensitization and reprocessing (3MDR) in British military veterans with treatment-resistant service-related PTSD.

METHODS

Exploratory single-blind, randomized, parallel arm, cross-over controlled trial with nested process evaluation to assess fidelity, adherence and factors that influence outcome.

RESULTS

A total of 42 participants (all male) were randomized with 83% retention at 12 weeks and 86% at 26 weeks. The difference in mean Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 scores between the immediate and delayed 3MDR arms was -9.38 (95% CI -17.33 to -1.44, P = 0.021) at 12 weeks and -3.59 (-14.39 to 7.20, P = 0.513) at 26 weeks when both groups had received 3MDR. The likely effect size of 3MDR was found to be 0.65. Improvements were maintained at 26-week follow-up. 3MDR was found to be acceptable to most, but not all, participants. Several factors that may impact efficacy and acceptability of 3MDR were identified.

CONCLUSION

3MDR is a promising new intervention for treatment-resistant PTSD with emerging evidence of effect.

Dexamethasone-suppressed cortisol awakening response predicts treatment outcome in posttraumatic stress disorder

BACKGROUND

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) has been associated with several alterations in the neuroendocrine system, including enhanced cortisol suppression in response to the dexamethasone suppression test. The aim of this study was to examine whether specific biomarkers of PTSD predict treatment success in trauma-focused psychotherapy.

METHODS

Data were collected in the context of a randomized controlled trial comparing two forms of trauma-focused psychotherapy. Basal cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels, and the response to the dexamethasone suppression test were assessed pre-treatment in 24 PTSD patients. Treatment success was measured by pre- to post-treatment decrease in self-reported PTSD severity.

RESULTS

A more suppressed cortisol curve after dexamethasone significantly predicted greater PTSD symptom decrease in trauma-focused psychotherapy, independent of the effects of gender, pre-treatment PTSD symptom severity, and trauma history. Basal early morning cortisol and dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate did not predict treatment response.

LIMITATIONS

The number of participants who completed the neuroendocrine measurements was small and a significant number of participants fulfilled criteria of co-morbid major depressive disorder.

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests the use of the dexamethasone-suppression test for the cortisol awakening response as a biomarker for treatment response to trauma-focused psychotherapy. Measures of HPA-axis sensitivity appear to be an important predictor of positive clinical response in PTSD patients, and may lead to biomarker-based treatment matching in the future.