The longstanding view has been that insomnia, and other forms of sleep disturbance, emerge as a consequence of dementia and are the result of progressive neuronal damage. However, there is growing evidence that the direction of causation may go both ways, with sleep disturbance potentially increasing vulnerability to dementia. Longitudinal studies have found that sleep disturbance often precedes and increases risk for dementia by several years. The purpose of this study is to examine whether treatment of insomnia with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-I) is associated with a decrease in dementia biomarkers found in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Fifteen adults age 30-50 with chronic insomnia will undergo overnight polysomnography and CSF sampling in the morning. This will be followed by 8 weeks of treatment with CBT-I and then repeat CSF sampling.
Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation
NA
Purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Enrollment
9
A behavioral modification program consisting of 8 clinic sessions focused on sleep hygiene, stimulus control, sleep restriction, and cognitive restructuring.
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
CSF markers related to dementia
CSF levels of the proteins tau and beta amyloid
Time frame: 8 weeks
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