Modulation of cardiac autonomic activity across consciousness states and levels of sleep depth in individuals with sleep complaints and bipolar disorder or unipolar depressive disorders.

Objective: Autonomic nervous system dysfunction and reduced heart rate variability (HRV) often co-exist with mood disorders, a phenomenon likely influenced by sleep disturbances. This study investigated heart rate (HR) and HRV across wake, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, and non-REM (NREM) sleep in individuals with sleep complaints and bipolar or unipolar depressive disorder.

Methods: Polysomnographic data was retrospectively collated for 120 adult patients with sleep complaints and depressive symptoms [60 diagnosed with bipolar disorder, 60 diagnosed with a unipolar depressive disorder], and 60 healthy controls.

Preliminary Evidence That Design Fluency Is Related to Dual-Task Treadmill Gait Variability in Healthy Adults.

Evidence supporting a link between gait and cognition is accumulating. However, the relation between executive functioning and spatiotemporal gait parameters has received little attention. This is surprising since these gait variables are related to falls.

Vestibular symptoms are related to the proportion of REM sleep in people with sleep complaints: A preliminary report.

Objective/background: Though sleep problems (apnea, insomnia) and related daytime symptoms (fatigue, anxiety, depression) have been associated with vestibular problems (falls, dizziness), it is not well known which particular sleep features relate to vestibular problems. We thus assessed symptoms of vestibular problems in patients visiting a sleep clinic and evaluated how they were associated with objective sleep parameters derived from polysomnography and relevant daytime symptoms.

Patients/methods: The polysomnography data of thirty-one patients (61% female, between 20 and 79 years of age) who were referred for clinical sleep assessment was collated with subjective measures of symptoms linked to vestibular problems (rated on the Situational Characteristics Questionnaire), as well as fatigue, anxiety and depression symptoms.

Sex differences in Parkinson disease-associated episodic memory and processing speed deficits.

Objectives: This study aims to address a gap in the data on cognitive sex differences in persons living with Parkinson disease (PD). There is some evidence that cognitive dysfunction is more severe in male PD, however data on episodic memory and processing speed is incomplete.

Methods: One hundred and sixty-seven individuals with a diagnosis of PD were included in this study.