Publications by authors named "Luigi De Gennaro"
Introduction: Brain and sleep development in childhood shapes emotional and cognitive growth, including the ability to recall dreams. In line with the continuity hypothesis of dreaming, several findings suggest a link between clinical symptoms and nightmare frequency. Sleep disorders and anxiety are among the most frequently co-occurring conditions in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe aim of the present study is to investigate differences in brain networks modulation during the pre- and post-sleep onset period, both within and between two groups of young and older individuals. Thirty-six healthy elderly and 40 young subjects participated. EEG signals were recorded during pre- and post-sleep onset periods and functional connectivity analysis, specifically focusing on the small world (SW) index, applied to EEG data (i.
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- - The study explores how pregnancy-related factors, emotional awareness (alexithymia), and depression impact dream experiences in women during their first trimester, suggesting that dreaming helps with emotional regulation during this sensitive period.
- - 118 pregnant women participated in various questionnaires measuring their dream characteristics, emotional awareness, and depression, revealing that older age, prior pregnancies, and depressive symptoms influenced dream recall and nightmares.
- - Findings indicate that higher alexithymia and depressive symptoms are linked to more frequent and distressing nightmares, suggesting a need for targeted support to improve emotional coping strategies in pregnant women; future studies should look into the content of these nightmares for better understanding.
Background: Early reconstruction of the skull represents the gold standard after resection of bone infiltrating cranial tumors. Customized hydroxyapatite porous ceramics are an excellent option for covering skull bone defects. The authors illustrate the surgical technique and investigate the effectiveness of the "one-step" procedure in terms of aesthetic results and early degree of osteointegration.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStudy Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is considered a risk factor for sleepiness at the wheel (SW) and near-miss accidents (NMA). To date, there are subjective and objective methods such as the Maintenance of Wakefulness Test (MWT) to investigate sleepiness. However, these methods have limitations.
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- - The study investigates Sleep State Misperception (SSM) in Insomnia Disorder (ID) patients, who tend to misjudge their sleep latency (how long it takes to fall asleep) and total sleep time compared to healthy individuals.
- - The research involved twenty ID patients and eighteen healthy controls undergoing polysomnography (PSG) and analyzing their sleep diaries, with a focus on alterations in brain wave patterns during sleep onset and throughout the night.
- - Results indicated significant differences in brain wave activity, with ID patients showing a low delta/beta ratio and distinctive power changes in certain brain regions, suggesting a relationship between sleep misperception and altered sleep EEG topography.
Article Synopsis
- The study analyzed sleep disturbances in 242 children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to identify predictors of sleep disorders and explore co-sleeping behaviors.
- Approximately 33% of participants showed clinically relevant sleep disorders, with the most common issues related to difficulty falling and staying asleep.
- Results indicated that higher IQ/DQ, internalizing problems, and parental stress contributed to sleep disturbances, while co-sleeping children tended to be younger with lower IQ/DQ scores and reduced well-being compared to non-co-sleepers.
Article Synopsis
- * It discusses how new research has shifted towards understanding the brain's activity related to dreams, revealing inconsistencies in traditional models of dream recall and highlighting emotions and social simulations in dreams during stressful times.
- * The summary emphasizes that dreaming is a complex process involving different brain regions and serves various purposes, from reflecting real-life experiences to preparing for future challenges, indicating the need for more research in this area.
Article Synopsis
- Pure germinoma is a rare brain tumor that usually starts in the middle of the brain; sometimes it can be found in two places at once or outside the usual spots, which is very uncommon.
- Researchers reviewed many studies to look at how doctors diagnose and treat patients with these rare brain tumors and to find ways to help them faster.
- The review showed that most patients needed a biopsy (taking a small sample for testing), and many had these tumors in unusual places, which can make it hard to find and treat them quickly.
Dreaming for two: A systematic review of mental sleep activity during pregnancy.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev
August 2024
Article Synopsis
- Changes in sleep and dreams during pregnancy are common, with many studies indicating women experience more dreams and nightmares.
- The review analyzed 17 studies focusing on dream frequency, content, and emotional aspects, highlighting a connection between poor sleep quality and higher dream recall.
- Pregnancy-related themes are prevalent in dreams, reflecting the woman's waking experiences and concerns, which may help prepare them psychologically for the transition into motherhood.
Background: Preliminary data suggests that obesity might hasten the decline in mRNA vaccine-induced immunity against SARS-CoV-2. However, whether this renders individuals with obesity more susceptible to long COVID symptoms post-vaccination remains uncertain. Given sleep's critical role in immunity, exploring the associations between obesity, probable long COVID symptoms, and sleep disturbances is essential.
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- The COVID-19 pandemic has been linked to increased stress and anxiety, leading to changes in sleep quality and more episodes of sleep talking (ST).
- A study compared 27 participants who frequently experienced ST during the pandemic to 27 participants from pre-pandemic times, finding a higher frequency of ST episodes in the pandemic group.
- The results indicate that the pandemic not only increased ST frequency but also influenced the emotional intensity and bizarreness of dreams, demonstrating the pandemic's stressful impact on sleep behaviors.
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- During preadolescence, significant changes occur in sleep EEG patterns, but the specific wake-sleep transition characteristics in this age group are not well-documented.
- This study aimed to analyze the sleep onset (SO) EEG patterns in 23 preadolescents aged 9-14 and compare them to those of young adults, focusing on slow wave activity and the delta/beta ratio.
- Findings indicate preadolescents show distinct EEG characteristics during the SO process, including higher delta power and unique activity patterns in different brain areas, reflecting developmental changes in the brain at this stage.
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- A study aimed to explore the prevalence of Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS) symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to before, hypothesizing that existing symptoms worsened and new symptoms emerged due to pandemic-related stressors.
- An online survey conducted from May to August 2020 included 17,846 adults across 15 countries and found that RLS symptoms increased significantly during the pandemic (9.1%) compared to pre-pandemic levels (5.4%).
- Factors like insomnia severity, younger age, social restrictions, financial difficulties, and mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, were strongly linked to both existing and new-onset RLS symptoms during the pandemic.
Article Synopsis
- - Accurate measurement of habitual sleep duration (HSD) is important for linking sleep to health, and this study compared two self-report methods (Method-Self and Method-MCTQ) to identify bias based on sleep quality (SQ) and social jetlag (SJL).
- - The findings from 10,268 participants indicated that Method-Self typically reported HSD as 42.41 minutes lower than Method-MCTQ, with greater bias observed in those with poorer sleep quality; the two methods exhibited very poor agreement overall.
- - The study suggests that including questions about sleep quality in surveys could help reduce estimation bias and improve the reliability of sleep-related health research, especially given the systematic errors found between the two methods examined
Article Synopsis
- Sleep state misperception (SSM) is a common issue in insomnia disorder, leading to differences between perceived and actual sleep times, which can worsen daytime functioning.
- The study examined how various sleep measurements (like brain activity patterns) relate to misperceptions of sleep latency (the time taken to fall asleep) and total sleep time in patients with insomnia.
- Results showed that increased alpha brain activity during sleep onset correlates with misperceptions about sleep duration, reinforcing the idea that heightened brain arousal contributes to SSM difficulties in insomnia patients.
Article Synopsis
- * Two studies involving high school students showed that later start times were linked to better performance in scientific subjects and overall academic achievement, particularly in the second semester.
- * While delayed start times did not affect school attendance significantly, students' natural sleep preferences (circadian preferences) influenced their academic results, indicating the importance of considering individual sleep patterns.
Article Synopsis
- Diagnostic manuals describe insomnia disorder (ID) as leading to daytime fatigue and sleepiness, but patients rarely report sleepiness in clinical settings.
- A study assessed subjective sleepiness in ID using the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) and evaluated the impact of cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) on daytime functioning and fatigue.
- Results showed that ID patients had similar sleepiness levels to healthy controls and significantly less than those with excessive daytime sleepiness, indicating a disconnect between daytime functioning and sleepiness in ID, while insomnia severity correlated with fatigue.
Background: Insomnia is the most reported sleep disorder in industrialized countries, affecting, in the chronic form, around 10% of the European population. In Italy, such a percentage seems to be even higher. Although insomnia can be an independent disorder, it is frequently described as comorbid condition and may precipitate, exacerbate, or prolong a broad range of physical and mental disorders.
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- The study explores how self-rated health (SRH) relates to sleep patterns in people who had COVID-19, suggesting that COVID-19 negatively impacts SRH and sleep quality.
- Participants from 16 countries were surveyed, with findings indicating that those infected with COVID-19 reported lower SRH scores, especially if their illness was severe.
- Changes in sleep duration after infection—both decreases and increases—were significantly linked to lower SRH scores, as well as increased fatigue and other health issues, highlighting the importance of sleep in recovery.