Publications by authors named "Maurizio Gorgoni"
The 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 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.
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.
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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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- Numerous studies have emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic to explore its impact on sleep patterns and mental health.
- Research indicates that many individuals have experienced disruptions in sleep quality and increased anxiety or depression during this time.
- These findings highlight the need for a deeper understanding of how global crises can affect our overall well-being.
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.
Several lines of evidence suggest that cluster headache is related to chronobiology and sleep. Nevertheless, the nature of such a relationship is unclear. In this view, the objective evaluation of sleep in cluster headache has strong theoretical and clinical relevance.
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- * It finds that individuals with aMCI who later convert to AD have significantly reduced K-complex density in the parietal region compared to healthy controls, while both aMCI groups show less slow-wave sleep than controls.
- * The results suggest that K-complex changes in aMCI may occur early in the progression toward AD, particularly in parietal areas, and that frontal changes are more prominent in later stages of AD.
Introduction: Cluster headache (CH) is a trigeminal autonomic cephalalgia characterized by attacks of severe unilateral pain associated with ipsilateral autonomic symptoms. Cluster headache attacks exhibit nocturnal predilection, and sleep disorders could be the first manifestation of an incipient cluster period. Sleep alterations in cluster headache patients may reflect the pivotal role of the hypothalamus, which is crucially involved in the pathophysiology of this primary headache.
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- The study analyzed changes in dream features, particularly nightmares, among a large sample of Italians during the COVID-19 pandemic, comparing data from Spring 2020 and 2021.
- Participants were categorized as "Improved" or "Not Improved" based on their levels of psychological distress, with the Improved group exhibiting lower rates of nightmares and associated distress.
- The results highlighted a reduction in various dream characteristics during the third pandemic wave, suggesting that people adapted over time and that specific sleep-related factors influence the relationship between mental health and nightmares.
The imposition of lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic placed individuals under conditions of environmental stress, threatening individual and collective wellbeing. This study aimed to investigate the temporal effects of isolation and confinement during and after the Italian lockdown on decision-making, risk propensity, and cognitive control processes. The present study covered almost the entire Italian lockdown period (each week from the end of March to mid-May 2020), plus a follow-up measure (September 2020).
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- * The combination of rapid biological and psychosocial changes during adolescence contributes to at-risk behaviors and exacerbates mental health concerns, including mood disorders and self-injury.
- * The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted many adolescents' mental health and sleep quality, highlighting the need for preventative strategies to support their mental and physical health.
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- Recent research shows that transcranial electrical stimulation can change levels of sleepiness and alertness, but results vary based on the type of measure used (physiological, behavioral, or subjective).
- In a study with 23 partially sleep-deprived participants, bifrontal anodal transcranial direct current stimulation was tested against a sham control to see its effects on sleepiness and vigilance.
- The active stimulation successfully reduced physiological sleepiness and maintained vigilance compared to the sham, although subjective measures of sleepiness weren't significantly impacted, possibly due to a small sample size and external factors.
Article Synopsis
- - The study analyzed the effects of COVID-19 on mental health and sleep among 287 Italian healthcare workers, consisting of 212 nurses and 75 physicians, through a web survey comparing conditions before and during the pandemic (February to June 2022).
- - Results indicated that nurses experienced significantly more distress than physicians, with nurses showing greater deterioration in psychological and sleep symptoms over time, particularly those working on the frontline.
- - The findings highlight the urgent need for targeted prevention programs to enhance coping skills and address issues like sleep quality and stress management for healthcare professionals, especially those at higher risk.
Article Synopsis
- A novel coronavirus, known as 2019-nCoV, emerged in late 2019 and has rapidly spread across the globe.
- It quickly led to the declaration of a pandemic due to its alarming speed of transmission.
- The situation has raised significant health concerns and highlighted the need for effective responses and strategies to manage the crisis.
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- Recent studies indicate that many individuals experiencing long-term symptoms after COVID-19 (long-COVID) report significant changes in their sleep patterns and dream experiences.
- The research, involving 383 participants from Italy, found that those with long-COVID showed poorer sleep quality and higher rates of insomnia, nightmares, and daytime sleepiness compared to those with short-COVID.
- Factors such as age, psychological status, and the number of persistent symptoms were identified as key contributors to these sleep disturbances in long-COVID patients.
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- Sleep talking (ST) involves verbal vocalizations during sleep and may relate to memory and language processes, but its connection to sleep quality and cognitive functions is not well understood.
- A study with 29 sleep talkers and 30 healthy participants examined their sleep patterns and dreams over a week while recording their vocal activations.
- Findings indicated that sleep talkers experienced poorer sleep quality and more sleep fragmentation, but both groups had similar memory consolidation rates, suggesting ST could be linked to cognitive processes despite being a benign occurrence.
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- Sleep parasomnias, including REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (RBD), provide insights into dream activity and nocturnal experiences, helping researchers bypass limitations in traditional dream studies.
- RBD involves vivid dreaming and physical movements during REM sleep, leading to high Dream Recall Frequency (DRF) in patients.
- The review examines dream patterns in RBD and compares them with non-REM parasomnias, while also exploring the connection between RBD and neurodegenerative diseases linked to α-synucleinopathies.
Article Synopsis
- The COVID-19 pandemic significantly disrupted sleep and mental health worldwide, especially during the lockdowns in Italy from 2020 to 2022.
- A study involving 1062 participants assessed changes in sleep quality, insomnia, and mental health across different demographics throughout this period, showing gradual improvements in disturbances but a decrease in overall sleep duration.
- While stress levels initially increased during the second lockdown, by April 2022, some positive trends emerged; however, ongoing monitoring is necessary to fully understand the long-term effects on sleep and mental health post-pandemic.
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- REM sleep behaviour disorder (RBD) is a condition where individuals act out their dreams due to a loss of muscle atonia during REM sleep, which can lead to injuries.
- The behavior during these episodes often reflects the vivid and violent nature of their dreams, making RBD an interesting topic for studying dream mechanisms.
- This review consolidates existing research on dream recall in RBD, emphasizing its value in understanding both the disorder itself and the underlying neurobiological and cognitive processes related to dreaming.
Article Synopsis
- * The research involved comparing binge-watching symptoms and motives between good sleepers (n=253) and poor sleepers (n=209), revealing that poor sleepers engage in binge-watching more frequently and use it to cope with negative emotions significantly more.
- * Hierarchical multiple regression analysis identified several significant factors associated with problematic binge-watching in poor sleepers, including emotional dysregulation, loneliness, and daytime sleepiness, suggesting a detrimental cycle between these issues and binge-watching behavior.
Non-REM sleep electrophysiology in REM sleep behaviour disorder: A narrative mini-review.
Neurosci Biobehav Rev
November 2022
Isolated Rapid Eye Movement Sleep (REM) behaviour disorder (iRBD) is a prodromal sign of neurodegenerative disorders. Empirical findings point to a role of non-REM (NREM) sleep alterations in neurodegenerative processes. Therefore, the interest in NREM sleep electroencephalography (EEG) of iRBD is progressively increasing.
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