Neuropsychological performance in older insomniacs

Neuropsychol Dev Cogn B Aging Neuropsychol Cogn. 2013;20(1):34-48. doi: 10.1080/13825585.2012.672947. Epub 2012 Apr 10.

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine daytime performance in older adults fulfilling the diagnostic criteria for DSM-IV Insomnia, using a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests, and to compare these objective findings with measures of self-reported cognitive functioning. A total of 121 participants (69% women) with a mean age of 64.0 were part of a thorough neuropsychological examination at a University-based neuropsychological clinic in Western Norway. Twenty-five percent of the participants fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for insomnia. In sum, the insomnia patients were not different from the good sleepers on any neuropsychological test measure, and none of the results on the performance measures were associated with the sleep-related daytime complaints. However, the insomniacs did rate their subjective memory performance as significantly worse than the good sleepers, and they also reported more depressive symptoms. We conclude that DSM-IV defined insomnia was not associated with any performance based measure; only with self-reported symptoms.

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Analysis of Variance
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis*
  • Cognition Disorders / etiology*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Linear Models
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Neuropsychological Tests
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Self Report
  • Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / complications*
  • Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / psychology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires