Study Objectives: To examine the effects of cognitive behavioral treatments for insomnia (CBT-I) and pain (CBT-P) in patients with comorbid fibromyalgia and insomnia.Methods: One hundred thirteen patients (M age = 53, SD = 10.9) were randomized to eight sessions of CBT-I (n = 39), CBT-P (n = 37), or a waitlist control (WLC, n = 37). Primary (self-reported sleep onset latency [SOL], wake after sleep onset [WASO], sleep efficiency [SE], sleep quality [SQ], and pain ratings) and secondary outcomes (dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep [DBAS]; actigraphy and polysomnography SOL, WASO, and SE; McGill Pain Questionnaire; Pain Disability Index; depression; and anxiety) were examined at posttreatment and 6 months.Results: Mixed effects analyses revealed that both treatments improved self-reported WASO, SE, and SQ relative to control at posttreatment and follow-up, with generally larger effect sizes for CBT-I. DBAS improved in CBT-I only. Pain and mood improvements did not differ by group. Clinical significance analyses revealed the proportion of participants no longer reporting difficulties initiating and maintaining sleep was higher for CBT-I posttreatment and for both treatments at 6 months relative to control. Few participants achieved >50% pain reductions. Proportion achieving pain reductions of >30% (~1/3) was higher for both treatments posttreatment and for CBT-I at 6 months relative to control. Conclusions:CBT-I and CBT-P improved self-reported insomnia symptoms. CBT-I prompted improvements of larger magnitude that were maintained. Neither treatment improved pain or mood. However, both prompted clinically meaningful, immediate pain reductions in one third of patients. Improvements persisted for CBT-I, suggesting that CBT-I may provide better long-term pain reduction than CBT-P. Research identifying which patients benefit and mechanisms driving intervention effects is needed. Clinical Trial: Sleep and Pain Interventions in Fibromyalgia (SPIN), clinicaltrials.gov, NCT02001077.

NCT02967185.

Insomnia is common in children with autism. Cognitive behavioral treatment for childhood insomnia may improve sleep and functioning in children with autism and their parents, but delivery involving multiple office visits limits accessibility. This single-arm pilot study tested telehealth delivery of eight-session cognitive behavioral treatment for childhood insomnia in 17 children (6–12 years) with autism spectrum disorder and insomnia and their parent(s). Treatment integrity was assessed each session ( delivery, by therapist; receipt, participant understanding; and enactment, home practice). Treatment satisfaction was assessed after treatment. Children and parents wore actigraphs and completed electronic diaries for 2 weeks, children completed 5-min Holter Monitoring (assessed heart rate variability, physiological arousal indicator), and parents completed Aberrant Behavior Checklist before and after 1 month. Average integrity scores were high (98%, delivery; 93%, receipt; and 82%, enactment). Parents found cognitive behavioral treatment for childhood insomnia helpful, age-appropriate, and autism-friendly. Paired-samples t-tests (family-wise error controlled) indicated telehealth cognitive behavioral treatment for childhood insomnia improved child and parent sleep ( objective and subjective) and functioning (child—decreased irritability, lethargy, stereotypy, hyperactivity; parent—decreased fatigue). At 1 month, inappropriate speech also decreased, but hyperactivity was no longer decreased. Other gains were maintained. Most children demonstrated reduced arousal following treatment. This pilot shows telehealth cognitive behavioral treatment for childhood insomnia is feasible and may improve child and parent sleep, child behavior and arousal, and parent fatigue. A randomized controlled trial of telehealth cognitive behavioral treatment for childhood insomnia for children with autism is needed. Lay abstract Insomnia is common in children with autism. Cognitive behavioral treatment for childhood insomnia (CBT-CI) may improve sleep and functioning in children with autism and their parents, but typical delivery involving multiple office visits can make it difficult for some children to get this treatment. This pilot study tested telehealth delivery of CBT-CI using computers, which allowed children and their parents to get the treatment at home. This pilot shows therapists that parents and children were able to use telehealth CBT-CI to improve child and parent sleep, child behavior and arousal, and parent fatigue. Parents found telehealth CBT-CI helpful, age-appropriate, and autism-friendly. Telehealth CBT-CI holds promise for treating insomnia in school-aged children with autism and deserves further testing.

Higher female prevalence of hexanucleotide repeat expansions in ALS and mutations in FTD suggest that sex-related risk factors might moderate andmediated phenotypic expression.

Insomnia is common in autism and associated with challenging behavior and worse parent sleep. Cognitive behavioral treatment for childhood insomnia (CBT‐CI) is efficacious in typically developing children, but not yet tested in school‐aged children with autism. This single arm pilot tested 8‐session CBT‐CI in 17 children with autism and insomnia (M age = 8.76 years, SD = 1.99) and their parent(s) (M age = 39.50 years, SD = 4.83). Treatment integrity was assessed for each session [delivery (by therapist), receipt (participant understanding), and enactment (home practice)]. Children and parents wore actigraphs and completed electronic diaries for 2‐weeks to obtain objective and subjective sleep onset latency (SOL), total sleep/wake times (TST/TWT), and sleep efficiency (SE) at pre/post/1‐month follow‐up. Parents also completed the Aberrant Behavior Checklist [irritability, lethargy, stereotypy, hyperactivity, inappropriate speech (e.g., excessive/repetitive, loud self‐talk)] at pre/post/1‐month. Fifteen children completed all sessions. Average integrity scores were high [90%‐delivery/receipt, 87.5%‐enactment]. Parents found CBT‐CI helpful, age‐appropriate, and autism‐friendly. Paired samples t‐tests (family‐wise error controlled) found CBT‐CI improved child sleep (objective SOL‐18 min, TWT‐ 34 min, SE‐5%; subjective SOL‐29 min, TST‐63 min, TWT‐45 min, SE‐8%), and decreased irritability, lethargy, stereotypy, and hyperactivity. At 1‐month, objective TST improved, inappropriate speech decreased, but hyperactivity was no longer decreased. Other gains were maintained. Parent sleep (objective SOL‐12 min, TST‐35 min, TWT‐21 min, SE‐4%; subjective SOL‐11 min, TWT‐ 31min, SE‐11%) and fatigue also improved. At 1‐month, gains were maintained. This pilot shows CBT‐CI is a feasible treatment that holds promise for improving child and parent sleep and functioning and suggests a randomized controlled trial in school‐aged children with autism is worth conducting. Autism Res 2020, 13: 167–176. © 2019 International Society for Autism Research, Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Lay SummaryInsomnia is common in autism and associated with challenging behaviors and poor parent sleep and stress. Cognitive behavioral treatment for childhood insomnia (CBT‐CI) has not been tested in school‐aged children with autism. This pilot study shows therapists, parents, and children were able to use CBT‐CI to improve child and parent sleep, child behavior, and parent fatigue. Parents found CBT‐CI helpful, age‐appropriate, and autism‐friendly. CBT‐CI holds promise for treating insomnia in school‐aged children with autism and deserves further testing.

IntroductionDespite important sex differences, there remains a paucity of studies examining sex and gender differences in neurodegeneration. The Canadian Consortium on Neurodegeneration in Aging (CCNA), a national network of researchers, provides an ideal platform to incorporate sex and gender.MethodsCCNA's Women, Gender, Sex and Dementia program developed and implemented a six-component strategy involving executive oversight, training, research collaboration, progress report assessment, results dissemination, and ongoing manuscript review. The inclusion of sex and gender in current and planned CCNA projects was examined in two progress reporting periods in 2016.ResultsSex and gender research productivity increased substantially for both preclinical (36%–45%) and human (56%–60%) cohorts. The main barrier was lack of funding.DiscussionThe Women, Gender, Sex and Dementia strategy resulted in a major increase of sex and gender into research on neurodegenerative disorders. This best practice model could be utilized by a wide variety of large multidisciplinary groups.

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Study Objectives: The goal of this study was to examine daily associations between sleep and cognition in older adults suffering from insomnia, with or without a history of chronic pain. Methods: Sixty older adults with insomnia and a history of chronic pain (HxCP; n = 33, mean age = 69.5 years, standard deviation = 7.8) or no history of chronic pain (NCP; n = 27, mean age = 69.7 years, standard deviation = 7.9) completed 14 days of diaries and actigraphy, measuring sleep onset latency (SOL), wake after sleep onset (WASO), sleep efficiency (SE), and sleep quality. Participants completed daily cognitive measures of processing speed (ie, symbol digit modalities test, SDMT), reasoning (ie, letter series), and verbal memory (ie, word list delayed recall). For HxCP and NCP, associations between sleep parameters, daily pain, depressive symptoms (ie, Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition scores), and daily cognition, controlling for age, and global cognition were examined through multilevel modeling. Results: For HxCP, greater self-reported WASO was associated with worse next-day SDMT performance, whereas greater actigraphic WASO was associated with better next-day SDMT performance. Greater depression was associated with worse daily letter series performance. Greater self-reported WASO and SE were associated with better next-day delayed recall. For NCP, greater self-reported WASO and depression were associated with better daily SDMT performance, whereas worse daily pain was associated with worse SDMT and delayed recall performance. Conclusions: In older adults with HxCP, improving sleep may benefit lower level cognition, whereas reducing depression may affect higher level cognition. Discrepancies in sleep parameters promote assessment of objective and subjective sleep outcomes when investigating effects of insomnia on cognition.