Technology-enhanced in vivo exposures in Prolonged Exposure for PTSD: A pilot randomized controlled trial.

In vivo exposures (IVEs) are a key component of exposure-based treatments, during which patients approach fear-provoking, yet safe, situations in "real life." This pilot study assessed the use of a wearable technology (Bio Ware) during IVEs to enhance Prolonged Exposure (PE) therapy for PTSD. Bio Ware provides a clinician dashboard with real-time physiological and subjective data for clinicians to use for virtually guided IVEs. Participants (N = 40) were randomized to a Guided group that received standard PE and virtual, clinician-guided IVEs with the Bio Ware device, or a Non-Guided group that received standard PE and used the Bio Ware device on their own for IVEs. Multilevel linear models with bootstrapping were completed on the intent-to-treat (ITT; N = 39) and per-protocol samples (PP; n = 23), defined as completing at least eight sessions of PE and using the Bio Ware system during ≥ 1 IVEs. In the PP sample, there were significant effects of treatment condition (b = -14.55, SE = 1.47, 95% CI [-17.58, -11.78], p < .001) and time (b = -1.98, SE = 0.25, 95% CI [-2.47, -1.48], p < .001). While both groups showed reductions in PTSD symptoms, the Guided group evidenced significantly greater reductions than the Non-Guided group. These findings demonstrate the feasibility and safety of leveraging Bio Ware for virtual, clinician-guided IVEs during PE therapy for PTSD and suggest that virtual, clinician-guided exposures may enhance treatment outcomes. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT04471207.

Decreasing Sedentary Behavior: Effects on Academic Performance, Meta-Cognition, and Sleep.

There is growing interest in using activity workstations as a method of increasing light physical activity in normally sedentary environments. The current study (N = 117) compared the effects of studying in college students while slowly pedaling a stationary bike with a desktop with studying at traditional desks across 10 weeks in an academic semester. The students were assigned to study either on the stationary bike or at a traditional desk located in the campus library for a minimum of 2 h a week. During the 10 weeks, the students studied for tests or worked on other required academic activities while working at their assigned desk. In addition, the participants completed a pre survey, weekly surveys, and a post survey. We found that although students studying at the traditional desks reported more ease of studying and more effective studying than those using the stationary bikes, the two groups performed equally well on tests in an introductory psychology course. Moreover, the students using the traditional desks reported a decrease in sleep quality later in the semester while those using the activity workstation reported stable levels of sleep quality. The current results indicate that activity workstations could be implemented in university settings to encourage light physical activity without negatively affecting academic performance while providing possible long-term health and well-being benefits. Furthermore, the results suggests that activity workstations could be a means of combating sedentary behavior in environments where individuals are expected to sit either while waiting (e.g., doctor's waiting rooms, airports) or when completing a necessary task (e.g., the workplace, educational settings).

Interactions between sleep habits and self-control.

Good sleep habits and effective self-control are important components of successful functioning. Unfortunately chronic sleep loss and impaired self-control are common occurrences for many individuals which can lead to difficulty with daily self-control issues such as resisting impulses and maintaining attentive behavior. Understanding how self-control is depleted and how good sleep habits may help replenish and maintain the capacity for self-control is an important issue. A sleep-deprived individual who has expended the necessary resources for self-control is at an increased risk for succumbing to impulsive desires, poor attentional capacity, and compromised decision making. To date, few studies have investigated how sleep and self-control are inter-related. The goal of this mini-review is to explore the intersection between sleep habits and self-control and encourage researchers to focus on a new area of research that integrates what are at present largely separate areas in psychology and human neurosciences.