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BACKGROUND: Sleep difficulties are common in patients with anorexia nervosa (AN), but objective assessments have mostly been performed in hospital and laboratory settings. We aimed to identify differences in sleep patterns between patients with AN and healthy controls (HC) in their free-living environments, and potential associations between sleep patterns and clinical symptoms in patients with AN. METHODS: This cross-sectional study analyzed 20 patients with AN prior to them starting outpatient treatment and 23 HC. Sleep patterns were measured objectively using an accelerometer (Philips Actiwatch 2) for 7 consecutive days. Average sleep onset, sleep offset, total sleep time, sleep efficiency, wake after sleep onset (WASO) and mid-sleep awakenings lasting ≥ 5 min were compared between patients with AN and HC using nonparametric statistical analyses. Associations of sleep patterns with body mass index, eating-disorder symptoms, eating-disorder-associated impairment, and symptoms of depression were assessed in the patient group. RESULTS: Compared with HC, patients with AN had shorter WASO [median (interquartile range(IQR)): 33 vs. 42 min], but a longer average duration of mid-sleep awakenings lasting ≥ 5 min [median (IQR): 9 vs. 6 min, p = 0.006] and had more nights with no sleep (six nights in four patients with AN vs. zero nights in HC). There were no differences between patients with AN and HC regarding other sleep parameters and no significant correlations between sleep patterns and clinical parameters in patients with AN. However, HC presented a Intraindividual variability pattern that was closer to a normal distribution, whereas patients with AN tended to either have very regular or large variability in sleep onset time (AN; n = 7 < 25th percentile and n = 8 > 75th percentile vs. HC; n = 4 < 25 percentile and n = 3 > 75th percentile) during the week of sleep recordings. CONCLUSION: Patients with AN seem to spend more time awake during the night and have more nights without sleep than do HC, even though their average weekly sleep duration did not differ from that in HC. The intraindividual variability in sleep pattern seems to be an important parameter that should be assessed when studying sleep in patients with AN. Trial registration ClinicalTroals.gov. Identifier: NCT02745067. Registered: April 20, 2016.
Sleep disturbances are common in patients with anorexia nervosa. However, most studies that have assessed sleep patterns in this patient group have used either sleep questionnaires or sleep-measuring instruments in surroundings different from where they usually sleep. This study compared sleep patterns between patients with anorexia nervosa and healthy individuals without an eating disorder in their home environments using an accelerometer over 1 week. The accelerometer used was a sleep-monitoring instrument that looks similar to a wristwatch and records sleep patterns using movement and light sensors, and is easy to use in the home environment. We observed that patients with anorexia nervosa on average had longer periods awake during the night, as well as more awake nights compared with healthy individuals. Nevertheless, the average sleep duration during the week of sleep recordings was similar in the two groups. However, we also observed considerable variations in sleep patterns among the patients with anorexia nervosa, ranging from very regular to very irregular sleep patterns. We therefore believe that variability in the sleep patterns among patients with anorexia nervosa is an important parameter that should be included when studying sleep in these patients.
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Increasingly, studies have investigated cognitive functioning from the perspective of acute state- to remitted phases of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). Some cognitive deficits observed in the symptomatic phase persist in remission as traits or scars. The etiological origin and clinical consequences of the neurocognitive profiles reported in the literature are still unclear and may vary across populations. Deficits are suspected to influence the association between MDD and neurodegenerative disorders and could thus be of particular clinical consequence. The aim of this review is to describe the clinical neuropsychological profile in MDD and how it is related to research during the past decade on cognitive deficits in MDD from a state, trait, and scar perspective. This review, with a clinical perspective, investigates research from the past decade regarding cognitive functioning in MDD in a long-term perspective. We focus on the clinical manifestation of deficits, and the potential neurodegenerative consequences of the neurocognitive profile in MDD. Searches in Medline, PsycINFO and Embase were conducted targeting articles published between 2010 and 2020. Examination of the evidence for long-lasting neurocognitive deficits in major depression within the cognitive domains of Memory, Executive Functions, Attention, and Processing Speed was conducted and was interpreted in the context of the State, Scar and Trait hypotheses. Defining the neurocognitive profiles in MDD will have consequences for personalized evaluation and treatment of residual cognitive symptoms, and etiological understanding of mood disorders, and treatments could potentially reduce or delay the development of neurodegenerative disorders.
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BACKGROUND: Enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E) is a promising treatment option for outpatients with anorexia nervosa (AN). We aimed to determine the effectiveness of CBT-E as a standard treatment for adult outpatients with AN from the specialized eating-disorder unit of a public hospital with responsibilities to their catchment area. METHODS: This study had an open, longitudinal design. Thirty three (of planned 100) outpatients aged > 16 years suffering from AN were included to receive 40 sessions of CBT-E. Eating-disorder psychopathology and body mass index (BMI) were assessed before and after treatment, while comorbid psychiatric symptoms and trauma experiences were evaluated at the baseline, and therapeutic alliance was assessed after 4 weeks of treatment. RESULTS: A high proportion (69%) of patients dropped out of the treatment. Patient recovery was considered when they reached BMI > 18.5 and Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) score < 2.5, and 27% of all patients recovered. CONCLUSIONS: Patients who completed the treatment had mostly satisfactory outcomes. Considering the high dropout rate, it is necessary to improve the strategies for engaging patients in therapy. Several aspects of CBT-E as a standard treatment are discussed regarding the high dropout rate. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov. Identifier: NCT02745067. Registered: April 20, 2016. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/showNCT02745067.
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is difficult to treat, and no specific treatment approach has been demonstrated to be superior for adult outpatients. However, outcome data indicate that enhanced cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT-E) is a viable and promising treatment option for adults with AN, and its efficacy has been indicated in cohort studies and randomized controlled trials. The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of CBT-E as a standard treatment for adult outpatients with AN from the specialized eating-disorder unit of a public hospital with responsibilities to their catchment area. Outpatient CBT-E was administered to 33 patients in a course of 40 sessions. Although 27% of the included patients had satisfactory treatment outcomes (healthy weights and reduced eating-disorder symptoms), more than two-thirds of all patients terminated treatment early. Several aspects of CBT-E as a standard treatment are discussed regarding this high dropout rate.