NIA_Improving Function and Well-being by Improving Patient Memory: Transdiagnostic Sleep and Circadian Treatment

Overview

Mental illness is often chronic, severe, and difficult to treat. Though there has been significant progress towards establishing effective and efficient interventions for psychological health problems, many individuals do not gain lasting benefits from these treatments. The Memory Support Intervention (MSI) was developed utilizing existing findings from the cognitive science literature to improve treatment outcomes. In this study, the investigators aim to conduct an open trial that includes individuals 50 years and older to assess if a novel version of the Memory Support Intervention improves sleep and circadian functioning, reduces functional impairment, and improves patient memory for treatment.

Description

Life expectancy has increased drastically in the United States. Longer life is too often associated with illness, discomfort, disability, and dependency. Progress toward promoting health and well-being as we age must include the identification of novel treatment targets that are safe, powerful, inexpensive, and deployable. The proposed research will test one such target-patient memory for the contents of treatment.

Over 5 years, we will recruit adults who are 50 years and older and who are experiencing sleep and circadian problems (n = 178, including 20% for attrition). Participants will be randomly allocated to TranS-C plus the MSI ("TranS-C+MSI") or TranS-C alone via eight 50-minute, weekly, individual sessions. Assessments will be conducted at baseline, post-treatment, and at 6- and 12-month follow-up (6FU and 12FU).

Specific Aim 1: To evaluate if adding the MSI to TranS-C (a) improves sleep and circadian functioning, (b) improves daytime functioning, (c) improves well-being and (d) improves patient memory by comparing the effects of TranS-C+MSI vs. TranS-C alone. Hypothesis 1. Compared to TranS-C alone, people who receive TranS-C+MSI will improve more on all outcomes at post-treatment, 6FU and 12FU.

Specific Aim 2: To evaluate if patient memory for treatment mediates the relation between treatment condition and sleep and circadian functioning. Hypothesis 2. TranS-C+MSI will be associated with better memory for treatment relative to TranS-C alone, and in turn, better memory for treatment will be associated with better sleep and circadian functioning immediately following treatment and at 6FU and 12FU.

Specific Aim 3: To evaluate if subgroups hypothesized to derive added benefit from memory support moderate (a) patient memory for treatment and (b) treatment outcome. Hypothesis 3. Treatment effects for TranS-C+MSI will be larger at post-treatment for those who are older, have fewer years of education, poorer baseline cognitive functioning and more severe baseline sleep disruption and sleep-related impairment.

Exploratory analyses will compare the treatments on (a) patient adherence as well as patient-rated treatment credibility and utilization of treatment elements and (b) provider-rated acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility.

Eligibility

Inclusion criteria:

1. Aged 50 years and older;
2. English language fluency;
3. Experiencing a mobility impairment;
4. Low income;
5. Exhibit a sleep or circadian disturbance as determined by endorsing 4 "quite a bit" or 5 "very much" (or the equivalent for reverse scored items) on one or more PROMIS-SD questions.
6. 25-30 on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, as a negative screen for cognitive impairment.
7. Able/willing to give informed consent.

Exclusion criteria:

1. Severe untreated sleep disordered breathing (AHI>30) or moderate untreated sleep disordered breathing with severe daytime sleepiness (AHI of 15-30 and Epworth Sleepiness Scale >10);
2. Medical conditions that prevent a participant from comprehending and following the basic tenants of treatment (e.g., dementia) or that interfere with sleep in a manner that can't be addressed by a cognitive behavioral treatment (e.g., the Structured Clinical Interview for Sleep Disorders will be used to screen for narcolepsy, REM sleep behavior disorder) or that may preclude full participation (e.g., receipt of end of life care);
3. Homelessness;
4. Night shift work >2 nights per week in the past 3 months;
5. Substance abuse/dependence only if it makes participation in the study unfeasible;
6. Suicide risk sufficient to preclude treatment on an outpatient basis.