Biomaterial Database

Effects of chronic insomnia and use of benzodiazepines on daytime performance in older adults. 2000

A Vignola, and C Lamoureux, and C H Bastien, and C M Morin

Ecole de Psychologie, Université Laval, Ste-Foy, Québec, Canada.

This study evaluated the impact of insomnia and chronic use of benzodiazepines on the cognitive and psychomotor performance of older adults. Three conditions, matched on age, gender, and education, were compared: 20 prolonged users of benzodiazepines for insomnia, 20 unmedicated insomniacs, and 20 good sleepers. The participants completed neuropsychological tests of memory, attention/concentration, psychomotor speed, and executive functions, as well as subjective evaluations of their actual performance. Individuals with insomnia, both medicated and unmedicated, performed worse than good sleepers on the attention/concentration factor. There was no other objective evidence of performance impairments. However, unmedicated insomniacs had lower performance expectancies and subjectively rated their performance more negatively relative to medicated insomniacs and good sleepers. Both insomnia conditions also rated their performance as lower compared with their perceived potential. It is suggested that the attention/concentration difficulties experienced by medicated and unmedicated older adults with insomnia may be linked to a state of hyperarousal. The discrepancies between subjective reports of daytime deficits and objective impairments may reflect a generalized faulty appraisal of sleep and daytime functioning among individuals with insomnia complaints. The implications of those findings for the assessment and treatment of late-life insomnia are discussed.

UI	MeSH Term	Description	Entries
D007319	Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders	Disorders characterized by impairment of the ability to initiate or maintain sleep. This may occur as a primary disorder or in association with another medical or psychiatric condition.	Disorders of Initiating and Maintaining Sleep,Insomnia,Sleeplessness,Chronic Insomnia,DIMS (Disorders of Initiating and Maintaining Sleep),Early Awakening,Insomnia Disorder,Nonorganic Insomnia,Primary Insomnia,Psychophysiological Insomnia,Rebound Insomnia,Secondary Insomnia,Sleep Initiation Dysfunction,Transient Insomnia,Awakening, Early,Dysfunction, Sleep Initiation,Dysfunctions, Sleep Initiation,Insomnia Disorders,Insomnia, Chronic,Insomnia, Nonorganic,Insomnia, Primary,Insomnia, Psychophysiological,Insomnia, Rebound,Insomnia, Secondary,Insomnia, Transient,Insomnias,Sleep Initiation Dysfunctions
D008297	Male		Males
D008875	Middle Aged	An adult aged 45 - 64 years.	Middle Age
D009483	Neuropsychological Tests	Tests designed to assess neurological function associated with certain behaviors. They are used in diagnosing brain dysfunction or damage and central nervous system disorders or injury.	Aphasia Tests,Cognitive Test,Cognitive Testing,Cognitive Tests,Memory for Designs Test,Neuropsychological Testing,AX-CPT,Behavioral Assessment of Dysexecutive Syndrome,CANTAB,Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery,Clock Test,Cognitive Function Scanner,Continuous Performance Task,Controlled Oral Word Association Test,Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System,Developmental Neuropsychological Assessment,Hooper Visual Organization Test,NEPSY,Neuropsychologic Tests,Neuropsychological Test,Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test,Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status,Rey-Osterrieth Complex Figure,Symbol Digit Modalities Test,Test of Everyday Attention,Test, Neuropsychological,Tests, Neuropsychological,Tower of London Test,Neuropsychologic Test,Test, Cognitive,Testing, Cognitive,Testing, Neuropsychological,Tests, Cognitive
D011597	Psychomotor Performance	The coordination of a sensory or ideational (cognitive) process and a motor activity.	Perceptual Motor Performance,Sensory Motor Performance,Visual Motor Coordination,Coordination, Visual Motor,Coordinations, Visual Motor,Motor Coordination, Visual,Motor Coordinations, Visual,Motor Performance, Perceptual,Motor Performance, Sensory,Motor Performances, Perceptual,Motor Performances, Sensory,Perceptual Motor Performances,Performance, Perceptual Motor,Performance, Psychomotor,Performance, Sensory Motor,Performances, Perceptual Motor,Performances, Psychomotor,Performances, Sensory Motor,Psychomotor Performances,Sensory Motor Performances,Visual Motor Coordinations
D011930	Reaction Time	The time from the onset of a stimulus until a response is observed.	Response Latency,Response Speed,Response Time,Latency, Response,Reaction Times,Response Latencies,Response Times,Speed, Response,Speeds, Response
D011939	Mental Recall	The process whereby a representation of past experience is elicited.	Recall, Mental
D002908	Chronic Disease	Diseases which have one or more of the following characteristics: they are permanent, leave residual disability, are caused by nonreversible pathological alteration, require special training of the patient for rehabilitation, or may be expected to require a long period of supervision, observation, or care (Dictionary of Health Services Management, 2d ed). For epidemiological studies chronic disease often includes HEART DISEASES; STROKE; CANCER; and diabetes (DIABETES MELLITUS, TYPE 2).	Chronic Condition,Chronic Illness,Chronically Ill,Chronic Conditions,Chronic Diseases,Chronic Illnesses,Condition, Chronic,Disease, Chronic,Illness, Chronic
D005260	Female		Females
D006801	Humans	Members of the species Homo sapiens.	Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man