Long-lasting sleep patterns of adult patients with minor traumatic brain injury (mTBI) and non-mTBI subjects.
BACKGROUND
Sleep disturbance is a common subjective complaint of minor traumatic brain-injured (mTBI) patients, but little is known about the characteristics of sleep disturbance in adults years after the injury.


METHODS
Polysomnographic (PSG) and multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) records of 26 mTBI adult patients with normal brain computerized tomography and negative encephalographic studies, no past history of CNS pathology, no premorbid or present major psychiatric diagnosis, and no sleep apnea syndrome were compared to a matched group of apparently healthy individuals (controls).


RESULTS
Sleep patterns were disturbed in the mTBI patients. Their sleep architecture was altered, with significantly higher light-sleep non-rapid eye movement (NREM) stage 2 scores compared to controls (54.5+/-13.4% vs. 46.6+/-10.4%, respectively, p=0.03) and significantly lower REM sleep scores (21.2+/-8.4% vs. 25.4+/-4.5%, respectively, p=0.05). The MSLT findings documented significant excessive daytime episodes of falling asleep.


CONCLUSIONS
Sleep disturbances of adult patients with chronic mTBI may manifest characteristic alterations in both timing and architecture of their sleep patterns. Sleep lab evaluations may help identify subgroups of mTBI patients who would probably benefit from treatment.
Schreiber
Shaul
S
Department of Psychiatry, Tel Aviv Sourasky Medical Center and Tel Aviv University Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv 64239, Israel. shaulsch@tasmc.health.gov.il
Barkai
Gabriel
G
Gur-Hartman
Tamar
T
Peles
Einat
E
Tov
Naveh
N
Dolberg
Ornah T
OT
Pick
Chaim G
CG
D000328:Adult; D001924:Brain Concussion / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002540:Cerebral Cortex / Q000503:physiopathology; D002940:Circadian Rhythm / Q000502:physiology; D006970:Disorders of Excessive Somnolence / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017286:Polysomnography; D038223:Post-Concussion Syndrome / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D007319:Sleep Initiation and Maintenance Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012894:Sleep Stages / Q000502:physiology; D012913:Snoring / Q000503:physiopathology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed