title: The influence of sleep and mood on cognitive functioning among veterans being evaluated for mild traumatic brain injury.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Veterans undergoing evaluation for mild traumatic brain injury commonly report insomnia, psychiatric symptoms, and cognitive dysfunction. This study examines the effects of self-reported amount of sleep and subjective sleep quality on neuropsychological test performance.
  
  
  METHODS
  262 veterans were seen for neuropsychological assessment in a Veterans Affairs traumatic brain injury clinic. All participants completed measures of depression, anxiety, and sleep satisfaction, and also estimated the number of hours they slept the night before the assessment. Factor scores of attention/concentration and memory were created using factor analyses. Data were analyzed with linear regression.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Depression and anxiety were significantly correlated with sleep satisfaction and predictive of cognitive ability. Both sleep satisfaction and hours slept were significantly correlated with memory, but not attention. After controlling for the effects of depression and anxiety, hours slept but not sleep satisfaction was predictive of memory test performance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Perceived sleep quality is heavily influenced by psychiatric symptoms; therefore, veterans' report of sleep satisfaction may merely reflect their overall level of distress. Sleep quantity, however, appears to uniquely contribute to memory performance. Thus, assessment of sleep is important and provides clinicians with useful information, especially among individuals with psychiatric comorbidities.
authors.affiliation: Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, 2215 Fuller Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48105, USA.
authors.forename: Brigid
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Waldron-Perrine
authors.forename: Adam P
authors.initials: AP
authors.lastname: McGuire
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Spencer
authors.forename: Lauren L
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Drag
authors.forename: Percival H
authors.initials: PH
authors.lastname: Pangilinan
authors.forename: Linas A
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Bieliauskas
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D001930:Brain Injuries / Q000150:complications* / Q000523:psychology; D003071:Cognition; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D057566:Self Report; D012890:Sleep; D014728:Veterans / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult