title: Sleep in persons with frontotemporal dementia and their family caregivers.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Dementia is associated with disruptions in sleep and sleep quality for patients and their family caregivers. Little is known about the impact of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) on sleep.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to characterize sleep in patients with FTD and their family caregivers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty-two patient-caregiver dyads were enrolled: Thirteen behavioral variant FTD (bvFTD) and nine semantic dementia (SD). Sleep and sleep quality data were collected for 2 weeks using diaries and Actiwatches.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with bvFTD and SD spent more time in bed at night compared to their caregivers. Nighttime behaviors were reported more frequently by caregivers for the bvFTD patients and strongly correlated with caregiver distress. Actigraphy data showed normal sleep efficiency and timing of the nighttime sleep period for both patients and their caregivers. Caregivers of patients with bvFTD reported poorer sleep quality compared to the SD caregivers. A greater number of bvFTD caregivers compared to SD reported negative aspects of sleep quality for themselves and used sleep medications more frequently.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The clinical manifestations of bvFTD appear to be associated with different and more distressing impacts on the caregiver sleep quality than SD.
authors.affiliation: Jennifer Merrilees, PhD, RN, is Clinical Nurse Specialist and Associate Clinical Professor, Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco. Erin Hubbard, MA, is Research Associate; and Judy Mastick, RN, MN, is Project Director, Department of Physiology Nursing, University of California, San Francisco. Bruce L. Miller, MD, is Professor and Director, Memory and Aging Center, University of California, San Francisco. Glenna A. Dowling, PhD, RN, FAAN, is Professor, Department of Physiological Nursing, University of California, San Francisco.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Merrilees
authors.forename: Erin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hubbard
authors.forename: Judy
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mastick
authors.forename: Bruce L
authors.initials: BL
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Glenna A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Dowling
mesh_terms: D056044:Actigraphy; D000368:Aged; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D057180:Frontotemporal Dementia / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012647:Self-Assessment; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications