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Evening-type military veterans report worse lifetime posttraumatic stress symptoms and greater brainstem activity across wakefulness and REM sleep.

ABSTRACT: Evening chronotypes exhibit increased rates of affective dyregulation and sleep disturbances (e.g., insomnia and nightmares). Such symptoms are common to military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, the influence of chronotype on this population remains unknown. We examined behavioral, psychological, and neural correlates of chronotype in 36 combat-exposed military veterans with varying degrees of posttraumatic stress symptomatology. We employed FDG-PET to assess neural activity across wakefulness and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. We used polysomnography and diaries to monitor sleep, and a self-report survey to measure chronotype. Eveningness was associated with greater lifetime PTSD symptoms, more disturbed sleep, and more frequent and intense nightmares. Eveningness was also associated with greater brain activity in posterior cingulate/precuneus and brainstem regions across wakefulness and REM sleep, overlapping with regions related to arousal and REM sleep generation. Chronotype may be an important correlate of neural activity in REM sleep-generating and/or arousal regulatory regions among combat-exposed veterans with PTSD symptoms. Further investigations of the role of chronotype in PTSD are warranted.

SUBMITTER: Hasler BP

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3797161 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Evening-type military veterans report worse lifetime posttraumatic stress symptoms and greater brainstem activity across wakefulness and REM sleep.

Hasler Brant P BP Insana Salvatore P SP James Jeffrey A JA Germain Anne A

Biological psychology 20130702 2

Evening chronotypes exhibit increased rates of affective dyregulation and sleep disturbances (e.g., insomnia and nightmares). Such symptoms are common to military veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD); however, the influence of chronotype on this population remains unknown. We examined behavioral, psychological, and neural correlates of chronotype in 36 combat-exposed military veterans with varying degrees of posttraumatic stress symptomatology. We employed FDG-PET to assess neural ...[more]

PMID: 23831547

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Project description:BackgroundCurrent research in behavioral cardiology reveals a significant association between posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and increased risk for cardiovascular disease and mortality; however, the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that patients with PTSD would exhibit endothelial dysfunction, a potential mechanism involved in the development and progression of cardiovascular disease.Methods and resultsA total of 214 outpatients treated at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center underwent tests of endothelial function and evaluation for PTSD. Flow-mediated vasodilation of the brachial artery was performed to assess endothelial function, and current PTSD status was defined by the PTSD Checklist, based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (Fourth Edition), with a score ≥40. Multivariable linear regression models were used to estimate the association between PTSD status and endothelial function. Patients with PTSD (n=67) were more likely to be male (99% versus 91%, P=0.04) and to have depression (58% versus 8%, P<0.0001) and were less likely to be on an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (17% versus 36%, P=0.007) or β-blocker treatment (25% versus 41%, P=0.03). Univariate analysis demonstrated that patients with PTSD had significantly lower flow-mediated vasodilation (5.8±3.4% versus 7.5±3.7%; P=0.003); furthermore, lower flow-mediated vasodilation was associated with increasing age (P=0.008), decreasing estimated glomerular filtration rate (P=0.003), hypertension (P=0.002), aspirin (P=0.03), and β-blocker treatments (P=0.01). In multivariable analysis, PTSD remained independently associated with lower flow-mediated vasodilation (P=0.0005).ConclusionsAfter adjusting for demographic, comorbidity, and treatment characteristics, PTSD remained associated with worse endothelial function in an outpatient population. Whether poor endothelial function contributes to the higher risk of cardiovascular disease in patients with PTSD deserves further study.

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Evening-type military veterans report worse lifetime posttraumatic stress symptoms and greater brainstem activity across wakefulness and REM sleep.

Publications

Evening-type military veterans report worse lifetime posttraumatic stress symptoms and greater brainstem activity across wakefulness and REM sleep.

Similar Datasets

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