Dreaming Characteristics in Non-Rapid Eye Movement Parasomnia and Idiopathic Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behaviour Disorder: Similarities and Differences

Background: Speech graph analysis (SGA) of dreams has recently shown promise as an objective and language-invariant diagnostic tool that can aid neuropsychiatric diagnosis. Whilst the notion that dreaming mentations reflect distinct physiologic processes is not new, such studies in patients with sleep disorders remain exceptionally scarce. Here, using SGA and other dream content analyses, we set to investigate structural and thematic differences in morning dream recalls of patients diagnosed with Non-Rapid Eye Movement Parasomnia (NREMP) and Idiopathic REM Sleep Behavior Disorder (iRBD). Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional study of morning dream recalls of iRBD and NREMP patients was undertaken. Traditional dream content analyses, such as Orlinsky and Hall and Van de Castle analyses, were initially conducted. Subsequently, SGA was performed in order to objectively quantify structural speech differences between the dream recalls of the two patient groups. Results: Comparable rate of morning recall of dreams in the sleep laboratory was recorded; 25% of iRBD and 18.35% of NREMP patients. Aggression in dreams was recorded by 28.57% iRBD versus 20.00% in NREMP group. iRBD patients were more likely to recall dreams (iRBD vs NREMP; P = 0.007), but they also had more white dreams, ie having a feeling of having dreamt, but with no memory of it. Visual and quantitative graph speech analyses of iRBD dreams suggested stable sequential structure, reflecting the linearity of the chronological narrative. Conversely, NREMP dream reports displayed more recursive, less stable systems, with significantly higher scores of graph connectivity measures. Conclusion: The findings of our exploratory study suggest that iRBD and NREMP patients may not only differ on what is recalled in their dreams but also, perhaps more strikingly, on how dreams are recalled. It is hoped that future SGA-led dream investigations of larger groups of patients will help discern distinct mechanistic underpinnings and any associated clinical implications

The neurophysiologic landscape of the sleep onset: a systematic review

Background: The sleep onset process is an ill-defined complex process of transition from wakefulness to sleep, characterized by progressive modifications at the subjective, behavioural, cognitive, and physiological levels. To this date, there is no international consensus which could aid a principled characterisation of this process for clinical research purposes. The current review aims to systemise the current knowledge about the underlying mechanisms of the natural heterogeneity of this process. Methods: In this systematic review, studies investigating the process of the sleep onset from 1970 to 2022 were identified using electronic database searches of PsychINFO, MEDLINE, and Embase. Results: A total of 139 studies were included; 110 studies in healthy participants and 29 studies in participants with sleep disorders. Overall, there is a limited consensus across a body of research about what distinct biomarkers of the sleep onset constitute. Only sparse data exists on the physiology, neurophysiology and behavioural mechanisms of the sleep onset, with majority of studies concentrating on the non-rapid eye movement stage 2 (NREM 2) as a potentially better defined and a more reliable time point that separates sleep from the wake, on the sleep wake continuum. Conclusions: The neurophysiologic landscape of sleep onset bears a complex pattern associated with a multitude of behavioural and physiological markers and remains poorly understood. The methodological variation and a heterogenous definition of the wake-sleep transition in various studies to date is understandable, given that sleep onset is a process that has fluctuating and ill-defined boundaries. Nonetheless, the principled characterisation of the sleep onset process is needed which will allow for a greater conceptualisation of the mechanisms underlying this process, further influencing the efficacy of current treatments for sleep disorders.This paper represents independent research in part funded by the NIHR Maudsley Biomedical Research Centre at South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London

A Novel Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Approach to Adult Non-rapid Eye Movement Parasomnias

Copyright © 2021 O’Regan, Nesbitt, Biabani, Drakatos, Selsick, Leschziner, Steier, Birdseye, Duncan, Higgins, Kumari, Stokes, Young and Rosenzweig. Background: Following the success of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for insomnia, there has been a growing recognition that similar treatment approaches might be equally beneficial for other major sleep disorders, including non-rapid eye movement (NREM) parasomnias. We have developed a novel, group-based, CBT-program for NREM parasomnias (CBT-NREMP), with the primary aim of reducing NREM parasomnia severity with relatively few treatment sessions. Methods: We investigated the effectiveness of CBT-NREMP in 46 retrospectively-identified patients, who completed five outpatient therapy sessions. The outcomes pre- and post- CBT-NREMP treatment on clinical measures of insomnia (Insomnia Severity Index), NREM parasomnias (Paris Arousal Disorders Severity Scale) and anxiety and depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), were retrospectively collected and analyzed. In order to investigate the temporal stability of CBT-NREMP, we also assessed a subgroup of 8 patients during the 3 to 6 months follow-up period. Results: CBT-NREMP led to a reduction in clinical measures of NREM parasomnia, insomnia, and anxiety and depression severities [pre- vs. post-CBT-NREMP scores: P (Insomnia Severity Index) = 0.000054; P (Paris Arousal Disorders Severity Scale) = 0.00032; P (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) = 0.037]. Improvements in clinical measures of NREM parasomnia and insomnia severities were similarly recorded for a subgroup of eight patients at follow-up, demonstrating that patients continued to improve post CBT-NREMP. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that group CBT-NREMP intervention is a safe, effective and promising treatment for NREM parasomnia, especially when precipitating and perpetuating factors are behaviorally and psychologically driven. Future randomized controlled trials are now required to robustly confirm these findings.National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at South London; Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and King's College London; National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and King's College Londo

Agronomic performance of two intercropped soybean cultivars.

Abstract Broader environmental tolerance associated with mixed population of soybean (Glycine max Merr.) cultivars may increase soybean yield potential and play a significant role in yield stability. A field study was carried out to assess whether intercropping of two commonly used cultivars of soybean with different morphological characteristics may increase seed yield in Iran. A split-plot design was used with three replications. The main plots were 3 densities; 23.8, 33.3, and 55.5 plants m -2 . Sub-plots consisted of intercropping ratios row by row of 100:0 (pure stand of Harcor), 75:25, 50:50, 25:75, and 0:100 (pure stand of Bonus) of Harcor and Bonus cultivars, respectively. The results indicated that the highest seed yield was obtained from 50:50 ratios of the cultivars which had land equivalent ratio (LER) above 1.11. Calculation of LER revealed that seed yield in treatment HBHB was 11% higher than the pure stand. The superiority of intercropping over pure stands occurred only in the highest plant density. Intercropping ratio showed no significant effect on any of yield components. However, pod number per plant was decreased with increasing plant density

Deformation and Degradation of Railroad Granular Layers under High Frequency Cyclic Loading and the Benefits of Using Geosynthetics

The granular media (i.e., ballast and sub-ballast) used in ballasted rail tracks undergo large deformations along with particle breakage when subjected to cyclic loads exerted by heavy and fast trains. The deformation and degradation of such granular layers severely affects track geometry and results into increased maintenance costs. The use of artificial inclusions in planar (geogrid, geotextile, and geocomposite) as well as three-dimensional form (geocell) is essential to curtail such costs and improve track stability. A series of cyclic drained triaxial tests were conducted using large-scale prismoidal process simulation apparatus designed and built at the University of Wollongong. Effects of external confining pressure, frequency, and number of load cycles were investigated. The test results showed that large deformation and degradation of ballast was imminent under high frequency cyclic loading. It was also shown that settlement of the ballast and sub-ballast can be reduced significantly employing geocomposites and geocells, respectively. The results revealed the effectiveness of the geocell, when they are used at low confinement and higher frequencies. This paper provides an insight to cyclic behavior of railroad granular substructure and demonstrates the role of confinement induced through the use of artificial inclusions

Response of Some Agronomic Characteristic of Canola (Brassica napus L.) to Nitrogen Fertilizer and Sowing Date

To study effects of nitrogen fertilizer and sowing date on some agronomic traits of canola cultivars, a factorial split plot experiment based on randomized complete block design with four replications was conducted during growing season 2013 – 2014 at the Research Farm of Gonbadkavus University, Iran. Treatments were four canola (Brassica napus L) cultivars (C1=Hayola 401, C2=Zarfam, C3= Hayola 308, and C4=RGS003), two planting dates (D1=17 Nonvember and, D2=28 December) and three levels of nitrogen fertilizers (N1=0, N2=%50 of recommended fertilizer, N3=%100 recommended fertilizer). In this study the treatment of nitrogen fertilizer levels and planting dates were asseigned to main plots and canola cultivars to sub plots. The results of analysis of variance showed that the interaction effects between nitrogen fertilizer × planting were significant at 0.01 probability level on all evaluated traits. Interaction of planting date × cultivar effects on all yield components except seed per silique were also significantly. The fertilizer × cultivar interaction did not affect yield components significantly. The highest yield, 4.2 t/ha, was produced by the open pollinated cultivar of RGS003 using %100 recommended rate of nitrogen fertilizer at sowing date of 17 November, which represents a high potential of this cultivar under this nutrients level and sowing date

MAGIC: An open-source MATLAB toolbox for external control of transcranial magnetic stimulation devices

Abstract not availableForough Habibollahi Saatlou, Nigel C. Rogasch, Nicolas A. McNair, Mana Biabani, Steven D. Pillen, Tom R.Marshall, Til O.Bergman