Neuropsychiatric symptoms and altered sleep quality in cerebral small vessel disease

Xi Li; Rong-Rong Qin; Jian Chen; Hai-Fei Jiang; Pan Tang; Yu-Jing Wang; Dong-Wu Xu; Tao Xu; Ti-Fei Yuan

doi:10.3389/fpsyt.2022.882922

Neuropsychiatric symptoms and altered sleep quality in cerebral small vessel disease

Front Psychiatry. 2022 Aug 16:13:882922. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2022.882922. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Xi Li^{1

2}, Rong-Rong Qin¹, Jian Chen¹, Hai-Fei Jiang¹, Pan Tang², Yu-Jing Wang², Dong-Wu Xu², Tao Xu^{1

3}, Ti-Fei Yuan^{4

5

6}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Neurology, Affiliated Tongzhou Hospital of Nantong University, Nantong, China.
² School of Mental Health, Wenzhou Medical University, Wenzhou, China.
³ Department of Anesthesiology, Affiliated Shanghai Sixth People's Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
⁴ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Psychotic Disorders, Shanghai Mental Health Center, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.
⁵ Co-innovation Center of Neuroregeneration, Nantong University, Nantong, China.
⁶ Shanghai Key Laboratory of Anesthesiology and Brain Functional Modulation, Translational Research Institute of Brain and Brain-Like Intelligence, Shanghai Fourth People's Hospital Affiliated to Tongji University School of Medicine, Shanghai, China.

Abstract

Background: Sleep disturbance and neuropsychiatric symptoms are common clinical symptoms of cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD), but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Here, we investigated the relationship between sleep quality and neuropsychiatric performance in patients with CSVD.

Methods: A total of 30 patients with CSVD and 35 healthy controls (HCs) were recruited. The 13-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-13), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Symptom Check List 90 (SCL90) were used to assess depression, anxiety, and other psychological symptoms, respectively. Sleep quality was assessed using Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), and cognitive function was tested using Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA).

Results: When compared to the HC group, the patients with CSVD showed increased anxiety and neuropsychiatric symptoms, worse sleep quality, and impaired cognition (p < 0.05). The prevalence of comorbid poor sleep quality in the patients with CSVD was approximately 46%. The patients with CSVD with poor sleep quality also had more severe neuropsychiatric symptoms. After controlling for demographic variables, sex and anxiety significantly predicted sleep quality.

Conclusion: This study suggests that the prevalence of CSVD with poor sleep quality is high, and that sex and anxiety are independent risk factors for CSVD comorbid sleep quality.

Keywords: aging; cerebral small vessel disease; depression; neuropsychiatric symptoms; sleep disturbances.