Circadian attributes of neurological and psychiatric disorders as basis for their medication chronotherapy

This review focuses on (i) 24 h patterns in the symptom intensity of common neurologic and psychiatric disorders and (ii) medications prescribed for their management that have a recommended administration time or schedule, presumably to potentiate desired and minimize undesired effects and by definition qualify them as chronotherapies. Predictable-in-time patterning of symptoms is exhibited by many neurologic - headaches, multiple sclerosis, neurogenic orthostatic hypotension, neuropathic pain, Parkinson's disease, epileptic seizure, attention deficit hyperactivity, Alzheimer's disease - and psychiatric - eating, depressive, obsessive-compulsive, post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and panic - disorders, due either to circadian rhythms of disease pathophysiology or inadequacies of medication-delivery systems. Circadian disruption and circadian misalignment of the sleep-wake and other 24 h rhythms plus late chronotype are characteristic of many of these disorders, suggesting involvement in the mechanisms or consequence of their pathology or as an adverse effect of therapy, especially when administered at an inappropriate biological time. The Prescribers' Digital Reference, a compendium of all prescription medications approved for marketing in the US, reveals 65 of them are utilized to manage neurologic and psychiatric disorders by a recommended specified time-of-day or an asymmetrical interval or strength of dose schedule, presumably to optimize beneficial and minimize adverse effects, thereby qualifying them as chronotherapies. Overall, the contents of this review are intended to inform the development of future chronotherapies that incorporate state-of-the-art drug-delivery systems to improve management of neurologic and psychiatric disorders and associated circadian malalignment and disruption.

Large-scale effects of prenatal inflammation and early life circadian disruption in mice: Implications for neurodevelopmental disorders

Around 80 % of individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders experience disruptions in sleep/circadian rhythms. We explored whether environmental circadian disruption interacts with prenatal infection, a risk factor for neurodevelopmental disorders, to induce sex-specific deficits in mice. A maternal immune activation (MIA) protocol was used by injecting pregnant mice with viral mimic poly IC or saline at E9.5. Juvenile/adolescent male and female offspring (3-7 weeks old) were then subjected to a standard light:dark cycle (12:12LD) or to constant light (LL). Significant interactions between treatment (MIA, control) and lighting (12:12LD, LL) were evident in behaviors related to cognition, anxiety, and sociability. This pattern persisted in our RNA sequencing analysis of the dorsal hippocampus, where poly IC exposure resulted in numerous differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in males, while exposure to both poly IC and LL led to a marked reduction in DEGs. Through WGCNA analysis, many significant gene modules were found to be positively associated with poly IC (vs. saline) and LL (vs. LD) in males (fewer in females). Many of the identified hub-bottleneck genes were homologous to human genes associated with sleep/circadian rhythms and neurodevelopmental disorders as revealed by GWA studies. The MIA- and LL-associated modules were enriched in microglia gene signatures, which was paralleled by trends of effects of each of the factors on microglia morphology. In conclusion, in a mouse model of prenatal infection, circadian disruption induced by LL during adolescence acts as a modulator of the effects of MIA at behavioral, cellular, and molecular levels.

Validation of the Caen Chronotype Questionnaire: Exploring the added value of amplitude and correlations with actigraphy

Chronotype self-report instruments are time and cost-efficient measures to profile diurnal or time-of-day preferences. The Caen Chronotype Questionnaire (CCQ) captures morningness and eveningness (CCQ-ME) and a circadian amplitude dimension for diurnal variation (distinctiveness; CCQ-DI). This study extends prior multilanguage validations for the English version of the CCQ. In total, 628 participants enrolled from a UK working population (mean age 30.34 ± 8.36 years, 61.3% female) including a subset of shift workers (n = 179; mean age 27.62 ± 5.95 years, 49.2% female). A subsample of participants also wore a consumer-grade actigraph device (Fitbit Charge 4) for seven days to compare chronotype estimates with objective sleep-wake parameters (n = 22; mean age 27.05 ± 3.99 years, 81.8% female, 90.9% worked standard daytime schedules, and 9.1% worked rotating shifts). All participants completed online chronotype measures, including the CCQ and Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ), depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire; PHQ-9), sleep quality (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index; PSQI), and other outcome measures. Results from the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) offer support for a two-factor structure of the CCQ in an English-speaking sample, highlighting how individual preferences for the timing of activities is associated with chronotype (morningness-eveningness; ME) and a second subjective amplitude dimension (DI). However, in contrast with the original CCQ structure, a more parsimonious solution and best overall fit involved the reduction of the original 16-item questionnaire (8 items per factor) to 4 ME items and 5 DI items. Convergent validity with the reduced CCQ scale (rME) and the MEQ was also established. The CCQ was sensitive in discriminating differences in actigraphic sleep-wake timings between morning-and evening-oriented individuals. Regression models demonstrated that amplitude (CCQ-DI) was a significant predictor explaining most of the variance in depressive symptoms (PHQ-9) compared to other variables. Overall, the English version of the CCQ was shown to be a robust tool in estimating chronotype in a sample of adults based in the UK.

Maternal immune activation exerts long-term effects on activity and sleep in male offspring mice

Exposure to infectious or non-infectious immune activation during early development is a serious risk factor for long-term behavioural dysfunctions. Mouse models of maternal immune activation (MIA) have increasingly been used to address neuronal and behavioural dysfunctions in response to prenatal infections. One commonly employed MIA model involves administering poly(I:C) (polyriboinosinic-polyribocytdilic acid), a synthetic analogue of double-stranded RNA, during gestation, which robustly induces an acute viral-like inflammatory response. Using electroencephalography (EEG) and infrared (IR) activity recordings, we explored alterations in sleep/wake, circadian and locomotor activity patterns on the adult male offspring of poly(I:C)-treated mothers. Our findings demonstrate that these offspring displayed reduced home cage activity during the (subjective) night under both light/dark or constant darkness conditions. In line with this finding, these mice exhibited an increase in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep duration as well as an increase in sleep spindles density. Following sleep deprivation, poly(I:C)-exposed offspring extended NREM sleep duration and prolonged NREM sleep bouts during the dark phase as compared with non-exposed mice. Additionally, these mice exhibited a significant alteration in NREM sleep EEG spectral power under heightened sleep pressure. Together, our study highlights the lasting effects of infection and/or immune activation during pregnancy on circadian activity and sleep/wake patterns in the offspring.

Rest-activity rhythm disruption and metabolic health in schizophrenia: a cross-sectional actigraphy study of community-dwelling people living with schizophrenia and nonpsychiatric comparison participants

STUDY OBJECTIVES

People living with schizophrenia (PLWS) have increased physical comorbidities and premature mortality which may be linked to dysregulated rest-activity rhythms (RARs). This study aimed to compare RARs between PLWS and nonpsychiatric comparison participants (NCs) and to examine the relationships of RARs with age, sleep, metabolic, and physical health outcomes and, among PLWS, relationships of RARs with illness-related factors.

METHODS

The study sample included 26 PLWS and 36 NCs, assessed with wrist-worn actigraphy to compute RAR variables and general sleep variables. Participants completed assessments for clinical symptoms, physical health, sleep quality, medication use, and assays for fasting glycosylated hemoglobin (hemoglobin A1c) levels. We examined group differences in RAR and sleep variables, relationships of RAR variables with metabolic and physical health measures, and, among PLWS, relationships between RAR variables and illness-related measures.

RESULTS

PLWS had significantly shorter active periods, lower relative amplitude, and lower mean activity during their most active 10 hours compared to the NCs (Cohen's d = 0.79, 0.58, and 0.62, respectively). PLWS had poorer sleep quality, greater mean percent sleep, less wake after sleep onset, and higher total sleep time variability compared to NCs. PLWS had higher rates of antidepressant, anxiolytic, and antipsychotic medication use compared to NCs, which may have impacted sleep quality and objective sleep measures. Across both groups, more fragmented and variable RARs were associated with higher HbA1c levels (ηp2 = .10) and worse physical health (ηp2 = .21). Among PLWS, RARs were correlated with total sleep time (rs = .789, P < .01) and percent sleep (rs = .509, P < .05), but not with age, sleep quality, or other illness-related factors.

CONCLUSIONS

RARs provide unique information about sleep and activity for PLWS and have the potential for targeted interventions to improve metabolic health and mortality.

CITATION

Mahmood Z, Ramsey A, Kidambi N, et al. Rest-activity rhythm disruption and metabolic health in schizophrenia: a cross-sectional actigraphy study of community-dwelling people living with schizophrenia and nonpsychiatric comparison participants. J Clin Sleep Med. 2024;20(9):1505-1516.

The sleep-circadian interface: A window into mental disorders

Sleep, circadian rhythms, and mental health are reciprocally interlinked. Disruption to the quality, continuity, and timing of sleep can precipitate or exacerbate psychiatric symptoms in susceptible individuals, while treatments that target sleep-circadian disturbances can alleviate psychopathology. Conversely, psychiatric symptoms can reciprocally exacerbate poor sleep and disrupt clock-controlled processes. Despite progress in elucidating underlying mechanisms, a cohesive approach that integrates the dynamic interactions between psychiatric disorder with both sleep and circadian processes is lacking. This review synthesizes recent evidence for sleep-circadian dysfunction as a transdiagnostic contributor to a range of psychiatric disorders, with an emphasis on biological mechanisms. We highlight observations from adolescent and young adults, who are at greatest risk of developing mental disorders, and for whom early detection and intervention promise the greatest benefit. In particular, we aim to a) integrate sleep and circadian factors implicated in the pathophysiology and treatment of mood, anxiety, and psychosis spectrum disorders, with a transdiagnostic perspective; b) highlight the need to reframe existing knowledge and adopt an integrated approach which recognizes the interaction between sleep and circadian factors; and c) identify important gaps and opportunities for further research.

Schizophrenia and disruption of circadian rhythms: An overview of genetic, metabolic and clinical signs

A molecular clock in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of the anterior hypothalamus, which is entrained by the dark-light cycle and controls the sleep-wake cycle, regulates circadian rhythms. The risk of developing mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, has long been linked to sleep abnormalities. Additionally, a common aspect of mental disorders is sleep disturbance, which has a direct impact on the intensity of the symptoms and the quality of life of the patient. This relationship can be explained by gene alterations such as CLOCK in schizophrenia which are also important components of the physiological circadian rhythm. The function of dopamine and adenosine in circadian rhythm should also be noted, as these hypotheses are considered to be the most popular theories explaining schizophrenia pathogenesis. Therefore, determining the presence of a causal link between the two can be key to identifying new potential targets in schizophrenia therapy, which can open new avenues for clinical research as well as psychiatric care. We review circadian disruption in schizophrenia at the genetic, metabolic, and clinical levels. We summarize data about clock and clock-controlled genes' alterations, neurotransmitter systems' impairments, and association with chronotype in schizophrenia patients. Our findings demonstrate that in schizophrenia either homeostatic or circadian processes of sleep regulation are disturbed. Also, we found an insufficient number of studies aimed at studying the relationship between known biological phenomena of circadian disorders and clinical signs of schizophrenia.

Effects of Chronotype and Social Jet-Lag on Neurocognitive Functioning

The chronotype, which reflects the circadian rhythm preferences of individuals in their daily activities and sleep-wake cycles, can be considered on a dimension of extreme morningism and extreme eveningism. Individuals with extreme morning and extreme evening chronotypes face many physical and psychological dangers due to accumulated sleep debt, short total sleep time and insufficient sleep efficiency. In extreme chronotypes, especially in extreme evening people, the social jet-lag effect due to the mismatch between social and circadian clocks is thought to exacerbate these dangers. More recent studies have suggested that social jet-lag and chronotype have many negative effects on cognitive functioning. The aim of this article is to review the impact of social jet-lag and chronotype on cognitive functioning.

Differences in white blood cell proportions between schizophrenia cases and controls are influenced by medication and variations in time of day

Cases with schizophrenia (SCZ) and healthy controls show differences in white blood cell (WBC) counts and blood inflammation markers. Here, we investigate whether time of blood draw and treatment with psychiatric medications are related to differences in estimated WBC proportions between SCZ cases and controls. DNA methylation data from whole blood was used to estimate proportions of six subtypes of WBCs in SCZ patients (n = 333) and healthy controls (n = 396). We tested the association of case-control status with estimated cell-type proportions and the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) in 4 models: with/without adjusting for time of blood draw, and then compared results from blood samples drawn during a 12-h (07:00-19:00) or 7-h (07:00-14:00) period. We also investigated WBC proportions in a subgroup of medication-free patients (n = 51). Neutrophil proportions were significantly higher in SCZ cases (mean=54.1%) vs. controls (mean=51.1%; p = <0.001), and CD8⁺T lymphocyte proportions were lower in SCZ cases (mean=12.1%) vs. controls (mean=13.2%; p = 0.001). The effect sizes in the 12-h sample (07:00-19:00) showed a significant difference between SCZ vs. controls for neutrophils, CD4⁺T, CD8⁺T, and B-cells, which remained significant after adjusting for time of blood draw. In the samples matched for time of blood draw during 07.00-14.00, we also observed an association with neutrophils, CD4⁺T, CD8⁺T, and B-cells that was unaffected by further adjustment for time of blood draw. In the medication-free patients, we observed differences that remained significant in neutrophils (p = 0.01) and CD4⁺T (p = 0.01) after adjusting for time of day. The association of SCZ with NLR was significant in all models (range: p < 0.001 to p = 0.03) in both medicated and unmedicated patients. In conclusion, controlling for pharmacological treatment and circadian cycling of WBC is necessary for unbiased estimates in case-control studies. Nevertheless, the association of WBC with SCZ remains, even after adjusting for the time of day.

Behavioral and cellular responses to circadian disruption and prenatal immune activation in mice

Most individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), including schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorders, experience disruptions in sleep and circadian rhythms. Epidemiological studies indicate that exposure to prenatal infection increases the risk of developing NDDs. We studied how environmental circadian disruption contributes to NDDs using maternal immune activation (MIA) in mice, which models prenatal infection. Pregnant dams were injected with viral mimetic poly IC (or saline) at E9.5. Adult poly IC- and saline-exposed offspring were subjected to 4 weeks of each of the following: standard lighting (LD1), constant light (LL) and standard lighting again (LD2). Behavioral tests were conducted in the last 12 days of each condition. Poly IC exposure led to significant behavioral differences, including reduced sociability (males only) and deficits in prepulse inhibition. Interestingly, poly IC exposure led to reduced sociability specifically when males were tested after LL exposure. Mice were exposed again to either LD or LL for 4 weeks and microglia were characterized. Notably, poly IC exposure led to increased microglial morphology index and density in dentate gyrus, an effect attenuated by LL exposure. Our findings highlight interactions between circadian disruption and prenatal infection, which has implications in informing the development of circadian-based therapies for individuals with NDDs.

Sunshine duration and risks of schizophrenia hospitalizations in main urban area: Do built environments modify the association?

BACKGROUND

Although studies have explored the relationship between sunshine duration and schizophrenia, the evidence was ambiguous. Different built environments may alter the effect of sunlight on schizophrenia, thus the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of built environments on the sunshine duration-schizophrenia association.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Daily schizophrenia hospitalizations data during 2017-2020 in Hefei's main urban area, China, and corresponding meteorological factors as well as ambient pollutants were collected. The impact of sunshine duration on schizophrenia admissions in urban areas was investigated using a generalized additive model combined with a distributed lagged nonlinear model. Additionally, the various modifying effects of different Building Density, Building Height, Normalized Vegetation Index, and Nighttime Light were also explored between sunshine duration and schizophrenia.

RESULTS

We observed that inadequate sunshine duration (<5.3 h) was associated with an increase in schizophrenia hospital admissions, with a maximum relative risk of 1.382 (95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.069-1.786) at 2.9 h. In turn, adequate sunshine duration reduced the risk of schizophrenia hospitalizations. Subgroup analyses indicated females and old patients were particularly vulnerable. In the case of insufficient sunshine duration, significant positive effects were noticed on schizophrenia risk at High-Building Density and High-Nighttime Light. Higher NDVI as well as Building Height were found to be associated with lower risks of schizophrenia.

CONCLUSIONS

Given that sunshine duration in various built environments might lead to distinct effects on schizophrenia hospitalizations. Our findings assist in identifying vulnerable populations that reside in particular areas, thus suggesting policymakers provide advice to mitigate the onset of schizophrenia by allocating healthcare resources rationally and avoiding adverse exposures to vulnerable populations timely.

Validation of the Self-Rating of Biological Rhythm Disorder for Adolescents (SBRDA) Scale by Dim Light Melatonin Onset in Healthy Young Adults

Understanding the biological rhythms that influence young adult health is vital because the combination of biological changes and a circadian phase delay lead to young adults being at high risk of circadian misalignment. We have previously established a self-rating of biological rhythm disorder for adolescents (SBRDA). However, we did not externally validate the SBRDA against objective measures of biological rhythms such as dim light melatonin onset (DLMO)-the gold standard of the endogenous circadian phase. The purpose of this study was to verify the effectiveness of SBRDA in identifying individuals with biological rhythm disorders. Our participants were 42 (47.2%) boys and 47 (52.8%) girls with an average age of 18.5 ± 1.2 years. Saliva samples were collected from 4 h before bed time to 2 h after sleep every 60 min in a dim-light (<50 lx) laboratory environment. Biological rhythm parameters were assessed using questionnaires, including SBRDA, MEQ, and MCTQ. The mean DLMO time (h) was 22.2 ± 1.9. The DLMO correlated significantly with the SBRDA score (r = 0.33, p < 0.001), MEQ score (r = -0.24, p < 0.05), and MSFsc (r = 0.26, p < 0.05). ROC curve analysis showed that SBRDA was of diagnostic value for biological rhythm disorder (p < 0.05). Our observations demonstrate that SBRDA, which is consistent with MEQ and MCTQ, can be used to reflect endogenous circadian rhythm disorders in young adults. Exposure to dim light may activate melatonin secretion and lead to an earlier peak in young adults with biological rhythm disorder.

Exposure to Circadian Disruption During Adolescence Interacts With a Genetic Risk Factor to Modify Schizophrenia-relevant Behaviors in a Sex-dependent Manner

DTNBP1 is a gene associated with schizophrenia. Postmortem studies found a reduced expression of DTNBP1 in regions associated with schizophrenia in patients' brains. Sandy (Sdy) mice have a loss-of-function mutation in Dtnbp1 gene, resulting in behavioral deficits and brain changes similar to those seen in patients with schizophrenia. We previously showed that exposing adult Sdy mice to circadian disruption led to an exacerbation of schizophrenia-relevant behaviors. Here we asked whether the interaction between this genetic risk factor and circadian disruption occurs during adolescence, a period when environmental insults can promote schizophrenia symptoms, and whether sex affects this interaction. Starting at postnatal day 21, wild-type (WT) and Sdy males and females were housed for 4 weeks either in a 12 h light:12 h dark (LD 12:12) cycle or under chronic jetlag (CJL). Then, after 2 weeks in LD 12:12, behavioral assessments were conducted, including elevated plus maze (EPM), novel object recognition (NOR), social interaction, and prepulse inhibition (PPI) of acoustic startle. NOR and social novelty tests showed that, surprisingly, CJL during adolescence had opposite effects on WT and Sdy males, that is, behavioral deficits in WT males while rescuing preexisting deficits in Sdy mice. CJL led to decreased sociability in WT and Sdy mice while decreasing PPI only in females. Sdy mice showed decreased anxiety-like behavior compared with wild-type (WT), which was further accentuated by CJL in males. Thus, circadian disruption during adolescence, on its own or in association with Dtnbp1 mutation, can influence cognition, sociability, sensorimotor gating, and anxiety-like behaviors in a sex-dependent manner.

Chronotype, circadian rhythm, and psychiatric disorders: Recent evidence and potential mechanisms

The circadian rhythm is crucial for physiological and behavioral functions. Chronotype, which represents individual preferences for activity and performance, is associated with human health issues, particularly psychiatric disorders. This narrative review, which focuses on the relationship between chronotype and mental disorders, provides an insight into the potential mechanism. Recent evidence indicates that (1) the evening chronotype is a risk factor for depressive disorders and substance use disorders, whereas the morning chronotype is a protective factor. (2) Evening chronotype individuals with bipolar disorder tend to have more severe symptoms and comorbidities. (3) The evening chronotype is only related to anxiety symptoms. (4) The relationship between chronotype and schizophrenia remains unclear, despite increasing evidence on their link. (5) The evening chronotype is significantly associated with eating disorders, with the majority of studies have focused on binge eating disorders. Furthermore, the underlying mechanisms or influence factors are described in detail, including clock genes, brain characteristics, neuroendocrinology, the light/dark cycle, social factors, psychological factors, and sleep disorders. These findings provide the latest evidence on chronotypes and psychiatric disorders and serve as a valuable reference for researchers.

Therapeutic use of melatonin in schizophrenia-more than meets the eye!

Adjunctive melatonin use in schizophrenia, as supported by a modicum of evidence, has multiple transcending chronobiotic actions, including fixing concurrent sleep problems to bona fide augmentative antipsychotic actions, mitigating the risk of tardive dyskinesias, curbing the drastic metabolic syndrome and ultimately providing neuroprotective actions. Its use is rather an art than science!

Deletion of AMPA receptor GluA1 subunit gene (Gria1) causes circadian rhythm disruption and aberrant responses to environmental cues

Dysfunction of the glutamate α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptor GluA1 subunit and deficits in synaptic plasticity are implicated in schizophrenia and sleep and circadian rhythm disruption. To investigate the role of GluA1 in circadian and sleep behaviour, we used wheel-running, passive-infrared, and video-based home-cage activity monitoring to assess daily rest-activity profiles of GluA1-knockout mice (Gria1-/-). We showed that these mice displayed various circadian abnormalities, including misaligned, fragmented, and more variable rest-activity patterns. In addition, they showed heightened, but transient, behavioural arousal to light→dark and dark→light transitions, as well as attenuated nocturnal-light-induced activity suppression (negative masking). In the hypothalamic suprachiasmatic nuclei (SCN), nocturnal-light-induced cFos signals (a molecular marker of neuronal activity in the preceding ~1-2 h) were attenuated, indicating reduced light sensitivity in the SCN. However, there was no change in the neuroanatomical distribution of expression levels of two neuropeptides-vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and arginine vasopressin (AVP)-differentially expressed in the core (ventromedial) vs. shell (dorsolateral) SCN subregions and both are known to be important for neuronal synchronisation within the SCN and circadian rhythmicity. In the motor cortex (area M1/M2), there was increased inter-individual variability in cFos levels during the evening period, mirroring the increased inter-individual variability in locomotor activity under nocturnal light. Finally, in the spontaneous odour recognition task GluA1 knockouts' short-term memory was impaired due to enhanced attention to the recently encountered familiar odour. These abnormalities due to altered AMPA-receptor-mediated signalling resemble and may contribute to sleep and circadian rhythm disruption and attentional deficits in different modalities in schizophrenia.

Eveningness chronotype preference among individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis

BACKGROUND

Circadian rhythm disturbances are frequently implicated in psychosis. Indeed, research has suggested several avenues by which circadian rhythms may play a mechanistic role as well as contribute to clinical outcomes. Despite its potential role as a risk factor, little is known about circadian rhythm disruption among individuals at clinical high risk (CHR) for psychosis, clinical correlates, or specificity to the psychosis risk syndrome.

METHODS

Eighty-four CHR, 74 individuals with depressive disorders (DD), and 101 non-psychiatric controls (NPC) participated in structured clinical interviews and provided self-reports of chronotype preference. Clinical (positive, negative, anxious, and depressive symptoms) and social functioning outcomes were self-reported and/or clinician-rated. Analyses of covariance controlling for demographics examined group differences in chronotype preference, and partial Pearson correlations evaluated associations with clinical/functional outcomes.

RESULTS

Group differences were observed (F(11, 246) = 8.05, p < .001) with CHR and DD individuals indicating greater eveningness preference compared to NPC. A follow-up sensitivity analysis examining CHR participants with (n = 25) and without (n = 59) depressive disorders indicated no difference in chronotype preference (F(10,72) = 0.00, p = .99). Greater eveningness preference was related to greater negative symptoms (i.e., avolition; r = -0.25) and anxiety (r = -0.34) among CHR individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

CHR and DD display greater preference for eveningness chronotype compared to NPC indicating the disruption is associated with a range of mental health concerns, and not specific to the psychosis-risk syndrome. However, comorbidity with DD did not appear to be driving the finding in the CHR group. Further research may examine shared versus non-shared underlying mechanisms contributing to chronotype preference across psychiatric presentations.

Sleep Abnormalities in Schizophrenia: State of the Art and Next Steps

Sleep disturbances are commonly observed in schizophrenia, including in chronic, early-course, and first-episode patients. This has generated considerable interest, both in clinical and research endeavors, in characterizing the relationship between disturbed sleep and schizophrenia. Sleep features can be objectively assessed with EEG recordings. Traditionally, EEG studies have focused on sleep architecture, which includes non-REM and REM sleep stages. More recently, numerous studies have investigated alterations in sleep-specific rhythms, including EEG oscillations, such as sleep spindles and slow waves, in individuals with schizophrenia compared with control subjects. In this article, the author reviews state-of-the-art evidence of disturbed sleep in schizophrenia, starting from the relationship between sleep disturbances and clinical symptoms. First, the author presents studies demonstrating abnormalities in sleep architecture and sleep-oscillatory rhythms in schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders, with an emphasis on recent work demonstrating sleep spindles and slow-wave deficits in early-course and first-episode schizophrenia. Next, the author shows how these sleep abnormalities relate to the cognitive impairments in patients diagnosed with schizophrenia and point to dysfunctions in underlying thalamocortical circuits, Ca+ channel activity, and GABA-glutamate neurotransmission. Finally, the author discusses some of the next steps needed to further establish the role of altered sleep in schizophrenia, including the need to investigate sleep abnormalities across the psychotic spectrum and to establish their relationship with circadian disturbances, which in turn will contribute to the development of novel sleep-informed treatment interventions.

Chronotype in individuals with schizophrenia: A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

Emerging evidence shows that evening chronotype is associated with mental health problems, especially mood disorders, but few studies have investigated its association with schizophrenia. Based on meta-analytic methods, we aimed to test whether eveningness is greater in individuals with schizophrenia compared with healthy controls and patients with bipolar I disorder.

METHOD

Medline/Pubmed, Google Scholar, and EBSCO databases were searched up to April 2021 for articles investigating chronotype in individuals with schizophrenia. Two meta-analyses were conducted: individuals with schizophrenia compared with healthy controls and individuals with bipolar I disorder. These meta-analyses were followed by a meta-regression controlling for potential confounders.

RESULTS

Five studies comprising 386 individuals with schizophrenia (age 32.73 years; 67.4% male), 320 with bipolar I disorder (age 31.26 years; 38.3% male) and 638 healthy controls (age 32.19 years; 50.6% male) were included. Participants with schizophrenia were moderately higher on eveningness than healthy controls but they did not differ from those with bipolar I disorder. The difference was not affected by gender, age, and the type of scale used for assessing chronotype.

CONCLUSIONS

Individuals with schizophrenia are more evening oriented than healthy controls and have a similar chronotype to those with bipolar I disorder. The results supported the hypothesis that evening chronotype might be a marker of, or a risk factor for, mental health problems in general and not just limited to affective disorders.

Sleep and Memory Consolidation Dysfunction in Psychiatric Disorders: Evidence for the Involvement of Extracellular Matrix Molecules

Sleep disturbances and memory dysfunction are key characteristics across psychiatric disorders. Recent advances have revealed insight into the role of sleep in memory consolidation, pointing to key overlap between memory consolidation processes and structural and molecular abnormalities in psychiatric disorders. Ongoing research regarding the molecular mechanisms involved in memory consolidation has the potential to identify therapeutic targets for memory dysfunction in psychiatric disorders and aging. Recent evidence from our group and others points to extracellular matrix molecules, including chondroitin sulfate proteoglycans and their endogenous proteases, as molecules that may underlie synaptic dysfunction in psychiatric disorders and memory consolidation during sleep. These molecules may provide a therapeutic targets for decreasing strength of reward memories in addiction and traumatic memories in PTSD, as well as restoring deficits in memory consolidation in schizophrenia and aging. We review the evidence for sleep and memory consolidation dysfunction in psychiatric disorders and aging in the context of current evidence pointing to the involvement of extracellular matrix molecules in these processes.

Altered circadian rhythms in a mouse model of neurodevelopmental disorders based on prenatal maternal immune activation

Individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, such as schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder, exhibit various sleep and circadian rhythm disturbances that often persist and worsen throughout the lifespan. To study the interaction between circadian rhythm disruption and neurodevelopmental disorders, we utilized a mouse model based on prenatal maternal immune activation (MIA). We hypothesized that MIA exposure would lead to impaired circadian locomotor activity rhythms in adult mouse offspring. We induced MIA by injecting pregnant dams with polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid (poly IC) at embryonic day 9.5, then aged resulting offspring to adulthood. We first confirmed that poly IC injection in pregnant dams elevated plasma levels of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines. We then placed adult offspring in running wheels and subjected them to various lighting conditions. Overall, poly IC-exposed male offspring exhibited altered locomotor activity rhythms, reminiscent of individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders. In particular, we report increased (subjective) day activity across 3 different lighting conditions: 12 h of light, 12 h of dark (12:12LD), constant darkness (DD) and constant light. Further data analysis indicated that this was driven by increased activity in the beginning of the (subjective) day in 12:12LD and DD, and at the end of the day in 12:12LD. This effect was sex-dependent, as in utero poly IC exposure led overall to much milder alterations in locomotor activity rhythms in female offspring than in male offspring. We also confirmed that the observed behavioral impairments in adult poly IC-exposed offspring were not due to differences in maternal behavior. These data further our understanding of the link between circadian rhythm disruption and neurodevelopmental disorders and may have implications for mitigating risk to the disorders and/or informing the development of circadian-based therapies.

Genomic perspectives on the circadian clock hypothesis of psychiatric disorders

Circadian rhythm disturbances are frequently described in psychiatric disorders such as major depressive disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Growing evidence suggests a biological connection between mental health and circadian rhythmicity, including the circadian influence on brain function and mood and the requirement for circadian entrainment by external factors, which is often impaired in mental illness. Mental (as well as physical) health is also adversely affected by circadian misalignment. The marked interindividual differences in this combined susceptibility, in addition to the phenotypic spectrum in traits related both to circadian rhythms and mental health, suggested the possibility of a shared genetic background and that circadian clock genes may also be candidate genes for psychiatric disorders. This hypothesis was further strengthened by observations in animal models where clock genes had been knocked out or mutated. The introduction of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) enabled hypothesis-free testing. GWAS analysis of chronotype confirmed the prominent role of circadian genes in these phenotypes and their extensive polygenicity. However, in GWAS on psychiatric traits, only one clock gene, ARNTL (BMAL1) was identified as one of the few loci differentiating bipolar disorder from schizophrenia, and macaque monkeys where the ARNTL gene has been knocked out display symptoms similar to schizophrenia. Another lesson from genomic analyses is that chronotype has an important genetic correlation with several psychiatric disorders and that this effect is unidirectional. We conclude that the effect of circadian disturbances on psychiatric disorders probably relates to modulation of rhythm parameters and extend beyond the core clock genes themselves.

Opening the curtains for better sleep in psychotic disorders - considerations for improving sleep treatment

BACKGROUND

Sleep disturbances are prevalent in people with psychosis and are related to several negative outcomes. Recent research indicates that sleep disturbances contribute to the development of psychosis and is therefore an important treatment target. Despite this, a study found that sleep problems in people with psychosis were mostly assessed informally and treated with non-recommended interventions. However, it is uncertain whether these findings reflect local practise or rather status quo for how sleep disturbances in the context of psychosis are approached across different treatment sites. We aimed to replicate this study and investigate how sleep disturbances in people with psychosis are viewed, assessed and treated by clinicians across several mental health services, and the clinicians' perceived barriers to sleep treatment.

METHODS

A total of 204 clinicians completed an e-mail survey about sleep problems and psychosis.

RESULTS

The main findings were highly consistent with previous research; the clinicians found sleep problems in patients with psychosis to be highly prevalent and with negative consequences. However, structured assessments and the use of recommended treatment interventions were rare. This apparent paradox may at least partly be explained by the clinicians' perceived barriers to sleep treatment, including their declared lack of knowledge about sleep assessment and sleep treatment, and beliefs that sleep treatment is (too) demanding in this population.

CONCLUSION

Many patients with psychosis across several treatment sites receive less than optimal sleep treatment. Increasing clinicians' knowledge about adequate sleep treatment and its feasibility for patients with psychotic disorders is therefore imperative.

Sleep Disturbances in Patients with Persistent Delusions: Prevalence, Clinical Associations, and Therapeutic Strategies

Sleep disturbances accompany almost all mental illnesses, either because sound sleep and mental well-being share similar requisites, or because mental problems lead to sleep problems, or vice versa. The aim of this narrative review was to examine sleep in patients with delusions, particularly in those diagnosed with delusional disorder. We did this in sequence, first for psychiatric illness in general, then for psychotic illnesses where delusions are prevalent symptoms, and then for delusional disorder. The review also looked at the effect on sleep parameters of individual symptoms commonly seen in delusional disorder (paranoia, cognitive distortions, suicidal thoughts) and searched the evidence base for indications of antipsychotic drug effects on sleep. It subsequently evaluated the influence of sleep therapies on psychotic symptoms, particularly delusions. The review's findings are clinically important. Delusional symptoms and sleep quality influence one another reciprocally. Effective treatment of sleep problems is of potential benefit to patients with persistent delusions, but may be difficult to implement in the absence of an established therapeutic relationship and an appropriate pharmacologic regimen. As one symptom can aggravate another, comorbidities in patients with serious mental illness all need to be treated, a task that requires close liaison among medical specialties.