Impact of a Behavioral Sleep Intervention in Adolescents With ADHD: Feasibility, Acceptability, and Preliminary Effectiveness From a Pilot Open Trial

Objective: An open trial tested the feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary effectiveness of a behavioral sleep intervention in adolescents with ADHD. Method: Fourteen adolescents (ages 13–17 years; 50% male) with ADHD and co-occurring sleep problems received the cognitive-behavioral-based Transdiagnostic Sleep and Circadian Intervention for Youth (TranS-C). Adolescent, parent, and teacher ratings, actigraphy, and daily sleep diaries were collected at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up. Results: Adolescents experienced moderate to large improvements in sleep, mental health symptoms, and daily life executive functioning from pre-treatment to post-treatment, and improvements were generally maintained at 3 months. Pre-intervention, 71.4% of adolescents were classified as poor sleepers and this was reduced to 21.4% and 28.6% at post-treatment and follow-up, respectively. Conclusion: This study provides strong preliminary evidence that TranS-C improves sleep and associated outcomes in adolescents with ADHD and co-occurring sleep problems. A randomized controlled trial is needed to rigorously test the efficacy of TranS-C in this population.

Psychophysiological Effects of Lactobacillus plantarum PS128 in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: A Preliminary 8-Week Open Trial

Recent studies have suggested that gut–brain axis may be one of the mechanisms of major depression disorder (MDD). The current study aimed to investigate the effects of Lactobacillus plantarum PS128 (PS128) on psychophysiology in patients with MDD. We recruited 11 patients with MDD and gave them PS128 for 8 weeks. We compared depression symptoms, serum markers of inflammation and gut permeability, and gut microbiota before and after 8-week intervention and also explored the correlations among symptoms, biomarkers, and gut microbiota. After 8-week PS128 intervention, scores of Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-17 and Depression and Somatic symptoms Scale significantly decreased. Serum levels of high sensitivity c-reactive protein, interluekin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α, zonulin and intestinal fatty acid binding protein, and the composition of gut microbiota did not significantly change after 8-week PS128 intervention. However, we found changes of some genera were correlated with changes of symptoms and biomarkers. In conclusion, this is an open trial with small sample size and has several limitations. The results need to be verified by randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with larger sample size.

Improvements in Sleep Quality and Duration Following a Meditation Retreat: an Open-Trial Pilot Study

Purpose Disturbed sleep and other sleep-related problems have a negative impact on the human mind and body. Meditation practices are reported to improve physiological functions and might also have a positive impact on regulating sleep. This research investigates the efficacy of an advanced mind–body medicine intervention, called Hollow and Empty Meditation (HEM), on improving sleep quality. Methods The study was a single-arm open-trial pilot study which assessed 413 adults who underwent a 4-day meditation retreat offered by the Art of Living, called the Advanced Meditation Program (AMP), and experienced a novel meditation—HEM. Results were measured using a self-report questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), which was administered to the participants thrice: on the first day of the program (pre-intervention), immediately after program (post-intervention/Day 4), and on Day 40 (D40) after the program. Results There was a significant difference in pre–post and pre–D40 scores in the population. Both sleep quality and sleep duration showed an improvement immediately after the AMP (post), and the residual impact was still experienced at D40, especially with the group with age > 36 years. Conclusions The use of HEM resulted in improvement in sleep quality not just immediately after the program, but had longer-term effects that extended over several weeks, helping remediate sleep problems among younger adults as well as older ones. It resulted in improvement in sleep quality as well as reduction in sleep-related daytime impairment, which have substantial constructive implications for well-being, everyday functioning and quality of life.