Developing a psychoeducation program to improve sleep-wake disturbances in Parkinson’s Disease

Summary

This program of research will examine the impact of a multifaceted psychoeducation program targeting the sleep-wake disturbances that commonly affect patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Previous work within the Ageing Brain Program at the Brain & Mind Research Institute has developed the "Sleep Well; Think Well" program, an 8-week group based learning course for older individuals with sleep complaints. The proposed study would determine whether this program is effective in patients with PD who are known to suffer with high rates of sleep-wake disturbance. The project would also offer opportunities for the candidate to develop expertise in understanding objective biomarkers of sleep including actigraphy, polysomnography and functional neuroimaging.

Candidate
We anticipate that the successful candidate will have completed an undergraduate degree and will have experience/interest in neuropsychology, psychology, clinical neuroscience, biomedical science or applied physiology.

Research Location
Brain and Mind Research Institute (BMRI)The candidate would work in the PD Research Clinic as well as the NeuroSleep Clinic at the BMRI, which represents Australia's only joint Neurology and Sleep Medicine service.

Supervisor(s)

Associate Professor Sharon Naismith, Professor Ron Grunstein, Associate Professor Simon Lewis

Research Location

Camperdown - Brain and Mind Research Institute

Program Type

Masters/PHD

Synopsis

Sleep-wake disturbance affects over 60% of PD patients manifesting as a range of symptoms including insomnia, daytime sleepiness and REM Sleep Behaviour Disorder (dream enactment). These disturbances are associated with impaired cognition, affective disorder and a reduced quality of life. Current treatments for sleep-wake disturbance in PD offer limited benefit and novel therapeutic strategies are required.The proposed research would utilise a previously developed psychoeducation program that has been piloted in older adults with sleep complaints. The research project will primarily focus on the benefits that a tailored "Sleep Well; Think Well" program could offer in the management of PD. In addition, the successful candidate would be working with a team who have vast experience in the use of investigative techniques including actigraphy, polysomnography and functional neuroimaging. It is envisaged that these approaches could be used to objectively quantify the impact of the intervention and elucidate the neurobiological underpinnings of improved function.

Additional Information

For more information contact Dr Zoe Terpening (+61 2 9351 0750) to find out more about participating in this opportunity.

Keywords

Parkinson’s Disease (PD), treatment, Intervention, therapy, neurology, neuropsychology, sleep research, sleep medicine, cognition, neurodegenerative disease, Neuroscience, neuroimaging, Functional Imaging, Actigraphy, Polysomnography (PSG), Electroencephalography (EEG)

Opportunity ID

The opportunity ID for this research opportunity is: 1653

Other opportunities with Associate Professor Sharon Naismith

• The Ageing Brain Program Research Opportunities

Other opportunities with Professor Ron Grunstein

• Chronotherapy for hypertension in obstructive sleep apnea
• Creatine therapy to improve neurobehavioural function in obstructive sleep apnea
• The effect of modafinil on daytime sleepiness, neurobehavioural performance and quality of life in obstructive sleep apnea patients
• Which sleep apnea patients have problems with alertness and attention?