0331 Effects of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI) on Daytime Cognitive Functioning: A Report from the AIR Trial

Abstract Introduction Prior studies have shown that CBTI improves patient reported outcomes including daytime fatigue, mood status and quality of life, yet there are limited data concerning the effects of therapy on objective measures of daytime function. The current study tested the effects of CBTI on measures derived from the psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) in a sample of patients with comorbid insomnia disorder and sleep apnea. Methods Patients with insomnia and comorbid OSA, who were prescribed PAP therapy (N =155; Mage= 56.8±12.5 yrs.; 58.1% women) were randomized to digital CBTI (dCBTI) or Sleep Hygiene (CTRL). They completed PVT at baseline and after 8 weeks of treatment. Patients in the dCBTI arm who reached remission were offered no additional insomnia treatment, whereas those who did not were randomly assigned to 8 weeks of continued access to dCBTI or to a therapist delivered CBTI. Patients again completed the PVT after this second 8-week treatment phase. PVT outcome measures included mean reaction time, attentional lapses and efficiency scores. Linear mixed models were used to compare the PVT measures of patients receiving either of the CBTI treatment sequences with those assigned to the CTRL. Results Analyses showed significant group x time interactions for PVT attentional lapses (F = 3.04; p < .05) and for efficiency scores (F= 4.06; p< .025). Those who received either of the CBTI treatment sequences showed a greater reduction in attentional lapses and greater improvement in their efficiency scores from baseline to the post-treatment assessments than did those assigned the CTRL. Conclusion Findings indicate that CBTI improves objective indices of daytime cognitive functioning among those with comorbid apnea and insomnia disorder. Further tests of CBTI’s effects on these and other measures of cognitive functioning are warranted in other samples of insomnia patients who do and do not have medical, psychiatric and sleep disorder comorbidities. Support (if any) Funding support from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, Grant # 1R01HL130559-01A1.