Piloting Forehead Temperature-Regulating Therapy for Insomnia in Adults With Tourette's Disorder
University of California, Los Angeles
Summary
The primary aim of the present research project is to investigate the preliminary effects of four weeks of forehead temperature-regulating therapy on insomnia in adults with Tourette's disorder and co-occurring insomnia disorder. This project will also examine the effects of the device on depression, anxiety, and daytime sleepiness, and explore its effects on tic severity.
Description
Tourette's disorder is a neurological condition marked by multiple motor tics and one or more vocal tics present for longer than one year, and neural dysfunction within the frontal region of the brain. Sleep disturbance, particularly insomnia, is common in Tourette's disorder. Existing treatments (medication, behavior therapy) for Tourette's disorder do not benefit everyone. The sleep-wake cycle, which may overlap with Tourette's disorder with respect to underlying brain-based deficits, provides a key target for tailored intervention. Forehead temperature-regulating therapy, designed to treat…
Eligibility
- Age range
- 18–50 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- No
Inclusion Criteria: * DSM-5 diagnosis of Tourette's disorder * DSM-5 diagnosis of Insomnia disorder * Yale Global Tic Severity Scale Score ≥ 14 for Tourette's disorder or ≥ 10 for persistent motor tic disorder or persistent vocal tic disorder * Insomnia Severity Index score \> 14 * Sleep efficiency ≤ 85 per cent on 50 percent or greater nights over monitoring week, per Consensus Sleep Diary * Age of 18 to 50 years * English fluency Exclusion Criteria: * Current or lifetime diagnosis of bipolar disorder, psychosis, or pervasive developmental disorder * Suicidality, severe depression or anxie…
Interventions
- DeviceForehead Temperature-Regulating Therapy
A forehead thermal therapy device will be used nightly for the duration of each sleep period for four weeks. This device includes a bedside unit and a pump to transport thermal fluid to a bladder, affixed to the forehead with a headband. The bladder circulates fluid over the forehead at adjustable temperatures ranging from 57-61 °F.
Location
- Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los AngelesLos Angeles, California