Feasibility Study: Attention Measures in Persons with Alzheimer's Disease

描述（由申请人提供）：本研究将建立使用重复的简单反应时间测量来研究睡眠中断对AD患者警惕注意力影响的可行性。睡眠中断是阿尔茨海默病的一个显著临床特征，它显著影响阿尔茨海默病患者及其照顾者的生活质量。在健康人群中，睡眠中断的研究表明睡眠中断的负面影响和改善睡眠对运动功能、情绪和警惕注意力的积极影响。警觉性注意力受损是非常重要的，因为完整的警觉性注意力是人类功能的核心。警惕地关注、快速选择和响应最显著的输入刺激进行处理的能力对于安全有效的人类表现至关重要。警觉性注意力受损对阿尔茨海默病患者尤为重要，因为无法保持警觉性注意力可能会导致或加重记忆不适。虽然睡眠中断对健康人群警惕注意力的影响已被广泛研究，但有关其对AD患者影响的有力证据有限。据首席研究员（PI）所知，还没有人研究过睡眠中断对AD患者警惕注意力的影响。然而，在我们研究睡眠中断对阿尔茨海默病患者警惕注意力的影响之前，我们必须确保我们有有效和可靠的警惕注意力措施。在健康人群中，重复的简单反应时间测量（精神运动警戒任务[PVT]）已成功地用于研究睡眠中断对警戒注意力的影响。PVT是由Dinges和Powell（1986）开发的，作为一种标准化的实验室工具，已被健康人群的睡眠研究人员广泛使用。PVT是一种简单的小型手持设备，可以编程提供视觉或听觉多个未准备的反应时间测试。每次试验持续10分钟。虽然反应时间范式已被用于评估轻度阿尔茨海默氏症患者的警惕注意力，但我们不知道阿尔茨海默氏症患者是否可以完成多次重复测量，或者获得的结果是否可能是错误的。例如，注意力的变化可能会错误地反映出抑郁的动机或对测试情况的焦虑。因此，本研究的主要具体目的是：1。确定在AD患者中使用频繁重复（q - 2小时）警戒注意（PVT）措施的可行性。次要的具体目标是：2。确定PVT测试在6个时间段内的敏感性，以测量AD患者警惕注意力的变化。3. 确定持续时间小于10分钟的PVT测试的灵敏度。本申请是根据学术研究促进奖（R15）公告（PA- 06-042）提交的。拟议的研究将确定使用重复的简单反应时间测量来研究睡眠中断对阿尔茨海默病患者警惕注意力的影响的可行性。这项可行性研究解决了国家护理研究使命声明和战略计划中概述的目标2.1：神经功能和感觉条件的研究。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This study will establish the feasibility of using repeated simple reaction time measures to study the effect of sleep disruption on vigilant attention in persons with AD. Sleep disruption is a prominent clinical feature of AD that significantly impacts quality of life for persons with AD and their caregivers. In healthy people, studies of sleep disruption show the negative effects of sleep disruption and the positive effects of improved sleep on motor function, mood, and vigilant attention. Impaired vigilant attention is highly significant because intact vigilant attention is central to human function. The ability to vigilantly attend to, quickly select and respond to the most salient incoming stimuli for processing is essential for safe and effective human performance. Impaired vigilant attention is particularly important for persons with AD because the inability to maintain vigilant attention may cause or worsen memory complaints. Although the impact of sleep disruption on vigilant attention has been studied extensively in healthy people the availability of strong evidence concerning its effect on persons with AD is limited. To the Principal Investigator's (PI) knowledge, no one has studied the effect of sleep disruption on vigilant attention in persons with AD. However, before we can study the effect of sleep disruption on vigilant attention in persons with AD, we must ensure that we have valid and reliable measures of vigilant attention. In healthy populations repeated simple reaction time measures (The Psychomotor Vigilance Task [PVT]) have successfully been used to study the effect of sleep disruption on vigilant attention. The PVT was developed by Dinges and Powell (1986) as a standardized laboratory tool and has been used extensively by sleep researchers in healthy populations. The PVT is a simple small handheld device that can be programmed to deliver either a visual or audible multiple unprepared reaction time tests. Each trial lasts 10 minutes. Although the reaction time paradigm has been used to assess vigilant attention in persons with mild AD in a cross sectional design, we do not know if persons with AD can complete multiple repeated measures or if the results obtained might be erroneous. For example, changes in attention may erroneously reflect depressed motivation or anxiety with the testing situation. Therefore, the primary specific aim for this study is: 1. Determine the feasibility of using frequently repeated (q 2 hour) measures of vigilant attention (PVT) in persons with AD. The secondary specific aims are: 2. Determine the sensitivity of PVT tests across 6 time periods to measure changes in vigilant attention in persons with AD. 3. Determine the sensitivity of PVT tests of less than 10 minutes duration. This application is submitted under the Academic Research Enhancement Award (R15) Announcement (PA- 06-042). The proposed study will establish the feasibility of using repeated simple reaction time measures to study the effect of sleep disruption on vigilant attention in persons with Alzheimer's disease. This feasibility study addresses Goal 2.1: Research in neurofunction and sensory conditions, as outlined in the National Institute on Nursing Research Mission Statement and Strategic Plan.