Kitajima Tsuyoshi

Abstract Light plays a crucial role in regulating nocturnal sleep patterns. This cross-sectional study evaluated the potential association between levels of light exposure in real-life settings and sleep parameters in individuals with bipolar disorder. We included 204 ambulatory individuals with bipolar disorder who participated in the APPLE (Association between Pathology of Bipolar Disorder and Light Exposure in Daily Life) cohort study. Daytime illuminance and sleep were assessed using actigraphy over a seven-day period. In addition, a portable light meter was used to evaluate the illuminance levels in the bedroom during nighttime. The median values of daytime illuminance and nighttime illuminance were 221.8 lux (interquartile range: 150.9–306.9 lux) and 2.3 lux (0.3–9.6 lux), respectively. Multivariable linear regression analyses, adjusting for potential confounders, revealed a significant association between greater daytime illuminance and higher sleep efficiency as well as shorter sleep onset latency and wake after sleep onset. Moreover, the interaction term of daytime and nighttime illuminance demonstrated a significant correlation with sleep efficiency (95% confidence interval [CI], −10.45 to −2.17; P = 0.003), sleep onset latency (95% CI, 0.18 to 0.91; P = 0.004), and wake after sleep onset (95% CI, 13.47 to 50.1; P < 0.001). Our findings indicate the existence of a significant positive correlation between daytime light exposure and sleep parameters in individuals with bipolar disorder. The interaction of increased daytime light and decreased nighttime light appears to be positively associated with sleep quality.

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the continuity and effectiveness of oral appliances (OAs) for treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) in a psychiatric sleep clinic, specifically focusing on mild cases and those with psychiatric comorbidity. METHODS: We retrospectively examined the medical records of 106 OSA patients treated with OA. Survival analysis was performed to assess the discontinuation of OA use. Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scale were obtained from medical records. The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), measured by polysomnography (PSG), and Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) were compared between diagnosis and after post-OA treatment if a second PSG for efficacy assessment was conducted. RESULTS: Among all 106 patients, Kaplan-Meier analysis estimated a discontinuation rate of 16.8% at 1 year. This tended to be higher for OSA patients with psychiatric comorbidity (22.7%) than those without (11.6%), though it was not statistically significant (P=0.08). The overall rate of improvement in CGI-I scale was 37.7% and was significantly lower in OSA patients with psychiatric comorbidity (25.0%) than those without (48.3%). Among the 74 patients who underwent a second PSG, AHI and ESS were significantly lower after OA treatment for the entire group and subgroups of OSA severity at diagnosis and psychiatric comorbidity, except for ESS in the moderate OSA severity subgroup. CONCLUSION: OA continuation was relatively good, and sleepiness was relieved by OA use, even in mild OSA patients and those with psychiatric comorbidity. However, the continuation and subjective improvement of symptoms were slightly lower in OSA patients with psychiatric comorbidity.

AIM: Sleep disturbance, a core feature of bipolar disorder, is closely associated with mood symptoms. We examined the association between actigraphy sleep parameters and mood episode relapses in patients with bipolar disorder. METHODS: This prospective cohort study analyzed 193 outpatients with bipolar disorder who participated in the Association between the Pathology of Bipolar Disorder and Light Exposure in Daily Life (APPLE) cohort study. The participants' sleep was objectively evaluated via actigraphy over 7 consecutive days for the baseline assessment and then at the 2-year follow-up appointment for mood episode relapses. The actigraphy sleep parameters were presented using the mean and variability (standard deviation) of each sleep parameter for 7 days. RESULTS: Of the 193 participants, 110 (57%) experienced mood episodes during follow-up. The participants with higher variability in total sleep time had a significantly shorter mean estimated time to mood episode relapses than those with lower variability (12.5 vs. 16.8 months; P < 0.001). The Cox proportional hazards model, when adjusted for potential confounders, demonstrated that variability in total sleep time was significantly associated with an increase in the mood episode relapses (per hour; hazard ratio [HR], 1.407; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.057-1.873), mainly in the depressive episodes (per hour; HR, 1.477; 95% CI, 1.088-2.006). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that consistency in sleep time might be useful, as an adjunct therapy, in preventing the recurrence or relapse of mood episodes in bipolar disorder. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

BACKGROUND: Circadian activity rhythm disruption is a core feature in bipolar disorder. We investigated whether light exposure in daily life is associated with circadian activity rhythms in patients with bipolar disorder. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study, we enrolled 194 outpatients with bipolar disorder who were participants of the Association between Pathology of Bipolar Disorder and Light Exposure in Daily Life (APPLE) cohort study. The participants' physical activity and daytime illuminance were measured using an actigraph over 7 consecutive days. Nighttime illuminance in the bedroom was measured using a portable photometer. Circadian activity rhythm parameters were calculated using cosinor analysis and a nonparametric circadian rhythm analysis. RESULTS: The median daytime illuminance and nighttime illuminance were 224.5 lx (interquartile range, 154.5-307.5 lx) and 2.3 lx (0.3-9.4 lx), respectively. Multivariable linear regression analysis, adjusted for potential confounding factors, showed that higher daytime illuminance was significantly associated with higher amplitude and most active continuous 10-hour period, advanced acrophase, higher interdaily stability, and lower intradaily variability. Higher nighttime illuminance was significantly associated with lower relative amplitude, delayed onset of the least active continuous 5-hour period, and higher intradaily variability. LIMITATIONS: As this was a cross-sectional study, the results do not necessarily imply that light exposure alters circadian activity rhythms. CONCLUSIONS: Daytime light exposure was associated with a positive effect and nighttime light exposure with a negative effect on circadian activity rhythms in bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVES: The influence of habitual alcohol consumption on insomnia symptoms in healthy workers remains unclear. In this study, we evaluated the association between habitual alcohol consumption among civil servants and insomnia symptoms such as difficulty falling asleep, difficulty staying asleep, and tiredness after sleep, using longitudinal data. METHODS: We enrolled civil servants in a prospective cohort study who completed questionnaires at baseline. Of those, 2861 participants were revaluated in a 5-year follow-up survey. Insomnia symptoms during the past month were assessed using self-reporting. Alcohol drinking habits were assessed by querying the frequency of drinking alcohol as well as the amount of alcohol usually consumed per one occasion. RESULTS: Drinking alcohol every day was less likely to have difficulty falling asleep (odds ratio, 0.42 95% confidence interval, 0.20-0.89), and drinking alcohol 3 or more days a week was associated with difficulty staying asleep (odds ratio, 1.48; 95% confidence interval, 1.16-1.90). CONCLUSIONS: Drinking alcohol every day may produce subjective improvement in sleep onset. However, drinking alcohol 3 or more days a week may increase arousal during sleep, which contributes to reduced sleep quality. These results suggest the possibility that long-term daily habitual drinking may reinforce a sense of improvement in subjective sleep onset but may possibly induce sleep disturbance.

OBJECTIVE: A previous cross-sectional study reported that nighttime light is associated with increased occurrence of manic symptoms in bipolar disorder; however, the longitudinal association between nighttime light and subsequent mood episode relapses remains unclear. We determined whether bedroom nighttime light was associated with mood episode relapses in patients with bipolar disorder. METHODS: This prospective cohort study included 172 outpatients with bipolar disorder who participated in an Association between the Pathology of Bipolar Disorder and Light Exposure in Daily Life (APPLE) cohort study. A portable photometer was used to measure illuminance in the bedroom from bedtime to rising time during 7 consecutive nights for baseline assessment. Then, the participants were assessed at a 2-year follow-up for mood episode relapses. RESULTS: Of the 172 participants, 157 (91%) completed the 2-year follow-up, and 39 (22%) experienced manic or hypomanic episodes (with or without mixed features), during that time. In the Cox proportional-hazards model, the hazard ratio (HR) for manic/hypomanic episode relapses was significantly higher when the average nighttime illuminance was ≥3 lux (n = 71) than when it was <3 lux (n = 101; HR, 2.54; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.33-4.84). In the multivariable model adjusted for a propensity score in relation to nighttime light, the relationship remained significant (HR, 2.17; 95% CI, 1.04-4.52). The association between nighttime light and depressive episode relapses was not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS: Keeping the bedroom dark at night may prevent hypomanic and manic episodes.

Delayed sleep phase disorder (DSPD) and mood disorders have a close relationship. However, the shared mechanisms by DSPD and mood disorders have not been well-elucidated. We previously found that micro-fluctuations in human behaviors are organized by robust statistical laws (behavioral organization), where the cumulative distributions of resting and active period durations take a power-law distribution form and a stretched exponential functional form, respectively. Further, we found that the scaling exponents of resting period distributions significantly decreased in major depressive disorder (MDD). In this study, we hypothesized that DSPD had similar characteristics of the altered behavioral organization to that of MDD. Locomotor activity data were acquired for more than 1 week from 17 patients with DSPD and 17 age- and gender-matched healthy participants using actigraphy. We analyzed the cumulative distributions of resting and active period durations in locomotor activity data and subsequently derived fitting parameters of those distributions. Similar to patients with MDD, we found that resting period distributions took a power-law form over the range of 2-100 min, with significantly lower values of scaling exponents γ in patients with DSPD compared with healthy participants. The shared alteration in γ suggests the existence of similar pathophysiology between DSPD and MDD.

BACKGROUND: Sleep disturbance is a core feature of bipolar disorder; hence, sleep must be accurately assessed in patients with bipolar disorder. Subjective sleep assessment tools such as sleep diary and questionnaires are often used clinically for assessing sleep in these patients. However, the insight into whether these tools are as accurate as objective tools, such as actigraphy, remains controversial. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 164 outpatients with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, including patients who had euthymic and residual symptomatic periods. Objective sleep assessment was conducted prospectively using actigraphy for 7 consecutive days, whereas subjective sleep assessment was conducted prospectively using a sleep diary. RESULTS: The correlations were high and moderate between sleep diary and actigraphy when assessing the total sleep time and sleep onset latency, respectively (r = 0.81 and 0.47). These correlations remained significant after correction for multiple testing (both p < 0.001) and in both euthymic and residual symptomatic states (total sleep time: r = 0.86 and 0.77; sleep onset latency: r = 0.51 and 0.40, respectively). The median (interquartile ranges) of the percentage difference (sleep diary parameters minus actigraphy parameters divided by actigraphy parameter) in the total sleep time was relatively small (6.2% [-0.2% to 13.6%]). CONCLUSIONS: Total sleep time assessment using a sleep diary could be clinically useful in the absence of actigraphy or polysomnography.

A significant proportion of patients with bipolar disorder experience mood episode relapses. We examined whether circadian activity rhythms were associated with mood episode relapses in patients with bipolar disorder. This prospective cohort study included outpatients with bipolar disorder who participated in a study titled "Association between the Pathology of Bipolar Disorder and Light Exposure in Daily Life (APPLE) cohort study." The participants' physical activity was objectively assessed using a wrist-worn accelerometer over 7 consecutive days for the baseline assessment and then at the 12-month follow-up for mood episode relapses. The levels and timing of the circadian activity rhythms were estimated using a cosinor analysis and a nonparametric circadian rhythm analysis. Of the 189 participants, 88 (46%) experienced mood episodes during follow-up. The Cox proportional hazards model adjusting for potential confounders showed that a robust circadian activity rhythm, including midline-estimating statistic of rhythm (MESOR) and amplitude by cosinor analysis and 10 consecutive hours with the highest amplitude values (M10) by the nonparametric circadian rhythm analysis, was significantly associated with a decrease in mood episode relapses (per counts/min, hazard ratio [95% confidence interval]: MESOR, 0.993 [0.988-0.997]; amplitude, 0.994 [0.988-0.999]; and M10, 0.996 [0.993-0.999]). A later timing of the circadian activity rhythm (M10 onset time) was significantly associated with an increase in the depressive episode relapses (per hour; 1.109 [1.001-1.215]). We observed significant associations between circadian activity rhythms and mood episode relapses in bipolar disorder.