Sleep
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Individual sleep timing differs and is governed partly by circadian oscillators, which may be assessed by hormonal markers, or by clock gene expression. Clock gene expression oscillates in peripheral tissues, including leukocytes. The study objective was to determine whether the endogenous phase of these rhythms, assessed in the absence of the sleep-wake and light-dark cycle, correlates with habitual sleep-wake timing. ⋯ Individual phase differences in PER3 expression during a constant routine correlate with sleep timing during entrainment. PER3 expression in leukocytes represents a useful molecular marker of the circadian processes governing sleep-wake timing.
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To examine psychomotor (reaction time) performance deficits and their relation to subjective and objective sleep measures among individuals with primary insomnia (PI). ⋯ Results confirm that PI sufferers do show relative psychomotor performance deficits when responding to challenging reaction time tasks, and these deficits appear related to both objective and subjective sleep deficits. Findings support PI patients' diurnal complaints and suggest the usefulness of complex reaction time tasks for assessing them.