Objective sleep parameters and cognitive performance in euthymic bipolar disorder: a cross-sectional 21-day...

Sleep disturbances persist during euthymia in bipolar disorder (BD) and may contribute to cognitive impairment. While subjective sleep complaints have been linked to cognition, associations between objective sleep parameters and objective cognitive performance are under-explored.

In this exploratory cross-sectional study, 40 euthymic individuals with BD underwent 21 days of actigraphy to assess objective sleep parameters, including sleep duration, sleep onset latency, sleep efficiency, wake time after sleep onset (WASO), and fragmentation index. Cognitive performance was assessed using the Screen for Cognitive Impairment in Psychiatry (SCIP). Associations between sleep parameters and cognitive outcomes were examined using Spearman correlations, then using multivariable linear regression models, including a stepwise selection of potential confounding factors and a false discovery rate correction for multiple testing.

Assumed sleep duration was negatively associated with the SCIP total score (β = -0.38, p = 0.011), with age retained as a covariate (p = 0.011). Total sleep time was negatively associated with delayed verbal learning (β = -0.48, p = 0.003), with no covariate retained. Sleep onset latency was negatively associated with working memory (β = -0.41, p = 0.014), with no covariate retained. Sleep onset latency was negatively associated with processing speed (β = -0.38, p = 0.002), with age (p < 0.001) and sex (p = 0.022) retained as covariates. WASO was negatively associated with verbal fluency (β = -0.39, p = 0.016), with no covariate retained.

In euthymic individuals with BD, objective measures of sleep duration, sleep initiation, and sleep continuity were associated with distinct cognitive domains. These findings highlight the relevance of sleep continuity and sleep initiation, beyond sleep duration alone, as correlates of cognitive functioning in BD. Due to methodological limitations, these results should be considered hypothesis-generating and require replication in larger, longitudinal cohorts.

This study was conducted as part of a larger research protocol entitled GAN (Genetics, Actimetry, and Neuropsychology in Bipolar Disorders). The protocol has been registered on ClinicalTrials.gov on November 13, 2015 (NCT02627404).