Sleep, rest-activity rhythm, cognitive and emotional symptoms in adult ADHD: unraveling the links with an actimetry-based approach
Abstract
Background: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in adults is characterized by cognitive, behavioral and affective symptoms. Emotion dysregulation (ED), psychiatric comorbidities, and disturbances in sleep and circadian rhythms frequently co-occur with ADHD, yet their relationships have rarely been investigated using objective measures and are overlooked in therapeutic approaches. This study aimed to compare sleep and rest-activity rhythm parameters between adults with ADHD and control subjects and to examine their associations with cognitive and emotional symptoms in adults with ADHD.
Methods: Fifty-four adults with ADHD completed self-report questionnaires assessing inattention, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and emotional symptoms of ADHD, along with a neuropsychological evaluation of attentional and executive functions. Sleep patterns and rest-activity rhythm were monitored using actigraphy over a 10-days period and compared to data from 47 control participants without psychiatric or neurodevelopmental disorders, adjusting for age and sex. Relationships between ADHD symptoms, neuropsychological test results, sleep and rest-activity rhythm parameters were examined using correlation analyses.
Results: Adults with ADHD exhibited a more unstable and delayed rhythm compared to controls. Sleep and rest-activity rhythm disturbances were significantly associated with cognitive and behavioral symptoms, particularly hyperactivity. Longer sleep latency was associated with…
How strong is the evidence?
Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design. Reported size: 47 participants or records.
Read the paper
Related studies
- Tryptophan Metabolism and Gut-Brain Homeostasis
- Rationale for a Multi-Factorial Approach for the Reversal of Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer’s Disease and MCI: A Review
- Prioritized Research for the Prevention, Treatment, and Reversal of Chronic Disease: Recommendations From the Lifestyle Medicine Research Summit
- Relationship between sleep disorders and gut dysbiosis: what affects what?
- The role of CLOCK gene in psychiatric disorders: Evidence from human and animal research
- Genetic, Transcriptome, Proteomic, and Epidemiological Evidence for Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption and Polymicrobial Brain Invasion as Determinant Factors in Alzheimer’s Disease
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.