The Healthy Patterns Sleep Study

The Role of Palliative Care Interventions to Reduce Circadian Rhythm Disorders in Persons With Dementia: The Healthy Patterns Study

The Healthy Patterns Study intervention is a home-based activity intervention designed to improve symptoms of circadian rhythm disorders (CRD) and quality of life (QOL) in home-dwelling persons with dementia. We will use a randomized two-group parallel design of 200 people with dementia and their caregivers assigned to intervention or attention control groups.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Neurocognitive Disorders; Sleep Disorder; Insomnia; Cognitive Impairment; Dementia; Alzheimer Disease; Mild Cognitive Impairment; Frontotemporal Dementia; Vascular Dementia; Cognitive Decline; Memory Impairment; Circadian Rhythm Disorders; Hypersomnia; Circadian Rhythm Sleep Disorder
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Timed Activity Intervention; Behavioral: Attention-Control Condition

Detailed Description

Over 5 million Americans have Alzheimer's disease or a related dementia, a progressive and fatal neurodegenerative condition, affecting close to 15 million family caregivers (CG). Circadian rhythm disorders (CRDs) occur in the majority of persons with dementia and include late afternoon/evening agitation (e.g. sundowning) and irregular sleep-wake rhythms such as daytime hypersomnia, frequent night awakenings, and poor sleep efficiency. CRDs can cause a specific cluster of neuropsychiatric symptoms that occur in over 60 percent of patients with dementia and are associated with increased morbidity and mortality and decreased quality of life. Regulating the circadian system via different types of activity have been shown to alter core clock processes that drive CRD symptoms and suggests that a combination of cognitive, physical, and sensory-based activities, delivered at strategic times, may be an effective mechanism to reduce neuropsychiatric symptoms, decrease sleep disruptions, and enhance quality of life for both the care receiver and the caregiver.

Specific components of this brief, one-month, eight sessions, home-based intervention include: 1) assessing PWD health/functional status and preferences/interests; 2) educating caregivers on environmental cues to promote activity and sleep; and 3) training of caregivers in using timed morning, afternoon, and evening activities based on circadian needs across the day.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 421
• Phase: Phase 3

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• United States
  • Pennsylvania
    • Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, 19104
      • University of Pennsylvania

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 18 years to 110 years (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion criteria for care receiver (CR):

1. be over age 60
2. English speaking
3. be able to tolerate wrist actigraphy (wear a watch on their wrist for a month)
4. diagnosed with dementia using standard assessments and diagnostic criteria
5. has CG reporting the presence of CRD symptoms
6. If the CR is on any of four classes of psychotropic medications (antidepressant, benzodiazepines, antipsychotic, or anti-convulsant) or an anti-dementia medication (memantine or a cholinesterase inhibitor), we will require that the CR have been on a stable dose for 90 days prior to enrollment (typical time frame in clinical trials) to minimize possible confounding effects of concomitant medications

Inclusion criteria for caregiver (CG):

1. CG is at least 18 years old
2. CG lives close to the participant
3. CG is planning to live in the area for at least 6 months
4. If CG is on a psychotropic medication, CG must be on a stable dose for at least 60 days

Exclusion criteria for CR:

1. deemed to be in a crisis/unsafe situation at baseline
2. reported planned transition to another residential or care setting in less than 6 months
3. at end-stage disease (defined as bed-bound and noncommunicative, or on hospice at baseline)
4. currently enrolled in an interventional clinical trial for dementia or associated symptoms
5. regular use of medications with substantial known effects on the measurement of HPA activity (e.g. corticosteroids, interferons, beta-blockers, cytotoxic chemotherapy)
6. major surgery in the past 3 months
7. history of major psychiatric and/or personality disorder
8. history of heavy cigarette smoking (e.g. than 50 pack years)
9. loss of a loved one in the past 3 months
10. conditions known to affect measurement of circadian rhythm such as use of sedatives/ hypnotics, Huntington's disease, Cushing's disease, Addison's disease, normal pressure hydrocephalus, Parkinson's disease, advanced heart failure (New York Heart Stage 3-4), morbid obesity (BMI 35)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Timed Activity Intervention Protocol; The timed activity group will involve 4 in-home visits and 4 brief telephone education sessions provided over 4 weeks. The timed activity intervention provides activities delivered at specific times in the daily cycle. The in-home sessions are spaced weekly so that the participants can have the opportunity to practice the activity with the interventionist and then on their own. During each session, the interventionist will reinforce activity use, review problem solving approaches, and provide education.	Behavioral: Timed Activity Intervention; The timed activity group will involve 4 in-home visits and 4 brief telephone education sessions provided over 4 weeks. The timed activity intervention provides activities delivered at specific times in the daily cycle. The in-home sessions are spaced weekly so that the participants can have the opportunity to practice the activity with the interventionist and then on their own. During each session, the interventionist will reinforce activity use, review problem-solving approaches, and provide education.
Active Comparator: Attention-Control Condition; This condition will contain no active elements beyond its nonspecific components, and no theoretical basis to support an effect on CRDs. The attention-control group will also involve 4 in-home visits and 4 brief telephone education sessions. The attention control group will receive printed educational and training materials from the Alzheimer's Association and the NIH on home modification, health promotion, talking to your doctor, and advanced care planning that coincide with session content.	Behavioral: Attention-Control Condition; This condition will contain no active elements beyond its nonspecific components, and no theoretical basis to support an effect on CRDs. The attention-control group will also involve 4 in-home visits and 4 brief telephone education sessions. The attention control group will receive printed educational and training materials from the Alzheimer's Association and the NIH on home modification, health promotion, talking to your doctor, and advanced care planning that coincide with session content.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change in the Quality of Life in Alzheimer's Disease (QOL-AD) Scale	Person living with dementia quality of life. The QOL-AD scale uses a scale of 1-4 (poor, fair, good, or excellent) to rate a variety of life domains, including the patient's physical health, mood, relationships, activities, and ability to complete tasks. Total scores are calculated by summing all domain scores. The total score range is 13 to 52, with higher scores indicating higher quality of life. Total scores were analyzed to see if there was a change from baseline to one month. The change was calculated from two time points as the value at the later time point minus the value at the earlier time point. Change scores are reported.	Baseline and 1 month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI)	Neuropsychiatric Behaviors The Neuropsychiatric Inventory Questionnaire (NPI) is an informant-based instrument that measures the presence and severity of 12 Neuropsychiatric Symptoms (NPS) in patients with dementia, as well as informant distress. Neuropsychiatric symptoms are rated by the caregiver within a domain in terms of both frequency (1=rarely, less than once per week; 2=sometimes, about once per week; 3=often, several times per week; and 4=very often, once or more per day) and severity (1=mild; 2=moderate; 3=severe), thus yielding a composite symptom domain score (frequency × severity) ranging from 0 (absence of behavioral symptoms) to 144 points (maximum severity of behavioral symptoms).	4 Months

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Circadian Rhythm Symptoms From Actigraphy	Measured using a Motionlogger actigraphy bracelet worn by CR for consecutive 24-hour periods for one whole month. Actigraphic measures of physical activity do not rely on participant self-report and may be of particular importance for efforts to examine the health benefits of physical activity across the full spectrum of older individuals especially those with dementia, a group in which loss of motor function is particularly salient.	30 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: University of Pennsylvania
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Nancy A. Hodgson, University of Pennsylvania

Publications and helpful links

General Publications

• Regier NG, Hodgson NA, Gitlin LN. Characteristics of Activities for Persons With Dementia at the Mild, Moderate, and Severe Stages. Gerontologist. 2017 Oct 1;57(5):987-997. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnw133.
• Hodgson NA, Granger DA. Collecting saliva and measuring salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase in frail community residing older adults via family caregivers. J Vis Exp. 2013 Dec 18;(82):e50815. doi: 10.3791/50815.
• Hodgson NA, Gitlin LN, Winter L, Czekanski K. Undiagnosed illness and neuropsychiatric behaviors in community residing older adults with dementia. Alzheimer Dis Assoc Disord. 2011 Apr-Jun;25(2):109-15. doi: 10.1097/WAD.0b013e3181f8520a.
• Hodgson NA, Andersen S. The clinical efficacy of reflexology in nursing home residents with dementia. J Altern Complement Med. 2008 Apr;14(3):269-75. doi: 10.1089/acm.2007.0577.
• Hirschman KB, Hodgson NA. Evidence-Based Interventions for Transitions in Care for Individuals Living With Dementia. Gerontologist. 2018 Jan 18;58(suppl_1):S129-S140. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnx152.
• Samus QM, Black BS, Bovenkamp D, Buckley M, Callahan C, Davis K, Gitlin LN, Hodgson N, Johnston D, Kales HC, Karel M, Kenney JJ, Ling SM, Panchal M, Reuland M, Willink A, Lyketsos CG. Home is where the future is: The BrightFocus Foundation consensus panel on dementia care. Alzheimers Dement. 2018 Jan;14(1):104-114. doi: 10.1016/j.jalz.2017.10.006. Epub 2017 Nov 21.
• Gitlin LN, Piersol CV, Hodgson N, Marx K, Roth DL, Johnston D, Samus Q, Pizzi L, Jutkowitz E, Lyketsos CG. Reducing neuropsychiatric symptoms in persons with dementia and associated burden in family caregivers using tailored activities: Design and methods of a randomized clinical trial. Contemp Clin Trials. 2016 Jul;49:92-102. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2016.06.006. Epub 2016 Jun 21.
• Hodgson NA, Gooneratne N, Perez A, Talwar S, Huang L. A timed activity protocol to address sleep-wake disorders in home dwelling persons living with dementia: the healthy patterns clinical trial. BMC Geriatr. 2021 Aug 3;21(1):451. doi: 10.1186/s12877-021-02397-2.
• Hwang Y, Connell LM, Rajpara AR, Hodgson NA. Impact of COVID-19 on Dementia Caregivers and Factors Associated With their Anxiety Symptoms. Am J Alzheimers Dis Other Demen. 2021 Jan-Dec;36:15333175211008768. doi: 10.1177/15333175211008768.

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): May 1, 2016
• Primary Completion (Actual): May 31, 2021
• Study Completion (Actual): May 31, 2021

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: April 9, 2018
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: September 20, 2018
• First Posted (Actual): September 24, 2018

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 26, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 24, 2024
• Last Verified: July 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Alzheimer's Disease; Dementia; Agitation; Neuropsychiatric Behaviors
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Mental Disorders; Cardiovascular Diseases; Vascular Diseases; Metabolic Diseases; Cerebrovascular Disorders; Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Arteriosclerosis; Arterial Occlusive Diseases; Sleep Disorders, Intrinsic; Dyssomnias; Neurologic Manifestations; Neurobehavioral Manifestations; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Occupational Diseases; TDP-43 Proteinopathies; Proteostasis Deficiencies; Tauopathies; Cognition Disorders; Language Disorders; Communication Disorders; Intracranial Arterial Diseases; Speech Disorders; Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration; Intracranial Arteriosclerosis; Leukoencephalopathies; Aphasia; Sleep Wake Disorders; Parasomnias; Dementia; Alzheimer Disease; Cognitive Dysfunction; Frontotemporal Dementia; Aphasia, Primary Progressive; Pick Disease of the Brain; Dementia, Vascular; Disorders of Excessive Somnolence; Sleep Disorders, Circadian Rhythm; Neurocognitive Disorders; Chronobiology Disorders
• Other Study ID Numbers: 825000; 1R01NR015226-01A1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No