Thorsten Mikoteit, MD: Sleep Biomarkers in Insomnia
Under treatment, the dynamic of REM sleep related heart rate variability shows early changes during the first week, providing a promising biomarker of treatment.
“One biomarker we found was heart rate variability related to sleep stages.”
At the 24th Congress of European Sleep Research Society in Basel, Switzerland, NeurologyLive sat down with Thorsten Mikoteit, MD, Psychiatric Services Solothurn and University of Basel, Solothurn, to discuss findings from a study that evaluated heart rate variability measures during specific sleep stages in relation to insomnia.
The study examined biomarker properties of sleep EEG related to heart rate variability concerning insomnia, major depressive disorder independently from antidepressant effects, and treatment response in major depressive disorder.
Mikoteit adds that the approach is very promising and the findings of suppressed heart rate variability measures in insomnia support the hypothesis of hyperarousal and reflect the clinical symptom of insomnia. During treatment, the dynamic of REM sleep related to heart rate variability shows early changes during the first week, potentially providing a promising biomarker of treatment outcomes.
