# Neurocognition After Perturbed Sleep (NAPS)

> **NIH NIH R21** · ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI · 2021 · $210,229

## Abstract

Project
Summary:
The goal of this study is to investigate the impact of sleep on neurocognitive and daily functioning
in people with schizophrenia (SZ). Individuals with SZ display a broad range of neurocognitive
impairments that have been identified as major determinants of poor functioning and disability,
thus representing an important public health concern and a focal target for interventions.
Extensive animal, preclinical and clinical research literatures converge in highlighting the critical
role insomnia and sleep disturbances play in degrading neurocognitive functioning. Such sleep
disturbances, which have been linked to reduced slow wave sleep oscillations and thalamo-
cortical sleep spindles, result in clinical presentations that are in line with the neurocognitive
difficulties commonly observed in people with SZ. Consistent with these findings, insomnia and
sleep disturbances are highly prevalent in people with SZ. However, despite their chronic and
ubiquitous nature, there are scant data on the impact sleep disturbances on neurocognition in SZ
and there are no data quantifying their influence on daily functioning. Thus, sleep disturbances
remain poorly understood and modeled in SZ, their impact is rarely considered in clinical trials,
and they remain largely unaddressed by clinicians. To address this gap in the literature, the
primary aim of this study is to characterize sleep in individuals with SZ and quantify its impact on
neurocognition and daily functioning. Employing an experimental, within-person, repeated
assessment design, we will characterize sleep architecture, duration, and quality along with
cognitive, electrophysiological, biomarkers and daily functioning sequalae in 40 individuals with
SZ. Participants will first complete a week-long, in-home characterization of sleep duration and
quality using actigraphy and a sleep diary. Next, they will complete two overnight
polysomnography examinations employing two sleep schedules: 1) undisturbed sleep; and 2)
restricted sleep (4 hours). As part of these assessments, participants will provide blood samples
for biomarkers analyses and complete EEG-indexed memory tasks pre- and post-sleep, along
with a post-sleep battery of neurocognitive functioning. Finally, participants will complete a 36-
hour ambulatory assessment using actigraphy and smartphones employing Experience Sampling
Method (ESM) to explore the impact of sleep on “real-world” daily functioning including
symptoms, emotion regulation, and mood.
PublicHealth Relevance Statement:This study will provide experimental characterization of the
links between sleep neurocognition and functioning in individuals with SZ, informing the
development of treatments of neurocognitive deficits in SZ.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10196093
- **Project number:** 1R21MH126357-01
- **Recipient organization:** ICAHN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE AT MOUNT SINAI
- **Principal Investigator:** DAVID KIMHY
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2021
- **Award amount:** $210,229
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2021-06-09 → 2023-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10196093

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10196093, Neurocognition After Perturbed Sleep (NAPS) (1R21MH126357-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10196093. Licensed CC0.

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