UAB researchers aim to improve sleep and quality of life for individuals with Down syndrome

UAB researchers were named the recipients of the 2024-2025 McNulty Civitan Scientist Award.Sleep plays a vital role in the human body. It supports metabolic, immune and cardiovascular health, as well as tissue repair and growth, memory, and cognitive performance. It plays a major role in how an individual regulates emotions and their well-being.

Sleep disorders are a common issue in young individuals with neurodevelopmental disorders, including those with Down syndrome. Sleep disorders can affect this population's academic achievement and emotional well-being and can impact their caregivers. At times, sleep disorders are often undiagnosed and untreated; but when treated, they involve medications or other therapies such as continuous positive airway pressure, or CPAP, that can cause side effects and often have poor adherence.

For their continued research in sleep disorders in individuals with Down syndrome, the University of Alabama at Birmingham's Caroline G. Richter, Ph.D., assistant professor in the Department of Psychology, and S. Justin Thomas, Ph.D., associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurobiology, were named the recipients of the 2024-2025 McNulty Civitan Scientist Award.

Justin Thomas, Ph.D. and Caroline G. Richter, Ph.D.

The award is given on behalf of the McNulty Civitan Scientist Committee and the Civitan International Research Center and provides $100,000 in funding for interdisciplinary clinical or fundamental science research aimed at enhancing understanding of typical and atypical brain development.

"Both obstructive sleep apnea and insomnia are highly prevalent among individuals with Down syndrome, and a caregiver's sleep is often also negatively impacted," Thomas said. "I've seen firsthand the impacts of sleep disorders, and I know that research in this area would make a huge impact on many people's lives and may even generalize out to other conditions."

Thomas and Richter will use the funding to study the use of mindfulness-based interventions for insomnia because of the growing evidence in those with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers. Previous studies have shown that incorporating mindfulness techniques can lead to improvements in anxiety, depression and sleep problems in those with intellectual and development disabilities.

"Mindfulness interventions offer a unique advantage over traditional behavioral interventions by fostering a deeper sense of self-awareness and calm, which could be particularly beneficial for improving sleep quality and overall quality of life," Richter said.

The researchers will work closely with Sylvie Mrug, Ph.D., professor in the Department of Psychology, whose research examines the interplay of risk and protective factors in the development of behavioral and emotional problems in adolescence.

Together the team will develop and test a virtually administered mindfulness-based therapy for insomnia protocol that will aim to reduce barriers to treatment access, especially in populations with higher health disparities. The study will test the technique on individuals with Down syndrome ages 12-30 years in eight sessions over a two-month period.

"UAB offers a robust research environment that supports our work through its advanced facilities, interdisciplinary collaborations and a strong focus on neurodevelopmental disorders," Richter said. "The collaborative atmosphere and the focus on disability health position us to conduct comprehensive and impactful research in this area."

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