Sleep and Memory Study in Older Adults Inviting Participants

March 1, 2017 News
Sleep and Memory Study in Older Adults

People are constantly developing and changing throughout the course of a lifetime. Specifically, sleep patterns and quality are known to change as people get older. Dr. Marie Hayes and Katrina Daigle, graduate student, are conducting research to assess a new sleep monitoring device that identifies sleep movements and breathing changes throughout the night. The goal is to examine the relationship between sleep quality and brain health in individuals who are 65 to 85 years old. Your participation in this research will help identify people with a high risk of fast brain health decline and may provide information about sleep quality and brain functioning.

What is involved?

  • A two night sleep study
    • A mattress sheet with tiny sensors will be placed under your bed-sheet to measure sleep movements for two nights in a row.
  • A seven night sleep study
    • A small watch will be placed on your wrist for 7 nights in a row and you will be asked to fill out a sheet about your sleep patterns. The first two nights, you will sleep on the mattress, and keep the watch on for 5 more nights.
  • A short memory task to take before and after sleep on the second night.
  • A 1- month follow-up visit to complete brain and memory function testing. We will conduct this test in your home, at the Mood and Memory clinic at Acadia hospital, or a University of Maine research lab. It will take about 2-2.5 hours.

What will you receive in exchange for participation?

  • $100 visa gift card for the two night sleep study
  • $50 visa gift card for the follow-up visit
  • New information about your own sleep and brain functioning

 

All information is confidential.

If you have any questions or concerns or are interested in participating in this study, please contact Katrina or Ella at (207) 365-7255, or email katrina.daigle@maine.edu or ella.sulinski@maine.edu.