Biomedical subjects

Cristiano Violani

Publications and source records attributed to Cristiano Violani.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Insomnia and its comorbidities in chronic kidney disease.

Sleep disorders are among the factors that can reduce the quality of life in patients with chronic kidney disease. Chronic kidney disease patients could benefit from an accurate evaluation and treatment of insomnia because this sleep disorder is associated with a high persistence-relapse rate, poor physical health, and mental disease (anxiety, depression) both in terms of comorbidity and antecedent. A multilayer evaluation of insomnia is possible because of valid and reliable instruments (both objective and subjective). Furthermore, a rational etiologic model of insomnia allows better understanding and treatment as a result of effective cognitive-behavioral techniques.

Chronic Disease↗

PubMed2006

Social-cognitive determinants of physical activity attendance in older adults.

The present study evaluated whether, and to what extent, the constructs implicated in the theory of planned behavior could predict behavioral intention to exercise and exercise-class attendance of older adults (age 65-90 years) already enrolled in a physical activity program. The study also evaluated whether including self-efficacy judgments might improve the predictive capacity of the model. Participants (N = 1,095) were randomly sampled Italian volunteers from exercise classes for older adults. First, they completed questionnaires assessing the above-mentioned constructs. Then, class attendance was recorded during the following 3 months. Results indicated a substantial correspondence between the model and the data. Perceived behavioral control and self-efficacy were the strongest predictors of behavioral intention, whereas attitudes and subjective norms only partially contributed to its prediction. The inclusion of self-efficacy improved the predictive capacity of the overall model. Finally, results showed a weak relation between behavioral intention and attendance rate in physical activity sessions.

Aged↗

PubMed2005

Sleep-related car crashes: risk perception and decision-making processes in young drivers.

The aim of the present study is to analyse factors affecting worries, coping strategies and decisions of young drivers regarding the risk of sleep-related car crashes. Furthermore, the study also analyses whether framing the same information about sleepiness in two different linguistic forms influences: (1) the evaluation of the level of risk associated to a specific level of drowsiness (Attribute Framing problem); (2) the willingness to enact strategies to "prevent" sleepiness before night-time driving (Goal Framing problem); (3) the choice between two different ways, both of equal expected efficacy, of lowering drowsiness (Risky decision-making Framing problem). Six hundred and ninety-five young drivers [(57.6% females, 42.4% males); mean age 20.85 years (S.D.=1.2)] answered questions on drive risk perception and sleepiness, on nocturnal driving experience and on the strategies to deal with driver sleepiness, responding to one of the two different versions of the framed problems. A sub-sample of 130 participants completed the framed problems in both versions. The results show that experiences of sleep attacks and nocturnal driving frequency in the past 6 months affect both risk perception and the preventive strategies adopted. Furthermore, the manipulation on two out of the three problems (attribute and risky decision-making frames) significantly affected the respondents' evaluation.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed2005

Quality of sleep and P300 amplitude in primary insomnia: a preliminary study.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to evaluate whether the cortical arousal level in subjects with primary insomnia varies according to their quality of nighttime sleep. DESIGN: The P300 ERP was recorded each day, before and after sleep actigraphically monitored for 1 week. For each participant, the nights of worst- and best-quality sleep were identified. PARTICIPANTS: Seven subjects with primary insomnia and 7 control subjects. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The P300 amplitudes were compared by considering group (insomnia vs control), night (worst vs best), and moment of recording (before vs after sleep) as factors. The subjects with insomnia showed higher P300 amplitudes, as compared with amplitudes of control subjects, only for the worst night of sleep. CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate a relationship between variations in sleep quality and cortical arousal level in subjects with primary insomnia.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Oculomotor changes are associated to daytime sleepiness in the multiple sleep latency test.

Sleep onsets in the diurnal multiple sleep latency test (MSLT), following different sleep lengths of the preceding night sleep (8, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1 h) and following the corresponding recovery nights, were considered for a study on changes of oculomotor activity during sleep onset. The study aimed to assess the individual time course in spontaneous blinks (SBs) and slow eye movements (SEMs) during the sleep onset period and also the relationship with sleep latencies in the MSLT. Group analyses compared oculomotor changes between conditions characterized by a different level of daytime sleepiness. The results show a clear inverse relation between the two oculomotor measures, with a linear SB decrease and quadratic SEM increase across the wake-sleep transition. A 150 s sample of SB and SEM activity at the start of MSLT trials correlates with individual subsequent sleep latency. Finally, mean changes in daytime sleepiness as measured by the MSLT are paralleled by coherent oculomotor changes, with a significant linear decrease of SB as sleepiness increases as a consequence of previous sleep reduction. Both individual and group results show that endogenous blinking is associated with moderate changes in daytime sleepiness.

Adult↗

PubMed2004

Single and Sequential REM sleep episodes in humans: a phylogenetic left-over?

The occurrence of REM sleep in the rat appears to be under the control of either sleep related processes and homeostatic regulation of physiological variables. With respect to this, it has been observed that in this species REM sleep may occur in the form of two types of episodes, Single and Sequential episodes, which are supposed to play a different functional role. Since it is possible to distinguish Single and Sequential REM sleep episodes also in human beings, the aim of this pilot study was to asses whether a sleep deprivation may differently affect these two types of REM episodes. The sleep deprivation was induced in young human subjects by a progressive restriction of sleep within the same night period. Seventy-two PSG tracing belonging to six subjects have been analyzed. The results show that sleep deprivation does not significantly affect the relative occurrence of Single and Sequential REM sleep episodes, suggesting that in human beings these two types of REM episodes might not have a different functional role.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Peripheral temperature changes during rest and gender differences in thermal biofeedback.

Thermal biofeedback (BFB) training is used extensively in clinical psychophysiology. However, there are large individual differences in the ability to control peripheral skin temperature and the magnitude of changes obtained varies considerably across studies. The aims of this study were: (1) to investigate the relationship between spontaneous peripheral temperature changes and changes voluntarily produced through a six-session thermal BFB training and (2) to investigate whether gender or other subjects' variables (trait anxiety, locus of control (LC) and field dependence) were related to learning of voluntary control of peripheral skin temperature. Results demonstrated that during the rest period preceding the feedback trials, there were consistent systematic temperature increases in which changes were bigger than those recorded in the BFB increase trials; among the subjects' variables considered, the only one that correlated significantly with learning ability was gender: Females showed greater control than males. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

P300 amplitude in subjects with primary insomnia is modulated by their sleep quality.

OBJECTIVE: The hyperarousal hypothesis is evaluated while controlling the influence of the quality of sleep in the night preceding the evaluation. METHOD: Eleven primary insomniacs and 11 healthy age matched controls participated to the study. Participants filled in 2 weeks of sleep logs and self-monitored their subjective tension the evening before and the morning after each night. Afterwards, subjects were called in to the Lab for a recording session of the P300 ERP (oddball paradigm) once after a night of bad sleep quality (N-) and once after a night of good sleep quality (N+). RESULTS: The main result of the present study indicated that the P300 amplitude at Fz in insomniacs resulted higher following a N- and lower following a N+ with respect to controls. CONCLUSIONS: This result suggests that cortical hyperarousal in primary insomniacs is not a stable individual characteristic, but is associated with the poor quality of their nocturnal sleep.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

The effects of sleep debt on vigilance in young drivers: an education/research project in high schools.

The vigilance levels of a group of 59 students were assessed in the daytime (9:00-11:00 a.m.) and again early Sunday morning (2:30-5:00 a.m.), and were then compared. Data were collected at the students' schools. The differences in performance impairment associated with different Saturday night social activities and the effect of alcohol consumption were evaluated. Results indicate a vigilance decrease during the night, and this is greater in subjects who consumed more alcohol. Students who spent their Saturday night in a discotheque showed the most prominent nocturnal vigilance decrease, even when the effect of alcohol consumption is covaried. The effect of social activities on vigilance levels was also associated with different lengths of time spent awake and the different time in which subjects performed the vigilance task.

Accidents, Traffic↗