Current Environment:

 

Improving Screening for Pediatric Sleepiness

Overview
The diagnosis of pediatric narcolepsy is often not made until 5-10 years after symptoms develop! This delay in diagnosis can lead to difficulties maintaining a social life, safety issues, academic struggles and mood disorders. We have developed a screening survey to help identify children/adolescents with excessive daytime sleepiness. 

Who Can Participate?
We are looking for patients age 8-18 who have been recently diagnosed with narcolepsy or idiopathic hypersomnia (within a 6 month period) or awaiting diagnostic sleep study testing for these conditions to complete our surveys. Additionally, we are looking for control participants (healthy kids/adolescents age 8-18 with no sleep disorders or medical conditions) to take these surveys.

Participation Details
Complete 5 questionnaires online about typical sleep patterns and daytime sleepiness. This takes about 15 minutes in total. As a thank you, each participant will receive a $10 gift card.

Research Contact
Erin Steinhart at Erin.Steinhart@childrens.harvard.edu

Understanding the Cognitive and Cardiovascular Effects of Narcolepsy

Overview
Research has shown that sleep disturbances can contribute to both cognitive problems and hypertension. We are studying the effects of sleep fragmentation on cognitive and cardiovascular outcomes in kids/adolescents with narcolepsy and healthy controls.

Who Can Participate?
We are looking for children ages 8-18 years of age who are diagnosed with narcolepsy type 1, as well as healthy control participants with no sleep or medical disorders.

Participation Details
This study requires 2 sessions of IQ testing (one at home through Skype and one in- person), wearing a wrist watch device for 1 week including on the study night to measure sleep/wake and autonomic activity, completion of online questionnaires, an overnight sleep study at Boston Children’s Hospital, memory and emotion tests before and after the sleep study, and blood pressure monitoring before/after the study. Last, a single blood draw is required upon awakening in the morning. As a thank you, the participant receives $250.00.

Research Contact
Jennifer Worhach at Jennifer.Worhach@childrens.harvard.edu