Journal of Sleep Disorders & Therapy
Open Access

Abstract

Functional Cognitive Disorders: Can Sleep Disturbance Contribute to a Positive Diagnosis?

Elhadd K, Bharambe V and Larner AJ

Study background: Sleep disturbance may contribute to subjective memory complaints which are frequently encountered in cognitive disorders clinics. Identification of sleep disturbance may contribute to a positive diagnosis of functional cognitive disorders (FCD) compared to dementia or mild cognitive impairment.
Methods: Jenkins Sleep Scale (JSS), a validated sleep scale, was administered to consecutive new patients attending a dedicated cognitive disorders clinic based in a regional neuroscience Centre.
Results: Sleep disturbance identified using JSS was more frequent in patients with functional cognitive disorders (p<0.001). Dichotomised JSS showed reasonable sensitivity (>0.8) for FCD when used as a diagnostic test.
Conclusion: Identifying sleep disturbance using a simple sleep screening scale may contribute to a positive diagnosis of functional cognitive disorders in a dedicated cognitive disorders clinic. This may have pragmatic implications for the treatment of subjective memory complaints.