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Sleep Disorders: Current Research and Future Directions
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Sleep Disorders: Current Research and Future Directions

A special issue of Journal of Clinical Medicine (ISSN 2077-0383). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Neurology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2025 | Viewed by 2393

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Martina Vendrame

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Morsani College of Medicine, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA
Interests: narcolepsy; REM behavior disorder; parasomnia; idiopathic hypersomnia; restless legs

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sleep disorders, including sleep-related breathing disorders, insomnia, narcolepsy, REM behavior disorder, and restless legs syndrome, significantly impact public health and quality of life of many people. Despite advances in understanding their pathophysiology, many core problems remain unsolved, including precise diagnostic and monitoring methodologies, effective management options, and understanding the genetic and environmental elements that contribute to these conditions.

This Special Issue aims to consolidate cutting-edge research on sleep disorders, providing a comprehensive overview of present findings and identifying future research directions. This Special Issue will encompass original research, reviews, and clinical studies that address these challenges, with a particular focus on innovative diagnostic tools, innovative therapeutic strategies, and the role of technology in sleep disorder management. Contributions that explore the interdisciplinary aspects of sleep research, such as the interaction between neurological, psychological, and environmental factors, are also highly encouraged.

We invite researchers, clinicians, and experts in the field to contribute their work, with the scope of advancing knowledge and fostering understanding and collaboration to address the most relevant issues in sleep medicine research.

Dr. Martina Vendrame
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Clinical Medicine is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • obstructive sleep apnea
  • parasomnia
  • idiopathic hypersomnia
  • periodic limb movement disorder
  • periodic limb move-ment of sleep

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

Jump to: Review, Other

14 pages, 209 KiB  
Article
Spotlight on Seniors with Narcolepsy: Comorbidities and Management
by Rena Y. Jiang, Shae Duka and Martina Vendrame
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(9), 3217; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14093217 - 6 May 2025
Viewed by 255
Abstract
Background/Objectives: Narcolepsy was first described in the late 19th century, and in the current decade, narcolepsy patients are reaching their senior years. Little is known about the evolution of clinical features, the management of narcolepsy medications, and the development of comorbid conditions. [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Narcolepsy was first described in the late 19th century, and in the current decade, narcolepsy patients are reaching their senior years. Little is known about the evolution of clinical features, the management of narcolepsy medications, and the development of comorbid conditions. We aimed to present the clinical characteristics, comorbidities, and therapeutic choices of seniors with narcolepsy. Methods: We extracted 21 charts of patients older than 65 with a diagnosis of narcolepsy according to the International Classification of Sleep Disorders Third Edition. We reviewed and analyzed all clinical and available polysomnographic data. Results: A total of 21 patients (median age 69 years. 67.0–71.0 interquartile range IQR; 71% female) were included. Three (14.3%) had type I and 18 (85.7%) had type II narcolepsy. The average age at symptom onset was 23 years (IQR 19.5–27.5). Diagnosis was made at an average age of 41 years (IQR 33–45), between 1990 and 2002. Median time from onset to diagnosis was 13.7 years (IQR 9.5–19). The most prevalent cardiovascular/metabolic comorbidity was hypertension (57.1%). All patients were historically using narcolepsy medications. Fewer patients were currently on wake-promoting agents (85.7%), with over half on modafinil (55.6%). None currently reported the need to nap during the daytime. Conclusions: Narcolepsy is a lifelong, but not progressive disorder, that has yet to be well-characterized in the senior population. A few seniors appear to outgrow the disorder and to no longer need wake-promoting agents. It is important to consider cardiometabolic comorbidities in the management of narcolepsy in this population. Geriatricians should be educated on narcolepsy with specific programs for these seniors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sleep Disorders: Current Research and Future Directions)
18 pages, 1361 KiB  
Article
A Pilot Study of Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia: Sleep-Related Disorders and Neuropsychiatric Comorbidities
by Roberto A. Cardona-Quiñones, Edicer Ramírez-Rivera, Edwin Álvarez-Torres, Saidy A. Salem-Hernández, Noel J. Vargas-Pérez and Wilfredo De Jesús-Rojas
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(4), 1353; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14041353 - 18 Feb 2025
Viewed by 901
Abstract
Sleep disorders are characterized by impaired quality, timing, and amount of sleep, resulting in daytime distress and functioning. Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare genetic condition characterized by oto-sino-pulmonary manifestations with multiple comorbidities, including sleep disorders. Background/Objectives: This pilot study aims [...] Read more.
Sleep disorders are characterized by impaired quality, timing, and amount of sleep, resulting in daytime distress and functioning. Primary ciliary dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare genetic condition characterized by oto-sino-pulmonary manifestations with multiple comorbidities, including sleep disorders. Background/Objectives: This pilot study aims to assess sleep disorders and neuropsychiatric comorbidities in Puerto Rican patients with the RSPH4A (c.921+3_921+6delAAGT) PCD founder mutation. However, the literature on sleep-related disorders and their neuropsychiatric comorbidities in PCD is limited. Methods: A cohort of fifteen patients with the RSPH4A (c.921+3_921+6delAAGT) founder mutation (six pediatric, nine adults) were evaluated for sleep quality, cognitive, neurodevelopmental history, and mood-related manifestations, followed by diagnostic polysomnography for sleep-disordered breathing and other sleep-related disorder detection. Results: Twelve out of fifteen (12/15, 80%) patients presented with sleep-related disorders, particularly obstructive sleep apnea where the median Pediatric AHI was 1.25/h (IQR: 1.1–1.75/h), T < 90: 0.1 min (IQR: 0–1.9 min) and adult AHI 1.3 (IQR: 0.9–8), T < 90: 0.2 min (IQR: 0–3.5 min). PCD patients also presented complex sleep behaviors, and more than half had sleep-related movement manifestations such as sleep-related Bruxism, PLMS, among others. All pediatric patients with OSA met criteria for an anxiety disorder, with a GAD-7 of 13 (IQR: 10.5–15.8); this association was not clearly seen in adults. Conclusions: Patients with PCD RSPH4A exhibited multiple sleep and neuropsychiatric manifestations, particularly OSA, sleep-related movement disorders and complex sleep behaviors. Further studies are needed to determine if these manifestations result from obstructive breathing, sleep mechanism disruption, or other neurodevelopmental impairment associated with this ciliopathy. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sleep Disorders: Current Research and Future Directions)
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Review

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17 pages, 307 KiB  
Review
Sudden Unexpected Death in Epilepsy: A Narrative Review of Mechanism, Risks, and Prevention
by Rena Y. Jiang, Robin T. Varughese and Sanjeev V. Kothare
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(10), 3329; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14103329 - 10 May 2025
Viewed by 330
Abstract
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is sudden, unexpected, witnessed or unwitnessed, nontraumatic, non-drowning death that occurs in a person with epilepsy. SUDEP is the leading cause of epilepsy-related death in adults with epilepsy, with an incidence of about 1.2 per 1000 person-years [...] Read more.
Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) is sudden, unexpected, witnessed or unwitnessed, nontraumatic, non-drowning death that occurs in a person with epilepsy. SUDEP is the leading cause of epilepsy-related death in adults with epilepsy, with an incidence of about 1.2 per 1000 person-years in the general epilepsy population. Recent studies have shown similar prevalence in the pediatric population too. Although the precise mechanism remains unclear, well-documented cases of SUDEP suggest that a generalized tonic clonic seizure-induced, centrally mediated change in cardiorespiratory function leads to terminal apnea and cardiac arrest. Risk factors include generalized tonic clonic seizure frequency, duration of epilepsy, nocturnal seizure, and certain genetic syndromes. Orexin, adenosine, and serotonin neurotransmission have been explored as novel drug targets to mitigate SUDEP risk. Neurostimulation and resective epilepsy surgery have been reported to have beneficial effects on long-term SUDEP risk as well. Future studies may aim to clarify the role of sleep and other comorbidities in SUDEP pathophysiology. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sleep Disorders: Current Research and Future Directions)

Other

Jump to: Research, Review

8 pages, 877 KiB  
Brief Report
Psychometric Evaluation of the Polish Language Version of the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC)—A Pilot Study
by Małgorzata Jączak-Goździak, Oliviero Bruni and Marcin Żarowski
J. Clin. Med. 2025, 14(7), 2458; https://doi.org/10.3390/jcm14072458 - 3 Apr 2025
Viewed by 340
Abstract
Sleep disorders in children and adolescents are common, affecting approximately 25–50% of children worldwide, yet they remain insufficiently researched. These sleep abnormalities, especially during developmental stages, can lead to various consequences, including emotional and behavioral disorders, academic challenges, mood disorders, and metabolic issues [...] Read more.
Sleep disorders in children and adolescents are common, affecting approximately 25–50% of children worldwide, yet they remain insufficiently researched. These sleep abnormalities, especially during developmental stages, can lead to various consequences, including emotional and behavioral disorders, academic challenges, mood disorders, and metabolic issues such as obesity. Background/Objectives: The study aimed to psychometrically evaluate a tool for examining sleep disorders in Polish children. Methods: The study involved a randomly selected sample of 42 children, all aged 10, from two primary schools in Poland: one located in a city with over 100,000 inhabitants and the other in a smaller town. Parents were asked to complete the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children (SDSC) along with a sociodemographic survey. The study assessed reliability using Cronbach’s alpha (α) and evaluated the correlation between individual domains using Spearman’s rank correlation coefficient (Rs). Results: The pilot group demonstrated very good internal consistency for the entire SDSC scale, with a Cronbach’s α value of 0.89, and suitable values for the individual subscales (ranging from 0.69 to 0.83). Additionally, there was a positive correlation between the individual subscales. Conclusions: While this pilot study requires validation with a larger patient group, the results suggest that the SDSC scale could be an effective tool for screening sleep disorders among Polish children. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sleep Disorders: Current Research and Future Directions)
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