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Research

RBD-related nightmares

People with RBD (REM sleep behavior disorder) act out their dreams, which are often violent and disturbing nightmares. Treatment for RBD focuses on medication to control the dream enactment, but nightmares have not been targeted. I am studying whether CBT-N (cognitive behavioral therapy for nightmares) can improve RBD-related nightmares.

This research is funded by a grant from the Sleep Research Society Foundation.

woman wearing boxing gloves
blurry, eery image of figure standing in roadway on dark night

Narcolepsy-related nightmares

Between 29-42% of people with narcolepsy have frequent nightmares, but this symptom has not been targeted in any clinical trials. Nightmares disrupt sleep and are linked to negative daytime consequences including anxiety and depression. I have proposed that narcolepsy-related nightmares should be considered a distinct type of nightmares and am conducting clinical trials to determine whether CBT-N (cognitive behavioral therapy for nightmares) can improve nightmares and daytime functioning in people with narcolepsy. One of these trials also is investigating whether the addition of targeted lucidity reactivation augments outcomes.

This research is funded by grants from the NU Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation.

man asleep against train window

Behavioral interventions for CDH

Medications for CDH (such as narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia) may not be completely effective or may not address the psychosocial impacts (depression, anxiety, occupational functioning, relationships, stigma, etc.) of these chronic sleep disorders. Along with colleagues at Northwestern University, I have been developing and studying behavioral treatments intended to augment standard medical care. These include CBT-H (cognitive behavioral therapy for hypersomnia) and mindfulness-based interventions.

This work has been funded by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine Foundation and the NCCIH.

couple holding hands with their smiling baby

Family impact of CDH

How are family members involved in helping their adult loved ones manage CDH (central disorders of hypersomnolence)? How does CDH affect family members? These are the questions I am trying to answer in the EXPLAIN and EXPLAIN-2 studies (EXamination of Partners and Loved ones of Adults with Idiopathic hypersomnia and Narcolepsy). The goal of this research is to better understand how to leverage and support family members in order to improve management of CDH and improve functioning for the entire family unit.

This research is partly funded by a grant from Harmony Biosciences.

woman in bed having a sleep terror or confusional arousal

NREM parasomnias

NREM parasomnias include sleepwalking, confusional arousals, sexsomnia, sleep terrors, and sleep-related eating disorder. Due to a lack of research, there are no clinical practice guidelines for these disorders. My work has focused on advancing our understanding of behavioral treatments for these disorders by publishing a series of case reports on a case-conceptualization approach to treatment and a systematic review.

Publications

Complete list of published works in MyBibliography

ORCID: 0000-0002-0778-6881

Peer-reviewed articles:

  1. Mundt JM, Pruiksma KE, Konkoly KR, Casiello-Robbins C, Nadorff MR, Franklin R, Karanth S, Byskosh N, Morris DJ, Torres-Platas SG, Mallett R, Maski K, Paller K (2024). Treating narcolepsy-related nightmares with cognitive behavioural therapy and targeted lucidity reactivation: A pilot study. Journal of Sleep Research. DOI: 10.1111/jsr.14384.

  2. Mundt JM (2024). Narcolepsy-related nightmares: A distinct type of nightmares in need of further study. Sleep. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsae197.

  3. Mundt JM, Zee PC, Schuiling MD, Hakenjos AJ, Victorson DE, Fox RS, Dawson SC, Rogers AE, Ong JC (2024). Development of a mindfulness-based intervention for narcolepsy: A feasibility study. Sleep. PMID: 38895897. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsae137.

  4. Mundt JM, Schuiling MD, Warlick C, Dietch, JR, Wescott AB, Hagenaars M, Furst A, Khorramdel K, Baron KG (2023). Behavioral and psychological treatments for NREM parasomnias: A systematic review. Sleep Medicine, 111, 36-53. PMID: 37716336. PMCID: PMC10591847. DOI: 10.1016/j.sleep.2023.09.004.

  5. Osiyemi AO, Owoaje ET, Mundt JM, Oladeji BD, Awolude O, Okonkwo P, Berzins B, Ogunniyi A, Taiwo BO (2022). Sleep disturbance and associated factors among Nigerian adults living with HIV in the dolutegravir era. Frontiers in Sleep. DOI: 10.3389/frsle.2022.963529.

  6. Mundt JM, Baron KG. (2021). Integrative behavioral treatment of NREM parasomnias: A case series. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 17, 1313-1316. PMID: 33656982. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.9186.

  7. Ong JC, Dawson SC, Mundt JM, Moore C (2020). Developing a cognitive-behavioral therapy for hypersomnia using telehealth: A feasibility study. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 16, 2047-2062. PMID: 32804069. PMCID: PMC7848927. DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.8750.

  8. George SZ, Lentz TA, Beneciuk JM, Bhavsar NA, Mundt JM, Boissoneault J (2020). Framework for improving outcome prediction for acute to chronic low back pain transitions, Pain Reports, 5,e809. PMCID: PMC7209816. DOI: 10.1097/PR9.0000000000000809.

  9. McCrae CS, Williams J, Roditi D, Anderson R, Mundt JM, Miller MB, Curtis AF, Waxenberg LB, Staud R, Berry RB, Robinson ME (2019). Cognitive behavioral treatments for insomnia (CBT-I) and pain (CBT-P) in adults with comorbid chronic insomnia and fibromyalgia: Clinical outcomes from the SPIN randomized controlled trial. Sleep, 42(3), 1-15. PMID: 30496533. DOI: 10.1093/sleep/zsy234.

  10. McCrae CS, Mundt JM, Curtis AF, Craggs JG, O’Shea AM, Staud R, Berry RB, Perlstein WM, Robinson ME (2018). Grey matter changes following cognitive behavioral therapy for patients with comorbid fibromyalgia and insomnia: A pilot study. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 14, 1595-1603. PMID: 30176973. DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.7344.

  11. Mundt JM, Eisenschenk S, Robinson ME (2018) An examination of pain’s relationship to sleep fragmentation and disordered breathing across common sleep disorders. Pain Medicine, 19, 1516-1524. PMID: 29025100. PMCID: PMC6084578. DOI: 10.1093/pm/pnx211.

  12. Boissoneault J, Mundt JM, Robinson ME, George SZ (2017). Predicting low back pain outcomes: Suggestions for future directions. Journal of Orthopaedic and Sports Physical Therapy, 47, 588-592. PMID: 28859589. DOI: 10.2519/jospt.2017.0607.

  13. Mundt JM, Roditi D, Robinson ME (2017). A comparison of deceptive and non-deceptive placebo analgesia: Efficacy and ethical consequences. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 51, 307-315. PMID: 27995547. DOI: 10.1007/s12160-016-9854-0.

  14. Boissoneault J, Mundt JM, Bartley EJ, Wandner LD, Hirsh AT, Robinson ME (2016). Assessment of the influence of demographic and professional characteristics on health care providers’ pain management decisions using virtual humans. Journal of Dental Education, 80, 578-587. PMID: 27139209. PMCID: PMC4899979. DOI: 10.1002/j.0022-0337.2016.80.5.tb06118.x.

  15. Mundt JM, Crew EC, Krietsch K, Roth AJ, Vatthauer K., Robinson ME, Staud R, Berry RB, McCrae CS (2016). Measuring treatment outcomes in comorbid insomnia and fibromyalgia: Concordance of subjective and objective assessments. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 12, 215-223. PMID: 26414976. PMCID: PMC4751413. DOI: 10.5664/jcsm.5488.

  16. Carpenter KM, Stoner SA, Mundt JM, Stoelb B. (2012). An online self-help CBT intervention for chronic lower back pain. Clinical Journal of Pain, 28, 14-22. PMID: 21681084. PMCID: PMC3184315. DOI:10.1097/AJP.0b013e31822363db.

Chapters:

  1. Abbott SM, Fiala J, Mundt JM, Murray J, Standlee J (2023). Sleep and sleep-wake disorders. In A. Tasman (Ed.), Tasman’s Psychiatry, 5th Edition (pp. 1-82). Springer. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-42825-9_62-1.

  2. Mundt JM, Dietch JR (2023). Insomnia: Sex and gender differences. In Kushida, CA (Ed.), Encyclopedia of Sleep and Circadian Rhythms, 2nd Edition (SLS2), vol. 3 (pp. 196-203). Elsevier, Academic Press. DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-12-822963-7.00019-0.

  3. Mundt JM, Roth AJ (2022). Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia. In I Iftikhar & AI Musani (Eds.), The Latest Trends in Sleep Medicine (pp. 146-167). Bentham. DOI: 10.2174/9789815051032122010012.

  4. Mundt JM, Nowakowski S, Ong JC (2020). Insomnia: Evaluation and therapeutic modalities. In H Attarian & M Viola-Saltzman (Eds.), Sleep Disorders in Women (pp. 141-157). Humana. DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-40842-8_11.