Staff Profile

I work within one of the largest and most research active sleep clinics in the UK. Sleep is of the brain, by the brain and for the brain and when we sleep badly for any reason, it has an immediate impact upon our ability to learn and regulate our mood.

SLEEP AND MENTAL HEALTH

We study the patterns of sleep disturbance in those with mental health problems; in particular bipolar disorder and acute in-patients in psychiatry wards. We have shown within the ASCRIBE study that many patients have severe sleep and circadian rhythm disturbance even when mood is stable and this can be part of poor memory. Within the acute in-patient psychiatry wards, sleep disturbance worsens outcomes but the ward environment can be part of the problem. We work with academic psychiatrists within the SleepWell project that has studied the impact of protected sleep and sleep training on the wards. SleepWell is working to protect sleep in the some of the most vulnerable patients in the NHS in some of the most challenging places.

SLEEP AND AGEING

Poor sleep is recognised as a risk factor for cognitive impairment in both those with who are normally ageing and also those with neurodegenerative disease such as Parkinson's disease or Alzheimers disease. We have shown that those with objectively short sleep were shown to have increased mortality and morbidit, ongoing longitudinal assessments of sleep patterns in the ICICLE cohort are providing valuable insights into patterns of sleep that predict cognitive decline. Working with Professor Nicola Pavese, we are studying functional imaging to try and predict which patients with REM sleep behaviour disorder are most at risk of future parkinson's disease.

MEASURING SLEEP OUTSIDE OF THE SLEEP LAB  - BIG DATA

At present the gold standard for measuring sleep is with an in-patients sleep study (video polysomnography) which is time consuming and invasive for patients who have to come into hospital. Advances in signal processing have led to increasingly sophisticated accelerometer devices detecting patterns of movement during the day and night that characterise both good and bad sleep. We have validated a novel accelerometer against the gold standard of polysomnography and shown high sensitivity for sleep period detection, importantly the same device can be used as a physical activity monitor. Using the many thousands of participants within the Biobank cohort we showed that poor sleep predicted worse cardiometabolic health and those with the best sleep had highest levels of physical activity. Both short and long sleep predict worse cognition and waist lines.

Undergraduate and postgraduate teaching across MRES, PhD and medical students.

Annual sleep training days run every summer attracting a wide range of health professionals and students.

• Bradley AJ, Anderson KN, Gallagher P, McAllister-Williams RH. The association between sleep and cognitive abnormalities in bipolar disorder. Psychological Medicine 2020, 50(1), 125-132.
• Lad M, Thomas RH, Anderson K, Griffiths TD. Niemann-Pick type C: Contemporary diagnosis and treatment of a classical disorder. Practical Neurology 2019, 19(5), 420-423.
• Zhu G, Catt M, Cassidy S, Birch-Machin MA, Trenell M, Hiden H, Woodman S, Anderson KN. Objective sleep assessment in >80,000 UK mid-life adults: associations with sociodemographic characteristics, physical activity and caffeine. PLoS ONE 2019, 14(12), e0226220.
• Xu Z, Oliver JR, Anderson KN. Parasomnia overlap disorder with adolescent-onset presumed REM sleep behavior disorder converting to Parkinson's disease after 48 years. Sleep Medicine 2019, 57, 97-99.
• Xu Z, Anderson KN. Real-world evaluation of digital CBT for insomnia in the primary care setting - Many should not log on to doze off. Cognitive Behaviour Therapist 2019, 12, e39.
• Horne S, Hay K, Watson S, Anderson KN. An evaluation of sleep disturbance on in-patient psychiatric units in the UK. Psychiatrist 2018, 42(5), 193-197.
• van Hees VT, Sabia S, Jones SE, Wood AR, Anderson KN, Kivimaki M, Frayling TM, Pack AI, Bucan M, Trenell MI, Mazzotti DR, Gehrman PR, Singh-Manoux BA, Weedon MN. Estimating sleep parameters using an accelerometer without sleep diary. Scientific Reports 2018, 8(1), 12975.
• Anderson KN. Insomnia and cognitive behavioural therapy-how to assess your patient and why it should be a standard part of care. Journal of Thoracic Disease 2018, 10(Suppl 1), S94-S102.
• Payne B, Chadwick TJ, Blamire A, Anderson KN, Parikh J, Qian J, Hynes AM, Wilkinson J, Price DA. Does efavirenz replacement improve neurological function in treated HIV infection?. HIV Medicine 2017, 18(9), 690-695.
• O'Dowd S, Galna B, Morris R, Lawson RA, McDonald C, Yarnall AJ, Burn DJ, Rochester L, Anderson KN. Poor Sleep Quality and Progression of Gait Impairment in an Incident Parkinson’s Disease Cohort. Journal of Parkinson's Disease 2017, 7(3), 465-470.
• Raper J, Jenabi F, Lim A, Whittaker R, Anderson K, Basu A. Progressive weakness, ptosis and pseudomyopathic face as the presenting features in a patient with narcolepsy. In: British Paediatric Neurology Association Annual Meeting. 2017, Cambridge: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
• Bradley AJ, Webb-Mitchell R, Hazu A, Slater N, Middleton B, Gallagher P, McAllister-Williams H, Anderson KN. Sleep and circadian rhythm disturbance in bipolar disorder. Psychological Medicine 2017, 47(9), 1678-1689.
• Cassidy S, Trenell MI, Anderson KN. The cardio-metabolic impact of taking commonly prescribed analgesic drugs in 133,401 UK Biobank participants. PLoS ONE 2017, 12(12), e0187982.
• McDowall K, Murphy E, Anderson K. The impact of shift work on sleep quality among nurses. Occupational Medicine 2017, 67(8), 621-625.
• Elder GJ, Colloby SJ, Lett DJ, O'Brien JT, Anderson KN, Burn DJ, McKeith IG, Taylor JP. Depressive symptoms are associated with daytime sleepiness and subjective sleep quality in dementia with Lewy bodies. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry 2016, 31(7), 765-770.
• Payne B, Chadwick T, Blamire A, Qian J, Hynes AM, Wilkinson J, Price DA, Anderson K. Neurocognitive and neurometabolic effects of switch from efavirenz to ritonavir-boosted lopinavir. In: 22nd Annual Conference of the British HIV Association (BHIVA). 2016, Manchester: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.
• van Hees VT, Sabia S, Anderson KN, Denton SJ, Oliver J, Catt M, Abell JG, Kivimaki M, Trenell MI, Singh-Manoux A. A Novel, Open Access Method to Assess Sleep Duration Using a Wrist-Worn Accelerometer. PLOS One 2015, 10(11), e0142533.
• Anderson KN. An update in sleep neurology: the latest bedtime stories. Journal of Neurology 2015, 262(2), 487-491.
• Anderson KN, Goldsmith P, Gardiner A. A pilot evaluation of an online cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia disorder - Targeted screening and interactive Web design lead to improved sleep in a community population. Nature and Science of Sleep 2014, 6, 43-49.
• Anderson KN, Catt M, Collerton J, Davies K, von Zglinicki T, Kirkwood TBL, Jagger C. Assessment of sleep and circadian rhythm disorders in the very old: the Newcastle 85+ Cohort Study. Age and Ageing 2014, 43(1), 57-63.
• Moriarty AS, Bradley AJ, Anderson KN, Watson S, Gallagher P, McAllister-Williams RH. Cortisol awakening response and spatial working memory in man: a U-shaped relationship. Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical & Experimental 2014, 29(3), 295-298.
• Prudon B, Duncan GW, Khoo TK, Yarnall AJ, Burn DJ, Anderson KN. Primary sleep disorder prevalence in patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson's Disease. Movement Disorders 2014, 29(2), 259-262.
• Anderson K, Di Maria C, Allen J. Novel assessment of microvascular changes in idiopathic restless legs syndrome (Willis-Ekbom disease). Journal of Sleep Research 2013, 22(3), 315-321.
• Blakely EL, Yarham JW, Alston CL, Craig K, Poulton J, Brierley C, Park SM, Dean A, Xuereb JH, Anderson KN, Compston A, Allen C, Sharif S, Enevoldson P, Wilson M, Hammans SR, Turnbull DM, McFarland R, Taylor RW. Pathogenic Mitochondrial tRNA Point Mutations: Nine Novel Mutations Affirm Their Importance as a Cause of Mitochondrial Disease. Human Mutation 2013, 34(9), 1260-1268.
• Prudon B, Duncan GW, Yarnall AJ, Burn DJ, Anderson K. Primary sleep disorder prevalence in patients with newly diagnosed Parkinson's disease. In: American Thoracic Society International Conference. 2013, Philadelphia: American Thoracic Society.
• Anderson KN, Kelly TP, Griffiths TD. Primary sleep disorders can cause long-term sleep disturbance in patients with autoimmune mediated limbic encephalitis. Clinical Neurology and Neurosurgery 2013, 115(7), 1079-1082.
• Anderson K, Jones DEJ, Wilton K, Newton JL. Restless leg syndrome is a treatable cause of sleep disturbance and fatigue in primary biliary cirrhosis. Liver International 2013, 33(2), 239-243.
• Dimaria C, Allen J, Anderson KN. Novel thermovascular changes in restless legs syndrome using thermal imaging and laser Doppler flowmetry. In: 21st Congress of the European Sleep Research Society. 2012, Paris, France: Wiley-Blackwell.
• Anderson KN, Waton T, Armstrong D, Watkinson HM, Mackin P. Sleep disordered breathing in community psychiatric patients. European Journal of Psychiatry 2012, 26(2), 86-95.
• Burn DJ, Anderson K. To sleep, perchance to dement: RBD and cognitive decline in Parkinson's disease. Movement Disorders 2012, 27(6), 671-673.
• Lovell BL, Bullock RE, Anderson KN. An unusual presentation of congenital central hypoventilation syndrome (Ondine's Curse). Emergency Medicine Journal 2010, 27(3), 237-238.
• Anderson KN, Vincent A, Smith IE, Shneerson JM. Cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin levels are normal in idiopathic REM sleep behaviour disorder. European Journal of Neurology 2010, 17(8), 1105-1107.
• Jaiser SR, Cassidy A, Guadagno JV, Schaefer AM, Anderson K, Goonetilleke A. Denture Cream as a Cause of Copper Deficiency and Neurological Disease. In: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry: ABN Joint Annual Meeting/Spanish Society of Neurology. 2009, Liverpool, UK: BMJ Group.
• Anderson KN, Hatfield C, Kipps C, Hastings M, Hodges JR. Disrupted sleep and circadian patterns in frontotemporal dementia. European Journal of Neurology 2009, 16(3), 317-323.
• Anderson KN, Shneerson JM. Drug Treatment of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder: the Use of Drug Therapies Other Than Clonazepam. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine 2009, 5(3), 235-239.
• Dayal A, Anderson KN. The neurological sleep clinic: how to develop a service for those who do not snore. In: Association of British Neurologists Annual Meeting 2009. 2009, Liverpool, UK: Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry: BMJ Publishing Group.
• Anderson KN, Shneerson JM. Novel therapies in REM sleep behaviour disorder. Journal of Sleep Research 2008, 17, 206-206.
• Anderson KN, Pilsworth S, Jamieson S, Ray J, Shneerson JM, Lennox GG. Sleep disturbance in adults with Angelman syndrome. Sleep and Biological Rhythms 2008, 6(2), 95-101.
• Blakely EL, Goodall JA, Anderson KN, Betts JL, Dean AF, Allen CMC, Compston A, Turnbull DM, Taylor RW. A novel mitochondrial DNA tRNA gene mutation in a family with mitochondrial encephalopathy. In: Journal of Inherited Metabolic Disease. 2006, Springer Netherlands.