Michelle Clementi

Research Description

List Family Foundation Seed Grant Recipient

Seed grant project title: Intraindividual Sleep Variability and Circadian Factors in Adolescent Girls with Chronic Migraine: Associations with Psychological Functioning

Current research focus: Females experience dramatically higher rates of migraine, disrupted sleep, and mood/anxiety disorders compared to males beginning in the adolescent years. Though habitual poor sleep (e.g. consistently sleeping less than recommended) is a well-documented risk factor for migraine, little is known about the impact of irregular sleep patterns (e.g. napping, vastly different bed/wake times) and circadian factors on migraine. Given that irregular sleep patterns and changes in circadian rhythm are observed clinically among individuals with chronic migraine and are characteristic of adolescence - the period in which migraine and mood/anxiety disorders increase in females - understanding interactions between these variables is vital for interrupting the chronicity, disability, and public health impact of migraine in females. The current study will examine how sleep variability (measured nightly with an accelerometer-based sleep tracker) and circadian factors impact migraine in adolescent girls with chronic migraine. The role of anxiety/depression will also be examined as a potential additive risk factor.