Grant: Master's Award: Canada Graduate Scholarships

Benzodiazepines are prescribed extensively to the elderly mainly for anxiety and insomnia complaints. Although the recommended treatment duration is usually a few weeks, in the majority of cases this consumption becomes chronic. In Quebec, 25% of the elderly population take benzodiazepines over the long term. The prolonged use of these drugs has a direct impact on a wide range of cognitive functions affecting, for example, memory, attention, concentration, and psychomotor performance. For this reason, it is suggested to limit the use of benzodiazepines to short-term use (2-4 weeks) among the elderly. Although non-pharmacological treatment options are recommended for insomnia, they are rarely offered to elderly participants. This can partly be due to a lack of knowledge, but also due to the absence of specialized structures, offering these treatments. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is a psychological intervention that aims to correct poor sleep habits, false beliefs about sleep and promote sleep hygiene measures. CBT-I represents not only the treatment of choice for chronic insomnia, but also a very useful component in benzodiazepine weaning and improving cognitive performance in elderly. In this project, we aim to evaluate the effect of CBT-I on cognition in elderly following withdrawal from prolonged benzodiazepines usage (when prescribed for chronic insomnia). We hypothesis that CBT-I will improve cognitive performance following benzodiazepine withdrawal in an elderly population and this improvement will be linked to improved sleep following CBT-I therapy. This project will promote a greater awareness on the risks of chronic pharmacotherapy to sleep, while highlighting the benefits of non-drug options.