Roger Godbout

• Ph.D.
• Professor Emeritus at Université de Montréal

Autism spectrum (AS) is a neurodevelopmental condition associated with poor sleep, which impairs daytime functioning. Most studies of sleep in autism have been based on subjective measures, notably parental reports. A few studies have used objective, laboratory polysomnography (PSG) measures, but often include confounding factors such as intellectu...

Autism is a developmental disorder with a neurobiological aetiology. Studies of the autistic brain identified atypical developmental trajectories that may lead to an impaired capacity to modulate electroencephalogram activity during sleep. We assessed the topography and characteristics of non‐rapid eye movement sleep electroencephalogram slow waves...

We tested the hypothesis of an atypical scalp distribution of electroencephalography (EEG) activity during Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep in young autistic adults. EEG spectral activity and ratios along the anteroposterior axis and across hemispheres were compared in 16 neurotypical (NT) young adults and 17 individuals with autism spectrum disorder...

Objectives/Background Intellectual giftedness is characterized by an intellectual development superior to peers, while emotional and relational developments correspond to the age norms. Few empirical researches have investigated sleep profile of gifted children (GC) and its association with their well-being, all of which used IQ as the sole definit...

Theoretical models of sleep and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) suggest that symptoms of ADHD are associated with daytime sleepiness, but it has received little support. The present study aimed at testing an alternative model involving the association of attentional instability with sleep instability, i.e., sleep stage transitions a...

Background. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of neurodevelopmental disorders de ned by stereotyped behavior and challenges in social communication and social interaction. ASD is associated with various comorbidities, including anxiety, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms and sleep disorders. Evidence supports an association between intestinal d...

Background: Recent studies have suggested an increased risk of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) following daylight saving time (DST) transitions in cohorts of American and European patients. We aim to validate this finding in a Canadian population. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients admitted to the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeu...

Background/Objectives: This study explores the effects of two probiotics, Lactobacillus helveticus R0052 and Bifidobacterium longum R0175, on myocardial infarction (MI) and associated depression-like behaviours, with a focus on sex differences. Methods: MI was induced in adult male and female rats by occluding the left anterior coronary artery for...

Daylight Saving Time (DST) is the practice of setting the clocks one hour forward from Standard Time (ST) in the spring and back again to ST in the fall. This commentary discusses the impact of bi-annual time changes on sleep and circadian rhythms and suggests avenues to minimize negative outcomes on the well-being of Canadian citizens. Ideally, ST...

The Signature Biobank is a longitudinal repository of biospecimen, psychological, sociodemographic, and diagnostic data that was created in 2012. The Signature Consortium represents a group of approximately one hundred Quebec-based transdisciplinary clinicians and research scientists with various expertise in the field of psychiatry. The objective...

Background: Recent studies have suggested an increased risk of AMI following daylight saving time (DST) transitions in cohorts of American and European patients. We aim to validate this finding in a Canadian population. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of patients admitted to the Hôpital du Sacré-Coeur de Montréal, with a diagnosi...

Objectifs La somnolence diurne des adolescents a des impacts négatifs sur la santé physique, cognitive et émotionnelle, engendrant des conséquences directes ou indirectes sur leur santé mentale. Cette recension vise à décrire les outils spécialisés pour évaluer la somnolence diurne chez les adolescents afin que les intervenants en santé mentale pui...

Objective Pediatric insomnia is one of the most commonly reported disorders, especially in children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Better Nights, Better Days for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders ( BNBD-NDD ) is a transdiagnostic, self-guided, eHealth behavioral sleep intervention developed for parents of children with NDDs ages 4–12 y...

BACKGROUND Children with neurodevelopmental disorders have a high risk of sleep disturbances, with insomnia being the most common sleep disorder (i.e., chronic and frequent difficulties with going and staying asleep). Insomnia adversely affects the well-being of these children and their caregivers. Pediatric sleep experts recommend behavioral inter...

Background Children with neurodevelopmental disorders have a high risk of sleep disturbances, with insomnia being the most common sleep disorder (ie, chronic and frequent difficulties with going and staying asleep). Insomnia adversely affects the well-being of these children and their caregivers. Pediatric sleep experts recommend behavioral interve...

Study objectives: Giftedness is a multidimensional condition. It is increasingly put forward that gifted children (GC) could be a population at high risk for sleep problems. The current study investigated GC and typically developing children (TDC) for their habitual sleep, night-to-night sleep variability, and parental reports of child sleep. Met...

Neurological uniqueness, maladaptive behaviours, as well as atypical sleep patterns are reported to be defining characteristics of giftedness, but this has received little empirical support. We studied the polysomnography recorded sleep of gifted and typically‐developing children together with features of maladaptive behaviours. The association of...

Increasing evidence suggests that the intestinal microbiota composition could play a role in specific pathologies such as hypertension, obesity and diabetes. This study aims to demonstrate that the intestinal microbiota modulated by a diet creating dysbiosis increased the size of the myocardial infarction and that probiotics could attenuate this ef...

I presented a poster on the Barriers and Facilitators to the Better Nights, Better Days for Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders (BNBD-NDD) program at the DOHaD 2022 World Congress in Vancouver, BC. These results are based on qualitative interviews with 20 parents who completed the BNBD-NDD program.

Résumé La durée de sommeil des adolescents a connu un déclin important pendant le dernier siècle, il n’est donc pas surprenant que nombre d’entre eux éprouvent de la somnolence diurne. Cette recension de la littérature actualise les connaissances disponibles sur ce sujet d’importance. L’étiologie du manque de sommeil et de la somnolence chez les ad...

Background An upsurge in dream and nightmare frequency has been noted since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and research shows increases in levels of stress, depression and anxiety during this time. Growing evidence suggests that dream content has a bi-directional relationship with psychopathology, and that dreams react to new, personally si...

Objective The COVID-19 pandemic has the potential to disrupt the lives of families and may have implications for children with existing sleep problems. As such, we aimed to: (1) characterize sleep changes during the COVID-19 pandemic in children who had previously been identified as having sleep problems, (2) identify factors contributing to sleep...

During the early days of the pandemic and in the context of a seemingly unknown global threat, several potential major sleep disruptors were identified by sleep researchers and practitioners across the globe. The COVID-19 pandemic combined several features that, individually, had been shown to negatively affect sleep health in the general populatio...

Background: An upsurge in dream and nightmare frequency has been noted since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic and research shows increases in levels of stress, depression and anxiety during this time. Growing evidence suggests that dream content has a bi-directional relationship with psychopathology, and that dreams react to new, personally s...

Le sommeil occupe environ 40% de la journée d’un enfant et il devrait faire l’objet d‘autant d’attention que l’alimentation et l’exercice physique, d’autant plus qu’il entretient des liens étroits avec la santé mentale. Toutefois, au sein de plusieurs familles, le sommeil est associé à de nombreux défis. À travers cette présentation, nous apprendro...

Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused global disruptions with serious psychological impacts. This study investigated the emergence of new psychiatric symptoms and the worsening of pre-existing mental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic, identified factors associated with psychological worsening, and assessed chan...

Les données recueillies lors de crises et tragédies passées prouvent que les problèmes de sommeil survenant durant ou peu de temps après un événement traumatique sont reliés à une probabilité accrue de développer des symptômes psychiatriques durables. Or la pandémie COVID-19 et ses conséquences à moyen et long-terme combinent plusieurs facteurs de...

Background/aims Insomnia is highly prevalent in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), yet little research exists on sleep treatment access, utilization, and provision in this population. This study explores barriers and facilitators to access, use, and provision of treatment for sleep problems as experienced by parents of children with...

Summary This study aimed to evaluate changes in sleep during the COVID‐19 outbreak, and used data‐driven approaches to identify distinct profiles of changes in sleep‐related behaviours. Demographic, behavioural and psychological factors associated with sleep changes were also investigated. An online population survey assessing sleep and mental heal...

Introduction The negative impacts of COVID-19 have rippled through every facet of society. Understanding the multidimensional impacts of this pandemic is crucial to identify the most critical needs and to inform targeted interventions. This population survey study aimed to investigate the acute phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in terms of perceived t...

This commentary highlights the critical role of sleep as a public health issue, particularly during a stressful life period such as the COVID-19 pandemic, and provides evidence-based practical guidelines to manage sleep disturbances during this crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic and the imposed social confinement have produced significant stress, anxiet...

Background The endogenous cannabinoid system mediates the psychoactive effects of cannabis in the brain. It has been argued that this system may play a key role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. While some studies have consistently shown that the levels of anandamide, an endogenous cannabinoid ligand, are increased in the cerebrospinal fluid...

Background Understanding the multifaceted impacts of the Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) outbreak as it unfolds is crucial to identify the most critical needs and to inform targeted interventions. Methods This population survey study presents cohort characteristics and baseline observations linked to the acute-mid phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in terms...

Introduction Sleep disturbance in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is frequent, and lead to shorter sleep duration which has been associated with lower performance on sustained attention tasks. However, no study has investigated this association in adolescents with ADHD. We sought to explore whether the association betw...

Introduction Intellectual giftedness is characterized by an intellectual development superior to peers (QI > 120) while emotional and relational development corresponds to the age norms. Anecdotal reports from parents suggest that they sleep poorly compared to typically developing (TD) peers. We measured sleep of gifted children using actigraphy....

Introduction Gifted (G) children display an asynchrony between intellectual development and social and emotional development. Twice exceptional (2e) children are G children with a neuropsychological disability. We compared the sleep and daytime behavior of G, 2e and typically developing (TD) children and we sought for group-specific relationships b...

Background: Sleep problems, particularly insomnia, are highly prevalent in children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) and can negatively affect health and development. eHealth interventions may increase access to evidence-based care for insomnia for children with NDD, as programs are rare in most communities. Better Nights, Better Days (BNBD...

Background: Understanding the multifaceted impacts of the Coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) outbreak as it unfolds is crucial to identify the most critical needs and to inform targeted interventions. Methods: This population survey study presents cohort characteristics and baseline observations linked to the acute-mid phase of the COVID-19 outbreak in te...

Context Psychotic disorders are severe mental disorders that can cause a loss of contact with reality. Along with positive symptoms (delusions and hallucinations), they also encompass many other dysfunctions, such as sleep problems, which themselves can cause great distress and impairment in patients. Objective To review current literature on the r...

Better Nights, Better Days (BNBD) is a 5-session online intervention designed to treat insomnia in 1–10-year-old children (Corkum et al. 2016). Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and insomnia commonly occur in children and, after surgical treatment for OSA, it is estimated that up to 50% of children may continue to suffer from insomnia symptoms. Access...

Caspase-3 activation in the limbic system and depressive-like symptoms are observed after an acute myocardial infarction (MI) and studies suggest that inflammation may play a significant role. Combined treatment with the probiotic strains Bifidobacterium longum and Lactobacillus helveticus in rats has been shown to attenuate caspase-3 activation an...

Activity of caspase-3 in different regions (% of the control) MA Medial amygdala; LA Lateral amygdala; DG Dentate gyrus. (DOCX)

Social interaction. Interactions between animals in seconds (DOCX)

Passive avoidance step-down test. Time to succeed the test (in seconds) (DOCX)

Plasma CRP concentrations. Plasma CRP concentrations (ng/ml) assessed by ELISA assay after a 24-h reperfusion period. (DOCX)

Infarct size and Area at risk. Infarct size (I) expressed as percent of area at risk(AR) and area at risk expressed as percent of the left ventricle (LV) for each group. (DOCX)

Forced swimming test–Escape time, immobility time and swim time in seconds. (DOCX)

Introduction Up to 90% of children and adolescents with a psychiatric diagnosis also suffer from sleep disorders, thus worsening their diurnal symptoms. Most of these children are prescribed medications to help them cope with their sleep difficulties. We analyzed the medical files of patients referred to the sleep clinic of a pediatric mental healt...

Introduction Tourette Syndrome (TS) is defined by motor and sound tics. Opposition and aggressive behaviors are common in children with TS, and some even experience explosive outbursts. These sudden and recurrent events are considered the worst symptoms by parents because of their severe interference with daily functioning. It is estimated that abo...

Introduction The relationship between sleep and depression is complex and well-established. About three quarter of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) have comorbid sleep dysregulations. Current research has emphasized the importance of establishing biologically relevant subtypes of MDD with treatment specificity and prognostic value. Pol...

Objective: To investigate in a sample of low-income families whether the quality of parent-child interactions mediated the association between coparenting and child sleep, and if this association was moderated by parents' anxiety. Method: In sum, 81 two-parent families with a preschool child (aged 3 to 5 years) and receiving social security bene...

Contexte La disparition de la nomenclature des troubles du sommeil dits primaires ou secondaires, rendue obsolète par le Manuel diagnostique et statistique des troubles mentaux (DSM-5), représente bien l’engouement académique actuel pour ce domaine de recherche. Il est de plus en plus reconnu que les troubles du sommeil sont plus que de simples con...

Myocardial infarction (MI) in animal models induces cognitive deficits as well as the activation of caspase in the limbic system; both can be blocked by 2 weeks of treatment following MI using tricyclic antidepressants or selective serotonin uptake blockers. Here we used three different treatment schedules to test the short- and long-term effects o...

Objectives/background: This paper outlines the current state of Canadian training, clinical services, research, and advocacy initiatives related to non-respiratory sleep disorders, with a specific focus on insomnia, the most common sleep problem in children. Methods: Information for this narrative review was collected from peer-reviewed publicat...

Introduction Studies suggest a sympathetic-parasympathetic disequilibrium in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), compared to typically developing (TD) children. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) shows profound modification with age but studies in ASD adults are lacking. The ANS is also influenced by vigilance states such as wakefulness a...

Purpose of Review Melatonin is used to treat sleep difficulties associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). There are growing evidence that melatonin could have an effect on other symptoms than sleep, such as anxiety, depression, pain, and gastrointestinal dysfunctions. Interestingly, these symptoms frequently are found as comorbid conditions i...

Introduction: Individuals with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) are reported to display high sympathetic activity and atypical diurnal cortisol secretion patterns. We compared evening and morning cortisol levels in ASD and typically developing (TD) adults and explored the association between cortisol, sleep and heart rate variability (HRV). Meth...

Introduction Individuals with an autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) are reported to display high sympathetic activity and atypical diurnal cortisol secretion patterns. We compared evening and morning cortisol levels in ASD and typically developing (TD) adults and explored the association between cortisol, sleep and heart rate variability (HRV). Meth...

Background: Up to 25% of 1- to 10-year-old children experience insomnia (ie, resisting bedtime, trouble falling asleep, night awakenings, and waking too early in the morning). Insomnia can be associated with excessive daytime sleepiness and negative effects on daytime functioning across multiple domains (eg, behavior, mood, attention, and learning...

Objective: This exploratory study measured the impact of comorbid anxiety disorders on sleep in children with ADHD and tested the effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on these measures. Method: Fifty-seven children (8-12 years old) were assessed with the Child Sleep Habits Questionnaire. Four groups were formed: ADHD (n = 20), ADHD + Anxiet...

Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) are at high risk for sleep problems, especially insomnia. It is currently not known whether behavioural sleep interventions developed for typically developing (TD) children are effective for children with NDD, and if interventions need to be modified for each diagnostic group. The aim of this systema...

Portable polysomnography is often too complex and encumbering for recording sleep at home. We recorded sleep using a biometric shirt (electrocardiogram sensors, respiratory inductance plethysmography bands and an accelerometer) in 21 healthy young adults recorded in a sleep laboratory for two consecutive nights, together with standard polysomnograp...

Insomnia, which is related to daytime deficits and is a common problem for children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs), is often successfully treated with behavioral strategies. However, there are barriers to accessing these treatments, and there has been little research examining what these interventions need to be usable and effective. The...

Lay summary: Slow EEG waves recorded from the scalp during sleep are thought to facilitate learning and memory during daytime. We compared these EEG waves in young autistic adults to typically-developing young adults. We found less slow EEG waves in the ASD group and the pattern of relationship with memory differed between groups. This suggests at...

Le sommeil joue un rôle fondamental dans la santé physique, mentale et cognitive des enfants. Malheureusement, les difficultés de sommeil sont très fréquentes dans la population pédiatrique (0-17 ans) et la prévalence est particulièrement élevée chez les enfants et adolescents atteints de troubles neurodéveloppementaux. Les troubles du sommeil nuis...

Purpose of review Over time, the sleep disturbances experienced by people with bipolar disorder (BD) can lead to a progressive accumulation of sleep debt with widespread adverse consequences on mental and physical health. This review looks at recent studies that have examined bipolar disorder in relation to sleep and cardiovascular dysfunctions. R...

Introduction: Individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) display higher sympathetic activity during wakefulness. In typically developing individuals (TD) higher sympathetic activity is observed in the morning compared to evening levels. The main objectives of this study were to compare autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity during wakefulne...

Résultats préliminaires sur le projet de recherche sur le sommeil, le syndrome métabolique et les endocannabino¸¸ïdes.

Introduction Children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) are at high risk for sleep problems, especially insomnia. Insomnia can result in excessive daytime sleepiness, impairments in daytime functioning, and contribute to increased NDD symptoms. Many children do not receive what is believed to be the first line treatment - behavioural interven...

Introduction Individuals with autistic spectrum disorder (ASD) display higher sympathetic activity during wakefulness. In typically developing individuals (TD) higher sympathetic activity is observed in the morning compared to evening levels. The main objectives of this study were to compare autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity during wakefulnes...

Introduction Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by impaired social functioning and restricted repetitive behaviors, interests and activities. Insomnia and gastrointestinal disorders (GID) are among the most frequently reported comorbidities in ASD and they deteriorate the clinical picture. Here we report o...

Introduction Autism is a developmental disorder with a neurobiological etiology. Studies of the autistic brain point toward atypically organized brain networks which may lead to a lower capacity to synchronize the EEG during sleep. We compared the intrisic characteristics and topography of nonREM sleep EEG slow waves (SW) in autistic and neurotypic...

Introduction Portable polysomnography systems are often too complex and encumbering for home sleep recordings. We assessed the feasibility of measuring sleep with a biometric shirt. Methods Twenty healthy young adults (12 women, 8 men; 21.9 ± 2.0 years) were recorded in a sleep laboratory for two consecutive nights using standard polysomnography a...

Introduction : L'activité du système nerveux autonome (SNA) varie en fonction du moment de la journée. De façon générale, le tonus sympathique est plus élevé le matin que le soir. Différents états peuvent aussi influencer l'activité du SNA, tel qu'un sommeil perturbé. Or, ces perturbations risquent d'être amplifiées chez certaines populations plus...

In 2008, the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) announced that in the next few decades, it will be essential to study the various biological, psychological and social ‘signatures’ of mental disorders. Along with this new ‘signature’ approach to mental health disorders, modifications of DSM were introduced. One major modification consisted o...

This exploratory study investigated child sleep in a sample of maltreated children living in foster care and examined its associations with placement conditions and history of maltreatment. Participants included 25 foster children and their foster caregiver. Children were on average 60.24 months of age (SD = 18.70). Foster mothers completed questio...

BACKGROUND: The high prevalence of sleep disorders in children with psychiatric illness is widely recognized and has a significant impact on families. Ascertainment of sleep disorders remains difficult in a fast-paced clinical setting, owing to the lack of short and efficient assessment tools. OBJECTIVES: In this study, we tested a one-page parent-...

Myocardial infarction (MI) has dramatic mid- and long-term consequences at the physiological and behavioral levels, but the mechanisms involved are still unclear. Our laboratory has developed a rat model of post-MI syndrome that displays impaired cardiac functions, neuronal loss in the limbic system, cognitive deficits and behavioral signs of depre...

The relationship between intelligence measures and 2 EEG measures of non-rapid eye movement sleep, sleep spindles and Sigma activity, was examined in 13 typically-developing (TD) and 13 autistic children with normal IQ and no complaints of poor sleep. Sleep spindles and Sigma EEG activity were computed for frontal (Fp1, Fp2) and central (C3, C4) re...

Les patients souffrant de schizophrénie se plaignent très fréquemment de troubles du sommeil, et en particulier d’insomnie. Quels sont les effets des neuroleptiques sur la qualité du sommeil ? La schizophrénie influence-t-elle la production des rêves ? Le point sur…