
Thomas C WetterUniversity Hospital Regensburg | Uni Regensburg · Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Sleep Medicine Center
Thomas C Wetter
Professor of Psychiatry, M.D., M.A.
About
278
Publications
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Introduction
Lecturer in Psychiatry at the Medical Faculty of the Ludwigs-Maximilians-University Munich and the Medical Faculty of the University of Regensburg, Germany. Chief physician and senior leading psychiatrist at the Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy at the University of Regensburg.
Research interests: Relations between depression, stress, and sleep; sleep disorders in psychiatric diseases; sleep-related movement disorders; sleep physiology using simultaneous fMRI-EEG-imaging techniques.
Additional affiliations
January 2011 - present
January 2008 - present
January 1995 - December 2012
Max-Planck-Institut für Psychiatrie
Publications
Publications (278)
In recent years, evidence has emerged for a bidirectional relationship between sleep and neurological and psychiatric disorders. First, sleep-wake disorders (SWDs) are very common and may be the first/main manifestation of underlying neurological and psychiatric disorders. Secondly, SWDs may represent an independent risk factor for neuropsychiatric...
The restless legs syndrome (RLS) is a common sensory-motor disorder of sleep/wake motor regulation with prevalence rates between 3% and 10%. In its more severe forms, RLS is a burdening disorder with disturbed sleep and significantly impaired quality of life. Restless legs symptoms are dramatically relieved with levodopa and dopamine agonists, whic...
Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a GHB-/GABAB-receptor agonist. Reports from GHB abusers indicate euphoric, prosocial, and empathogenic effects of the drug. We measured the effects of GHB on mood, prosocial behavior, social and non-social cognition and assessed potential underlying neuroendocrine mechanisms. GHB (20mg/kg) was tested in 16 healthy mal...
Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a frequent gastrointestinal disorder that is difficult to treat. We describe findings from evaluation of a woman (55 y old) with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), treated with bilateral deep brain stimulation in the anterior limb of the internal capsule, and IBS. After the brain stimulation treatment she reporte...
The influence of naps on tinnitus was systematically assessed by exploring the frequency, clinical and demographic characteristics of this phenomenon. 9,724 data from two different tinnitus databases (Tinnitus Hub: $n = 6115$; Tinnitus Research Initiative (TRI): $n = 3627$) were included. After separate analysis of the databases, these results were...
The influence of naps on tinnitus was systematically assessed by exploring the frequency, clinical and demographic characteristics of this phenomenon. 9,724 data from two different tinnitus databases (Tinnitus Hub: n = 6115; Tinnitus Research Initiative (TRI): n = 3627) were included. After separate analysis of the databases, these results were the...
Drowsiness while driving negatively impacts road safety, especially in truck drivers. The present study investigated the feasibility and alerting effects of a daylight-supplementing in-truck lighting system (DS) providing short-wavelength enriched light before, during, and after driving. In a within-participants design, eight truck drivers drove a...
Background
Restless legs syndrome (RLS), a disorder characterized by an urge to move one’s legs during sleep or rest, leads to impaired sleep quality. Many patients with RLS report increased daytime sleepiness, but this has seldom been the focus of clinical research. The current study empirically investigated the prevalence and severity of daytime...
Background
Sleep disorders are among the most common symptoms of depression. Both the ICD-10/11 and DSM‑5 list sleep disorders of all types as diagnostic criteria for depression, but these are not defined in detail.
Objective
This study focused on the prevalence of daytime sleepiness and associated sleep disorders in patients diagnosed with a seve...
Background
Night shift work leads to severe short- and long-term side effects, posing a risk to personal and occupational safety.
Objective
This study aimed to test the effects of blue-enriched light-emitting glasses on sleepiness, alertness, and sustained attention during the early morning hours of night shift work.
Methods
To remedy the risks o...
Background
Hypersomnia poses major challenges to treatment providers given the limitations of available treatment options. In this context, the application of non-invasive brain stimulation techniques such as transcranial electrical stimulation (tES) may open up new avenues to effective treatment. Preliminary evidence suggests both acute and longer...
Background:
The prevalence and functional burden of the chronic demyelinating disease multiple sclerosis (MS) are well documented; however, little is known about the initial clinical course of alertness, sleep, cognitive, and psychological symptoms.
Objectives:
This exploratory, prospective, longitudinal study multidimensionally investigated the...
Introduction There is a need for novel anxiolytics with improved side effect profiles compared to benzodiazepines. A promising candidate with alternative pharmacodynamics is the translocator protein ligand, etifoxine.
Methods To get further insight into its mechanisms of action and side effects compared to the benzodiazepine alprazolam, we performe...
Sleep disturbances are frequent complaints in patients with mental health disorders. Traditionally, disrupted sleep is regarded as a symptom or nonspecific epiphenomenon only temporally associated with the disorders. Consequently, the treatment of sleep problems is often disregarded in clinical and psychiatric practice. However, there is increasing...
Previous studies have shown a high prevalence of sleep disturbances in tinnitus patients. However , no study has yet evaluated subjective sleep satisfaction. The present study aimed to investigate associations of self-reported sleep satisfaction with sociodemographic factors, tinnitus-related distress, depression, and self-reported quality of life....
Background
There are only limited reports on the prevalence of restless legs syndrome (RLS) in patients with psychiatric disorders. The present study aimed to evaluate the prevalence and clinical correlates in psychiatric inpatients in Germany and Switzerland.
Methods
This is a multicenter cross-sectional study of psychiatric inpatients with an ag...
Sleep disorders and nightmares are core symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The relationship seems to be bidirectional, and persistent disturbed sleep may influence the course of the disorder. With regard to sleep quality, insomnia and nocturnal anxiety symptoms, as well as nightmares and stressful dreams, are the most prominent slee...
Dysfunctional cognitions are a crucial part of depression. Cognitive therapy aims to modify dysfunctional beliefs. Typically, dysfunctional beliefs are questioned, and patients are trained to think of alternative functional beliefs. We developed a computer-assisted, avatar-based adjunct for cognitive therapy that aims to reduce dysfunctional belief...
Introduction:
Inflammatory processes play an important role in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD), but their relevance for specific symptoms such as neurocognitive impairment is rarely investigated.
Methods:
In this observational study, we investigated the changes of leukocyte chemokine (C-C motif) receptor 5 (CCR5) and ligan...
Objective
To investigate whether a four-week course of neuronavigated intermittent theta burst stimulation of the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex is superior to the non-neuronavigated F3-EEG method of positioning.
Methods
We conducted a single-center, two-arm, randomized and double-blinded study (clinicaltrials.gov NCT03953521). 37 inpatients...
Background
Depressive disorders are linked to dysfunction in prefrontal cortical areas. Hence, non-invasive neurostimulation of the prefrontal cortex has demonstrated antidepressant efficacy. In the present study, we investigated the efficacy of high frequency transcranial random noise stimulation (hf-tRNS) as an add-on treatment for depression in...
Background
Activity of the two major stress systems, the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) and the sympathetic-adrenal-medullary (SAM) axis, has already been shown to be modulated by different compounds that bind to the central benzodiazepine receptor. Less is known about ligands that modulate the peripheral benzodiazepine receptor – meanwhile k...
Objective
Sleep Apnea Syndrome (SAS) is frequently comorbid with Restless Legs Syndrome (RLS). Both disorders are associated with disturbed sleep. However, data about insomnia specific symptoms in patients suffering from both sleep disorders (SAS-RLS) are rare.Methods
In a restrospective design, we investigated 202 patients suffering from SAS and S...
A causal relationship between sleep disturbances and suicidal behavior has been previously reported. Insomnia and nightmares are considered as hallmarks of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition, patients with PTSD have an increased risk for suicidality. The present article gives an overview about the existing literature on the relations...
Ein- und Durchschlafstörungen, nicht erholsamer Schlaf oder erhöhte Tagesmüdigkeit sind unspezifische Symptome von heute ca. 100 unterscheidbaren Störungsbildern, die in der kommenden 11. Revision der Internationalen statistischen Klassifikation der Krankheiten (ICD-11) erstmals als eigenes Kapitel 7 „Schlaf-Wach-Störungen“ zusammengefasst werden....
Ein- und Durchschlafstörungen, nichterholsamer Schlaf oder erhöhte Tagesmüdigkeit sind unspezifische Symptome von heute ca. 100 unterscheidbaren Störungsbildern, die in der kommenden 11. Revision der Internationalen statistischen Klassifikation der Krankheiten (ICD-11) erstmals als eigenes Kapitel 7 „Schlaf-Wach-Störungen“ zusammengefasst werden. M...
Discrepancy between objective and subjective sleep parameters is a frequent symptom in persons suffering from insomnia. Since it has an impairing effect on daytime well-being and neglects possible positive objective improvements, it would be useful if it was treated. Apart from hypnotics, cognitive behavior therapy (CBT-I) is the therapy of choice...
Kognitiv-verhaltenstherapeutische Interventionen gehören zu den effektivsten Behandlungsformen psychischer Erkrankungen. Schlafstörungen treten sehr häufig auf, werden jedoch oft nicht effektiv und leitliniengerecht behandelt, da kein geeignetes Psychotherapieangebot verfügbar ist. Die Nutzung neuer technischer Möglichkeiten kann als internetbasier...
The restless legs syndrome (RLS), also known as Willis-Ekbom disease, is a common sleep related neurological disorder with prevalence between 1 and 10%, increasing with age. Women are more frequently affected than men. RLS is characterized by an urge to move the legs accompanied by uncomfortable and unpleasant sensations in the legs, worsening of c...
Background:
It has been suggested that insomnia patients with short sleep duration and insomnia patients with normal sleep duration may respond differently to cognitive behavioral treatment for insomnia (CBT-I). To evaluate this hypothesis, we retrospectively examined a large sample of patients with chronic insomnia regarding their outcome post-tr...
Background:
Sleep-related breathing disorders seriously impair well-being and increase the risk for relevant somatic and psychiatric disorders. Moreover, risk factors for sleep-related breathing disorders are highly prevalent in psychiatric patients. The aim of this study was for the first time in Germany to study the prevalence of obstructive sle...
In periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), there needs to be a clinical consequence on sleep quality or daytime wakefulness caused by the leg movements, not attributable to any other sleep disorder. In severe sleep onset insomnia or sleep fragmentation, the shorter acting hypnotics such as Zolpidem, or zaleplon may be helpful, usually on an intermi...
Depressed patients suffer from an impairment to voluntarily influence and regulate their unpleasant emotional state. Strengthening the mental ability to interfere with dysfunctional emotion processing may be beneficial in treating depression. According to models of emotion processing this may be done by successful down-regulation of enhanced amygda...
Context:
The loss of progesterone during menopause is linked to sleep complaints of the affected women. Previously we demonstrated sleep promoting effects of oral progesterone replacement in postmenopausal women. The oral administration of progesterone, however, is compromised by individual differences in bioavailability and metabolism of the ster...
We reported previously that repetitive intravenous injections of corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) around sleep onset prompt depression-like changes in certain sleep and endocrine activity parameters (e.g. decrease of slow-wave sleep during the second half of the night, blunted growth hormone peak, elevated cortisol concentration during the fir...
Das Restless-Legs-Syndrom (RLS), auch als Willis-Ekbom-Erkrankung bezeichnet, ist mit einer Prävalenz zwischen 1 und 10 % eine häufige schlafbezogene neurologische Erkrankung, die im Alter zunimmt. Kernsymptome sind Bewegungsdrang der Beine, Parästhesien, Verstärkung der Beschwerden in Ruhe, Besserung durch Bewegung und eine Zunahme der Symptome ab...
Introduction:
Tinnitus is often associated with disturbed sleep, but there are also patients without sleep problems. The mechanisms for developing insomnia or not in tinnitus patients are still unknown. The aim of the present study was to extract possible tinnitus specific factors that increase the risk of developing insomnia based on the analysis...
Bei vielen psychischen Erkrankungen finden sich Schlafstörungen in wechselnder Häufigkeit und Intensität. Insomnien sind in diesem Zusammenhang oft unspezifisch und haben wenig differenzialdiagnostische Aussagekraft. Dennoch hat die enge Assoziation von Insomnie und psychiatrischen Erkrankungen eine hohe klinische Relevanz und beide Krankheitsbilde...
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of traffic noise along the motorway on sleep quality, sleepiness, and vigilant attention in long-haul truck drivers. This was a randomized, crossover, within-subject controlled study. Healthy long-haul truck drivers spent 6 consecutive nights in a real truck berth with full sleep laboratory equipment. During...
Background. The aim of the present study was to assess the prevalence of insomnia in chronic tinnitus and the association of tinnitus distress and sleep disturbance. Methods. We retrospectively analysed data of 182 patients with chronic tinnitus who completed the Tinnitus Questionnaire (TQ) and the Regensburg Insomnia Scale (RIS). Descriptive compa...
Using a partial sleep deprivation paradigm, the aim of the study was to investigate the sensitivity of a computer-based test battery of fitness to drive to detect impairments related to sleepiness.
Forty-seven healthy subjects (34 females, mean age 26.0 ± 6.8 years) participated in a counterbalanced within-subject design of two conditions: (i) norm...
Ein- und Durchschlafstörungen gehören zu den häufigsten schlafbezogenen Beschwerden, dennoch finden Maßnahmen zur Prävention und Gesundheitsförderung chronischer Insomnien noch wenig Beachtung. Prävention kann generell nach dem zeitlichen Aspekt im Krankheitsverlauf oder nach der Zielgruppe differenziert werden. Neuere Konzepte unterscheiden zwisch...
Short sleep duration is widely considered to be a risk factor for weight gain, suggesting that patients suffering from sleep disorders are a risk group. Despite some positive preliminary data on patients with organic sleep disorders, empirical evidence for an increased body mass index in patients with insomnia is scarce. Two-hundred and thirty-thre...
Zertifizierte Fortbildung Unerwünschte Bewegungsmuster im Schlaf Para som nien und nächtliche motorische Störungen Parasomnien und nächtliche motorische Störungen sind eine Gruppe verschiedenster unerwünschter und unangemessener Bewegungsmuster, die überwiegend aus dem Schlaf heraus auftreten. Sie sind meist harmlos und erfordern keine Therapie. Pa...
Narcolepsy with cataplexy is caused by a deficiency in the production of hypocretin/orexin, which regulates sleep and wakefulness, and also influences appetite, neuroendocrine functions and metabolism. In this case-control study, 11 patients with narcolepsy with cataplexy and 11 healthy adults underwent an oral glucose tolerance test, and dexametha...