Psychological and environmental stress, as well as disturbed sleep are important public health concerns and are independently known to significantly influence neurocognitive function. Compromised sleep is an essential risk factor and marker for chronic conditions that disproportionately affect urban minorities and further contribute to health disparities. There is a significant gap regarding sleep disparities, the potential role that the environment plays in such disparities, and how the relationship between sleep and neurocognitive performance may be moderated by psychological and social-environmental features. The goal of the proposed investigation is to establish a model where psychological and social-environmental features elicit sleep discontinuity that interferes with neurocognitive function. To accomplish this goal, we will employ multimodal approaches (e.g. clinical interviews, actigraphy, neurobehavioral tests, questionnaires). Psychological factors will be assessed by clinical interview and the role of social-environmental features by utilizing a battery of questionnaires to assess for stressful environmental factors. We will then have participants complete one week of actigraphy to assess for objective sleep continuity and habitual sleep. Finally, we will examine neurocognitive performance by utilizing a comprehensive neurocognitive battery. Study findings will identify specific psychological and environmental risk factors of neurocognitive performance related to habitual sleep. Further, these findings will be instrumental in moving the field toward a more useful integration of environmental, clinical, and neurobiological understanding that may improve quality of life and reduce the societal burden of sleep disparities.
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