Sleep and Trauma Clinical Research Institute

The Sleep and Trauma Clinical Research Institute is directed by Anthony N. Reffi, PhD and Christopher L. Drake, PhD, FAASM, CBSM. The mission of the Institute is to advance our understanding of how sleep impacts recovery from traumatic stress to inform effective preventive interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and other posttraumatic sequelae, such as suicidality. We harness interdisciplinary collaborations between sleep medicine, trauma and acute care surgery, and emergency medicine to bridge cutting-edge research with innovative clinical applications.

Our work primarily focuses on acute trauma patients presenting at our Detroit hospital following interpersonal violence, and includes:

• leveraging behavioral sleep medicine to promote resilience to and recovery from traumatic stress
• identifying critical mechanisms by which sleep-focused interventions confer protection against PTSD
• determining sleep-related risk factors that impact the trajectory of PTSD
• and uncovering shared vulnerabilities between insomnia and PTSD

Current Projects

RESTED

Restorative Early Sleep Treatment after the Emergency Department

Principal Investigator: Anthony Reffi, PhD

Research increasingly points to insomnia and nightmares as modifiable risk factors that contribute to PTSD. These sleep disturbances are common during the acute aftermath of trauma, making them a key target for early intervention to prevent the development of PTSD and its downstream health costs. The purpose of this study is to conduct a randomized clinical trial to investigate the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) and comorbid nightmares (CBT-I&N) in treating posttraumatic sleep disturbance during the acute aftermath of trauma to prevent PTSD among patients presenting to our Emergency Department following interpersonal violence exposure (e.g., gunshot wound). We recently expanded our recruitment sites to all Henry Ford Health Emergency Departments.

AURORA

Identifying sleep-related risk factors for PTSD and their underlying mechanisms

Principal Investigator: Anthony Reffi, PhD

Sleep disturbances are common within the first month after a traumatic event and are a significant risk factor that contributes to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). This study will identify individuals with a trait susceptibility to posttraumatic sleep disturbances (sleep reactivity) and determine the mechanisms by which these sleep disturbances increase risk of PTSD (impaired fear extinction) using the AURORA dataset, which is the most comprehensive trauma study ever performed and encompasses data from over 25 emergency departments across the United States. These goals are critical to 1) identify high-risk groups toward whom preventative treatments can be targeted, and 2) inform the development of sleep-focused treatments that help lower risk of PTSD.

Contact Us

Anthony Reffi, PhD
Co-Director, Sleep and Trauma Clinical Research Institute
Henry Ford Health
Detroit, MI 48202
areffi1@hfhs.org