Researcher

Antonio Zadra, Ph.D.

Full Professor
Department of Psychology, Université de Montréal
Psychologist (Ordre des psychologues du Québec)
514-343-6626
antonio.zadra@umontreal.ca

Selected publications

Gauchat, A, Zadra A., El Hourani M, Parent S., Tremblay R.E., Séguin JR. (2020) Disturbing Dreams and Psychosocial Maladjustment in Children: A Prospective Study of the Moderating Role of Early Negative Emotionality. Frontiers Neurology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fneur.2020.00762

Carpentier N, O’Reilly C, Carrier J, Poirier G, Paquet J, Gibbs S.A, Zadra A, Desautels A. (2020). Spindle insufficiency in sleepwalkers’ deep sleep. Clinical Neurophysiology, 50, 339-343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neucli.2020.08.003

Samson-Daoust E, Julien SH, Beaulieu-Prévost D, Zadra A. (2019) Predicting the affective tone of everyday dreams: A prospective study of state and trait variables. Scientific Reports. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-50859-w

Demacheva I, Zadra A. (2019) Dream content and its relationship to trait anxiety. International Journal of Dream Research, 12 (2): 1-7.

Nigam M, Zadra A, Boucetta S, Gibbs SA, Desautels A, Montplaisir J. (2019) Successful treatment of somnambulism with OROS-methylphenidate. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 15, 1683-1685.

Desjardins ME, Baril AA, Soucy JP, Dang Vu TT, Desautels A, Petit D, Montplaisir, J, Zadra A. (2018). Altered brain perfusion patterns in wakefulness and slow-wave sleep in sleepwalkers. SLEEP, 41, zsy039 https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsy039

Desjardins ME, Carrier J, Lina JM, Fortin M, Gosselin N, Montplasir, J, Zadra A. (2017) EEG functional connectivity prior to sleepwalking: evidence of interplay between sleep and wakefulness. SLEEP, 40(4) doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsx024.

Boucetta S, Montplasir J, Zadra A, Lachapelle F, Soucy JP, Gravel P, Dang-Vu TT. (2017) Altered regional cerebral blood flow in idiopathic hypersomnia. SLEEP, 40:10 http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/sleep/zsx140

Labelle MA, Dang-Vu TT, Petit D, Desautels A, Monplaisir J, Zadra, A. (2015) Sleep deprivation impairs inhibitory control in adult sleepwalkers. Journal of Sleep Research, 24, 658-65. DOI: 10.1111/jsr.12315

Petit D, Pennestri MH, Paquet J, Desautels, A, Zadra A, Tremblay RE, Boivin M, Montplaisir J. (2015) Childhood sleepwalking and sleep terrors: a longitudinal study of prevalence and familial aggregation. JAMA Pediatrics. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.127

Tanguay H, Zadra A, Good D, Leri F. (2015) Relationship between drug dreams, affect and craving during treatment for substance dependence. Journal of Addiction Medicine, 9; 123-129. doi: 10.1097/ADM.0000000000000105

Dang-Vu TT, Zadra A, Labelle MA, Petit D, Soucy JP, Montplaisir J. (2015). Sleep deprivation reveals altered brain perfusion patterns in somnambulism. PLoS One. 10(8): e0133474. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0133474..

Cohen A, Zadra A. (2015). An analysis of laypeople’s beliefs regarding the origins of their worst nightmares. International Journal of Dream Research, 8, 120-128. https://doi.org/10.11588/ijodr.2015.2.20328

Gauchat A, Séguin JR, McSween-Cadieux E, Zadra A. (2015). The content of recurrent dreams in young adolescents. Consciousness and Cognition, 37: 103-111 10.1016/j.concog.2015.08.009

Projects

Pathophysiology and treatment of adult somnambulism

Despite almost 5 decades of clinical and laboratory investigations of sleep disorders, relatively little is known about the mechanisms which give rise to sleepwalking (somnambulism) and even less about how to effectively treat the disorder. Sleepwalking occurs in 4% to 17% of children and is far more common in adults (approximately 4%) than commonly acknowledged. Patients suffering from this sleep disorder often consult due to a history of aggressive and/or injurious behaviour during sleep. In a significant number of cases, patients report having suffered serious injuries (e.g., contusions, fractures to limbs, rib cage, multiple lacerations) and/or having attacked a bed partner during an episode. Establishing a correct diagnosis and adequately treating sleepwalking is vital for the patient's health as well as in light of the growing number of medico-legal cases of sleep-related violence. In most centers, the benzodiazepinic drug clonazepam is used for treatment. A significant proportion of clinicians, however, are reluctant to prescribe daily doses of benzodiazepines over long periods of time due to concerns about drug habituation and potentially harmful consequences of long-term usage. Moreover, many sleepwalkers do not respond to this medication or present side effects. Numerous descriptive studies suggest that hypnosis can be effective in the long-term management of sleepwalking. The first aim of the proposed research is to evaluate the treatment effects of hypnosis on sleepwalking frequency and intensity. A second aim of the proposed research is to elucidate our understanding of sleepwalking by recording sleepwalkers' brain activity during sleep both before and after a period sleep deprivation. Taken together, these studies should a) lead us to a better understanding of why some people suffer from sleepwalking, b) help identify neurobiological markers of the disorder, and c) guide future clinical treatments.