Revision History — Abstract WU-CBN-2007-044
Principal Investigator: Dr. Edwin Vale, Dept. of Cognitive and Behavioral Neuroscience
Archive Reference: WU-CBN-2007-044
Revision log generated: 2012-09-04
Status: Concluded — data transferred to Somnatek Sleep Health Center, January 2013
This page documents the revision history of the abstract submitted for the Regional Sleep Medicine Symposium (2010) and the associated working papers from the longitudinal sleep recall study. Four drafts were produced between 2009 and 2010. The submitted version is draft 04.
Draft 01 — September 2009
Author: Vale, E. | Status: Internal working draft | Circulation: restricted
| [Title] Consistent Shared Site Recall in Sleep Disorder Patients: Preliminary Observations from a Longitudinal Study |
| [Abstract] A longitudinal study of subjective sleep recall in patients with chronic sleep disorders has identified a statistically anomalous pattern of consistent shared site recall across unrelated participants. Forty-seven enrolled patients, participating in monitored overnight sessions, independently described a consistent spatial environment without prompting or cross-participant contact. Initial findings suggest this pattern strengthens over the course of extended participation. |
| [Methods] Participants completed standardized spatial recall inventories following each monitored session. No environmental prompts or imagery were provided. Recall forms were reviewed by the principal investigator only. Cross-participant consistency was assessed via blind coding of spatial descriptors. |
| [Results — preliminary] Of 47 participants, 31 produced spatial recall descriptions containing at least two consistent environmental features. Eleven participants independently described features consistent at the level of specific architectural detail. Three participants independently described the same indexed location within the spatial environment. This level of consistency is not attributable to chance or shared pre-study experience. |
Draft 02 — January 2010
Author: Vale, E. | Status: Revised for symposium submission | Notes: Language revised per review panel feedback, January 2010
| [Title — removed] Consistent Shared Site Recall in Sleep Disorder Patients | [Title — replaced] Environmental Recall Consistency in Chronic Sleep Disorder Patients |
| [Abstract — removed] "consistent shared site recall" | [Abstract — replaced] "environmental recall consistency" |
| [Results — removed] "the same indexed location within the spatial environment" | [Results — replaced] "a high degree of spatial recall overlap" |
| [Results — removed] "This level of consistency is not attributable to chance or shared pre-study experience." | [Results — replaced] "Further longitudinal observation is indicated." |
Reviewer note (Jan 2010, unsigned): "The framing in draft 01 is not appropriate for a clinical venue. Revise to describe the observation without asserting its mechanism."
Draft 03 — February 2010
Author: Vale, E. | Status: Pre-submission | Notes: Minor wording corrections
Minor editorial corrections to draft 02. No structural changes. Submitted to symposium committee February 18, 2010.
Draft 04 — March 2010 (Submitted)
Author: Vale, E. & Ellison, M. | Status: Submitted and accepted | Venue: Regional Sleep Medicine Symposium, 2010
Co-author added (Dr. Mara Ellison, Somnatek Sleep Health Center) per symposium requirement for clinical partner attribution. Title and abstract unchanged from draft 03. This is the submitted and published version. View published abstract.
Draft 05 — September 2012 (Withdrawn)
Author: Vale, E. | Status: Withdrawn — not submitted | Withdrawal confirmed: February 2012 by department chair
| [Title] Environmental Recurrence in Sleep-Disorder Populations: Notes Toward a Longitudinal Assessment Framework |
| [Abstract] Over the course of a five-year longitudinal study, 47 patients with chronic sleep disorders independently described a consistent spatial environment under monitored conditions. Descriptions produced without prompting by unrelated participants converged on specific architectural features, directional orientations, and discrete locations. The spatial environment described shows internal consistency sufficient to permit mapping. The study data indicate this environment is not a product of shared cultural imagery or experimental priming. It preceded the study. The study did not create it. This abstract proposes a preliminary framework for classifying spatial recurrence of this type and describes the assessment instruments developed during the study period. |
| [Methods] As described in Vale & Ellison (2011). Extended observation windows applied from session 18 onward per protocol amendment EC-004 (March 2012). Cross-participant comparison conducted on session 18+ data only. Spatial descriptor coding performed blind by two independent reviewers. |
| [Results] Convergence rate at session 18 or later: 71% of active participants (n=33). Of these, 24 produced descriptions consistent at the level of specific named or numbered features. A subset of 5 participants (n=5) produced descriptions consistent at the level of sequential event recall — describing events in the spatial environment that correlated with events described by other participants in sessions conducted on different dates. The mechanism for this correlation is not established. The observation is noted. |
| [Conclusion] The data collected under Protocol 7A (WU-CBN-2007-044) indicate an anomalous and reproducible pattern of spatial recall convergence that warrants dedicated investigation. The author acknowledges that the framing of this abstract is not standard for a clinical venue. The author has concluded that standard framing is not adequate for this observation. |
Department chair notation (February 2012): "This abstract cannot be submitted under university affiliation. The conclusions in the results section are not supported by the methodology as described in any IRB-approved scope. Withdrawal is required."
Vale response (February 2012): "Noted."