Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 2013 Vol. 20, No. 1, 34–48, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13825585.2012.672947 Neuropsychological performance in older insomniacs Børge Sivertsen 1,2,3 , Mari Hysing 4,5 , Eike Wehling 5,6 , Ståle Pallesen 7,8 , Inger Hilde Nordhus 2,8 , Thomas Espeseth 5,9,10 , and Astri J. Lundervold 4,5,6 1 Division of Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Bergen, Norway 2 Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway 3 Division of Psychiatry, Helse Fonna HF, Haugesund, Norway 4 Centre for Child and Adolescent Mental Health, Uni Health, Bergen, Norway 5 Department of Biological and Medical Psychology, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway 6 Kavli Research Centre for Aging and Dementia, Haraldsplass Deaconess Hospital, Bergen, Norway 7 Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway 8 Norwegian Competence Center for Sleep Disorders, Haukeland University Hospital, Bergen, Norway 9 Centre for Advanced Study, Oslo, Norway 10 Division of Mental Health and Addiction, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to examine daytime performance in older adults ful- filling the diagnostic criteria for DSM-IV Insomnia, using a comprehensive battery of neuropsychological tests, and to compare these objective findings with measures of self-reported cognitive functioning. A total of 121 participants (69% women) with a mean age of 64.0 were part of a thorough neuropsychological examination at a University-based neuropsychological clinic in Western Norway. Twenty-five percent of the participants fulfilled the diagnostic criteria for insomnia. In sum, the insomnia patients were not different from the good sleepers on any neuropsychological test measure, and none of the results on the performance measures were associated with the sleep-related daytime complaints. However, the insomniacs did rate their subjec- tive memory performance as significantly worse than the good sleepers, and they also This study was funded by the Western Norway Health Authority (grant #911397 and #911687 to AJL). We thank the participants, who made this study possible. Conflicts of interest: None. Address correspondence to: Børge Sivertsen, Division of Mental Health, Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Bergen, Norway, Christiesgt 13, 5020 Bergen, Norway. E-mail: borge.sivertsen@fhi.no © 2013 Taylor & Francis