Current & Past Research
Duke SleepRIGHT Study
Using cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia to improve sleep and hypertension.
SleepRIGHT Study - Currently recruiting participants
This NIH-funded R01 study is a mechanistic clinical trial. It aims to explore how improvements in sleep, accomplished through cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), may lead to reduction in hypertension and improvement in other cardiovascular outcomes. The study’s Principal Investigator is Dr. Andrew Sherwood, PhD at Duke University School of Medicine. Dr. Wu conducts the sleep clinical assessments and delivers the CBT-I treatment for this study. Learn more about SleepRIGHT here.
Sleep Efficiency is Associated with Endothelial Function in Men and Women with Untreated Hypertension
Acculturation Stress as a Predictor of Sleep Quality, Insomnia, and Fatigue among Latinx Immigrants
Circadian rhythms and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson’s disease
Those with Parkinson’s disease (PD) not only experience motor difficulties, but also non-motor symptoms, such as sleep disturbance, cognitive impairment, and mood changes. Dr. Wu was the Principal Investigator of this study, conducted at Boston University, that examined how circadian rest-activity rhythms may be related to these symptoms. Her findings have been published here and here.
Cognitive behavioral therapy for comorbid insomnia: A meta-analysis
Insomnia often co-occurs with other medical and psychiatric conditions, such as chronic pain, depression, post traumatic stress disorder, and others. This meta-analysis pools data from 37 clinical trials to examine whether the gold-standard treatment, cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I), is efficacious for those with co-occurring conditions. Dr. Wu was the lead author on this study, published here.
Thinking patterns in people with generalized anxiety disorder
People with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) spend a lot of time worrying about the future. But if we look closely at their worry thoughts, we find that they are actually more vague and less concrete than other people’s future-oriented thoughts. Dr. Wu was the lead author on this study, published here.
Quality of life after pharmacotherapy and cognitive behavioral treatment for anxiety disorders: A meta-analysis
We know that pharmacotherapies and cognitive behavioral therapies are effective for decreasing symptoms of anxiety disorders. But what happens to overall quality of life after treatment? My colleagues at Boston University and I conducted two meta-analyses: 1) pooling data from 59 cognitive behavioral therapy trials (with over 3300 participants); 2) pooling data from 27 pharmacotherapy trials (with over 4300 participants). The results are published here and here.
Peer-Reviewed Scientific Journal Articles
Sherwood, A., Ulmer, C., Wu, J., Blumenthal, J. A., Herold, E., Smith, P., Koch, G., Johnson, K., Viera, A., Edinger, J., & Hinderliter, A. (in press). Cognitive behavior therapy for insomnia for untreated hypertension with comorbid insomnia disorder: The SLEEPRIGHT clinical trial. Journal of Clinical Hypertension.
Campbell, A. A., Taylor, K. A., Augustine, A. V., Sherwood, A., Wu, J. Q., Beckham, J. C., ... & Ulmer, C. S. (2023). Nightmares: an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease?. Sleep, zsad089.
Zhan, C., Nagy, G. A., Wu, J. Q., McCabe, B., Stafford, A. M., Gonzalez-Guarda, R. M. (2022). Acculturation Stress, Age at Immigration, and Employment Status as Predictors of Sleep among Latinx Immigrants. Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health 24(6), 1408-1420..
Hill, L.K., Wu, J.Q., Hinderliter, A.L., Blumenthal, J.A., Sherwood, A. (2020). Actigraphy-derived Sleep Efficiency is Associated with Endothelial Function in Men and Women with Untreated Hypertension. American Journal of Hypertension.
Wu, J. Q. & Cronin-Golomb, A. (2019). Temporal associations between sleep and daytime functioning in Parkinson’s disease: a smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment. Behavioral Sleep Medicine.
Wu, J. Q., Li, P., Stavitsky Gilbert, K., Hu, K., & Cronin‐Golomb, A. (2018). Circadian Rest‐Activity Rhythms Predict Cognitive Function in Early Parkinson's Disease Independently of Sleep. Movement Disorders Clinical Practice, 5(6), 614-619.
Wu, J. Q., Appleman, E. R., Salazar, R. D., & Ong, J. C. (2015). Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia comorbid with psychiatric and medical conditions: A meta-analysis. JAMA Internal Medicine, 175(9), 1461-1472.
Wu, J. Q., Godovich, S., Szpunar, K. K., Hofmann, S. G., & Schacter, D. L. (2015). Episodic future thinking in generalized anxiety disorder. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 36, 1-8.
Wu, J. Q., Peters, G. J., Rittner, P., Cleland, T. A. and Smith, D. M. (2014). The hippocampal and medial prefrontal cortical role in selective memory retrieval: Evidence from a rodent model and computational model of the retrieval-induced forgetting effect. Hippocampus, 24(9), 1070-1080.
Hofmann, S. G., Wu, J. Q., & Boettcher, H. (2014). Effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy for anxiety disorders on quality of life: A meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 82(3), 375.
Hofmann, S. G., Wu, J. Q., Boettcher, H. T., & Sturm, J. C. (2013). Effect of pharmacotherapy for anxiety disorders on quality of life: A meta-analysis. Quality of Life, 1-13.
Hofmann, S. G., Wu, J. Q., & Boettcher, H. T. (2013). D-cycloserine as an augmentation strategy for cognitive behavioral therapy of anxiety disorders. Biology of Mood and Anxiety Disorders, 3(11).
Book Chapters
Wu, J. Q., Boettcher, H., Durand, V. M., & Barlow, D. H. (2014). A guide to DSM-5: Reference for introductory psychology instructors. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
Hofmann, S. G., Boettcher, H. T., & Wu, J. Q. (2013). Therapeutic Orientations. In R. Biswas-Diener & E. Diener (Eds), Noba textbook series: Psychology. Champaign, IL: DEF Publishers. DOI: www.nobaproject.com
Hofmann, S. G., Boettcher, H., & Wu, J. Q. (2013). Social Phobia Across the Lifespan. In International Encyclopedia of Social and Behavioral Sciences (2nd edition). Oxford, UK: Elsevier.
Boettcher, H., Wu, J. Q., Durand, V. M., & Barlow, D. H. (2013). A Student’s Guide to Important Changes in DSM-5. In D. H. Barlow & V. M. Durand (Eds.), Abnormal Psychology: An Integrative Approach (7th edition). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.
Ongoing Research Interests
Dr. Wu is currently most interested in perinatal sleep—the science of sleep health during pregnancy and the postpartum period. There are many research studies and public resources devoted to babies’ sleep (as there should!), but parents’ sleep is often treated as an afterthought, or worse, an issue that we’ve all given up on. Although there is an ongoing need for health research on this topic, what we do know is clear: Healthy sleep is crucial to mothers’ and other caregivers’ well-being, as well as the well-being of the baby and the whole family unit. And the good news is that we can promote sleep health during pregnancy and postpartum with timely education for parents-to-be and the right support along the way. As a sleep researcher and mother of two, Dr. Wu’s next big project is to explore this important area of public health.