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Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)
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The effect of stimulants on sleep characteristics in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Louise M O'Brien1, Anna Ivanenko, Valerie McLaughlin Crabtree

  • 1Kosair Children's Hospital Research Institute, and Division of Pediatric Sleep Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40202, USA.

Sleep Medicine
|November 1, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Stimulant medications show minimal impact on sleep in children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Both medicated and non-medicated ADHD children experience more sleep disturbances than controls, but medication does not worsen these issues.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Pharmacology

Background:

  • Children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) often exhibit sleep disturbances.
  • The impact of stimulant medications on sleep in this population requires further clarification.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the effects of stimulant medications on subjective and objective sleep patterns in children with ADHD.
  • To compare sleep characteristics between medicated ADHD, non-medicated ADHD, and control children.

Main Methods:

  • Observational study involving sleep clinic and community-based assessments.
  • Participants included stimulant-medicated ADHD (n=53), non-medicated ADHD (n=34), and control children (n=53).
  • Sleep habits questionnaire and overnight polysomnography were utilized.

Main Results:

  • Both medicated and non-medicated ADHD groups reported higher sleep disturbances than controls.
  • ADHD groups showed reduced REM sleep percentage compared to controls (P=0.006 for medicated, P=0.02 for non-medicated).
  • Stimulant medication use was not linked to significant differences in subjective or objective sleep measures compared to non-medicated ADHD children.

Conclusions:

  • Children with ADHD have a high prevalence of reported sleep disturbances.
  • Stimulant medication appears to have a minimal effect on the subjective and objective sleep characteristics of children with ADHD.
Abstract

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