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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)
10:02

Event Related Potentials (ERPs) and other EEG Based Methods for Extracting Biomarkers of Brain Dysfunction: Examples from Pediatric Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Published on: March 12, 2020

Snoring, sleep quality, and sleepiness across attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder subtypes

Monique K LeBourgeois1, Kristin Avis, Michele Mixon

  • 1E.P Bradley Hospital Sleep and Chronobiology Research Laboratory, Brown Medical School, Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, Providence, RI 02906, USA. monique_lebourgeois@brown.edu

Sleep
|May 29, 2004
PubMed

Insights

Children with ADHD often have poorer sleep quality and increased daytime sleepiness. Chronic snoring is linked specifically to the ADHD-Hyperactive/Impulsive subtype, not other ADHD types.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Neurodevelopmental Disorders
  • Child Psychology

Background:

  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common neurodevelopmental disorder in children.
  • Sleep disturbances, including snoring and daytime sleepiness, are frequently reported in children with ADHD.
  • Understanding the specific relationships between ADHD subtypes and sleep issues is crucial for effective management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between pediatric ADHD subtypes, chronic snoring, and sleep quality.
  • To examine the prevalence of daytime sleepiness in children with different ADHD subtypes.
  • To compare sleep characteristics between children with ADHD and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving 74 children (45 with ADHD, 29 controls), aged 6-16 years.
  • Participants were categorized into ADHD subtypes: Predominantly Inattentive (ADHD-I), Hyperactive/Impulsive (ADHD-HI), and Combined (ADHD-C).
  • Caretakers completed the Pediatric Sleep Questionnaire (PSQ) and the Children's Sleep-Wake Scale (CSWS) to assess sleep patterns.

Main Results:

  • Chronic snoring was significantly associated with the ADHD-Hyperactive/Impulsive (ADHD-HI) subtype only.
  • Children with ADHD exhibited poorer overall sleep quality compared to controls, with no significant differences across ADHD subtypes.
  • Increased daytime sleepiness was observed in children with ADHD, particularly those with the ADHD-Predominantly Inattentive (ADHD-I) subtype.

Conclusions:

  • Chronic snoring may be a specific correlate for a subset of children with ADHD, potentially those with ADHD-HI.
  • While children with ADHD generally experience poorer sleep quality and greater daytime sleepiness, these two factors are not strongly interrelated.
  • These findings highlight the heterogeneity of sleep disturbances within the ADHD population and suggest subtype-specific considerations.
Abstract

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