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Cognitive dysfunction in children with sleep disorders

Luciane Bizari Coin de Carvalho1, Lucila Bizari Fernandes do Prado, Luciana Silva

  • 1Sleep Disorders Center, Departments of Neurology and Emergency Medicine, Federal University of São Paulo São Paulo SP, Brazil.

Arquivos De Neuro-Psiquiatria
|July 6, 2004
PubMed

Insights

This study found no significant difference in cognitive dysfunction between children with and without sleep disorders overall. However, 8-year-olds with sleep disorders showed a lower prevalence of cognitive dysfunction compared to their peers.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Child Cognitive Development
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Sleep disorders (SD) are increasingly linked to cognitive dysfunction (CD) in children.
  • Limited research exists on the specific relationship between SD and cognition in 7-10-year-old children.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between sleep disorders and cognitive function in children aged 7-10 years.
  • To determine if sleep disorders impact cognitive development in this specific age group.

Main Methods:

  • A sleep disorder questionnaire was administered to 1180 children.
  • Cognitive function was assessed using the Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test (BT).
  • Participants were divided into a sleep disorder group (n=547) and a control group (n=633).

Main Results:

  • Overall, the frequency of cognitive dysfunction was similar between children with SD (39%) and the control group (40%).
  • A notable finding was that 8-year-old children with SD exhibited a lower prevalence of CD (6%) compared to the control group (13%).
  • This lower prevalence in 8-year-olds with SD was statistically significant (p=0.04).

Conclusions:

  • In the general sample of 7-10 year olds, cognitive dysfunction frequency was comparable between children with and without sleep disorders.
  • Contrary to expectations, 8-year-old children experiencing sleep disorders demonstrated a reduced frequency of cognitive dysfunction compared to the control group.
  • These findings suggest a complex, age-dependent relationship between sleep disorders and cognitive function in children.
Abstract

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