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Sleep patterns in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder, tic disorder, and comorbidity

Roumen Kirov1, Joerg Kinkelbur, Tobias Banaschewski

  • 1Institute of Physiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Sofia, Bulgaria.

Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, and Allied Disciplines
|June 1, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) increases REM sleep, while tic disorder (TD) reduces sleep efficiency. When co-occurring, these conditions additively impact sleep patterns in children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric neurology
  • Sleep medicine
  • Neurodevelopmental disorders

Background:

  • Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and tic disorder (TD) are common in children.
  • The coexistence of ADHD and TD (comorbidity) presents unique clinical challenges.
  • Sleep patterns associated with these disorders and their comorbidity are not well understood.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To characterize sleep patterns in children with ADHD, TD, and ADHD + TD comorbidity.
  • To determine if ADHD and TD influence sleep additively or interactively in comorbid cases.

Main Methods:

  • Polysomnography was used to investigate sleep patterns.
  • Four groups of unmedicated children (ages 8.0-16.4) were studied: healthy controls, ADHD-only, TD-only, and ADHD + TD.
  • Each group comprised 18 age, gender, and intelligence-matched subjects.

Main Results:

  • ADHD was associated with increased rapid eye movement (REM) sleep.
  • TD was linked to lower sleep efficiency and a higher arousal index.
  • Children with ADHD + TD exhibited both ADHD and TD-related sleep alterations additively.

Conclusions:

  • ADHD and TD are associated with distinct sleep alterations.
  • In ADHD + TD comorbidity, sleep disturbances manifest in an additive manner.
  • These findings have significant clinical and therapeutic implications for managing comorbid conditions.
Abstract

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