Assessment of cognitive learning function in children with obstructive sleep breathing disorders

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Sleep Medicine
• Cognitive Neuroscience
• Child Psychology

Background:

• Sleep obstructive breathing disorders are common in children.
• The effect of sleep deprivation on cognitive learning functions remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine if children with sleep obstructive breathing disorders exhibit functional changes in learning, memory, and attention.
• To compare cognitive performance between children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS), primary snoring (PS), and healthy controls.

Main Methods:

• Eighty-one children aged 6–12 years were categorized into three groups: OSAS (n=24), PS (n=37), and control (n=20).
• Cognitive functions were assessed using the Rey learning and memory test and various psychological tests (Digit, Code, Letter Concealing, Symbol).

Main Results:

• Children with OSAS and PS demonstrated significantly poorer performance on Rey test variable A1 (learning and memory) compared to controls (p=0.011).
• Children with PS showed even worse performance on Rey test variables A2, A4, AT, and A6 compared to both OSAS participants and controls (p=0.020; p=0.050; p=0.004; p=0.05).
• Attention test performance was similar between children with PS, OSAS, and controls.

Conclusions:

• Children diagnosed with obstructive sleep breathing disorders, particularly primary snoring, exhibit lower scores on the Rey test, indicating deficits in learning and memory.
• While learning and memory are affected, attention capabilities appear comparable across groups.