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Cortical processing of respiratory afferent stimuli during sleep in children with the obstructive sleep apnea

Jingtao Huang1, Ian M Colrain, M Cecilia Melendres

  • 1The Sleep Center Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA.

Sleep
|March 28, 2008
PubMed

Insights

Children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) show blunted cortical processing of respiratory signals during sleep, particularly during slow wave sleep. This suggests potential neural processing deficits or upper airway transduction issues in pediatric OSAS.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Sleep Medicine
  • Pediatrics

Background:

  • Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) in children is associated with impaired upper airway reflexes to negative pressure.
  • The underlying mechanisms for these blunted responses remain unclear.
  • Respiratory-related evoked potentials (RREPs) offer a method to assess cortical processing of respiratory afferent information during sleep.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate whether children with OSAS exhibit blunted RREP responses during sleep compared to healthy children.
  • To explore differences in RREP responses across sleep stages (stage 2, slow wave sleep (SWS), and REM sleep).

Main Methods:

  • Respiratory-related evoked potentials (RREPs) were recorded using EEG electrodes (Fz, Cz, Pz) in children during stage 2, SWS, and REM sleep.
  • RREPs were elicited by brief occlusions of the upper airway.
  • The study included 9 children diagnosed with OSAS and 12 age-matched healthy controls.

Main Results:

  • Children with OSAS demonstrated significantly reduced evoked K-complex production in stage 2 and SWS.
  • Significantly diminished RREP N350 and P900 components were observed in SWS for children with OSAS.
  • While RREP responses were generally preserved in stage 2 sleep, a decreased P2 amplitude was noted during REM sleep.

Conclusions:

  • Cortical processing of respiratory information, as measured by RREPs, is present but blunted during SWS in children with OSAS compared to controls.
  • Potential etiologies include congenital neural processing deficits predisposing to OSAS or altered upper airway mechanics affecting pressure transduction.
  • Further research, including post-treatment evaluations, is needed to differentiate between these causal factors.
Abstract

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