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No relationship between neurocognitive functioning and mild sleep disordered breathing in a community sample of

Susan L Calhoun1, Susan D Mayes, Alexandros N Vgontzas

  • 1Sleep Research and Treatment Center, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine, Hershey, PA, USA. scalhoun@psu.edu

Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine : JCSM : Official Publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine
|December 8, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Children with mild sleep disordered breathing (SDB) show no significant neurocognitive impairment. This suggests mild SDB is not causal for cognitive issues in children, though the association remains uncertain.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Neuropsychology
  • Child Development

Background:

  • Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) is increasingly recognized as a potential factor influencing child development.
  • Understanding the impact of mild SDB on neurocognitive outcomes is crucial for early intervention and management.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the relationship between mild sleep disordered breathing (SDB) and neurocognitive functioning in a large, general population sample of children.
  • To determine if mild SDB is associated with impairments in various cognitive domains.

Main Methods:

  • A population-based study involving 571 school-aged children (6-12 years).
  • Participants underwent a full-night polysomnogram to assess sleep disordered breathing (SDB).
  • Comprehensive neuropsychological testing was administered to evaluate cognitive functions.

Main Results:

  • No significant relationship was found between a mild apnea-hypopnea index (1 ≤ AHI < 5) and any measure of neurocognitive functioning.
  • Specific cognitive domains assessed included intelligence, reasoning, attention, executive function, memory, processing speed, and visual-motor skills.
  • Statistical analyses, including partial correlations and polynomial trend analysis, yielded nonsignificant results.

Conclusions:

  • Children with mild sleep disordered breathing (SDB) do not exhibit significant neuropsychological impairment compared to their peers without SDB.
  • The findings suggest that mild SDB is not a causal factor for neuropsychological deficits in children.
  • Co-occurring mild SDB and neuropsychological issues should be viewed as comorbid conditions, not causally linked, although the precise association requires further investigation.
Abstract

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