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Updated: Aug 18, 2026

Event-related Potentials During Target-response Tasks to Study Cognitive Processes of Upper Limb Use in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy
08:26

Event-related Potentials During Target-response Tasks to Study Cognitive Processes of Upper Limb Use in Children with Unilateral Cerebral Palsy

Published on: January 11, 2016

[Changes in the monosynaptic reflex during wakefulness and sleep of children with cerebral paralysis]

E Cherubini, M Frascarelli, B Riccardi

    Rivista Di Neurologia
    |March 1, 1978
    PubMed

    Insights

    Children with spastic cerebral palsy show altered H reflex patterns during sleep compared to normal children. This suggests impaired supraspinal inhibitory control in spasticity.

    Area of Science:

    • Neuroscience
    • Pediatrics
    • Sleep Medicine

    Context:

    • Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of disorders affecting movement and posture.
    • Sleep disturbances are common in children with CP.
    • The H reflex, a measure of spinal reflex excitability, can be influenced by sleep state and supraspinal input.

    Purpose:

    • To investigate changes in the H reflex amplitude during different sleep stages in children with cerebral palsy.
    • To compare these changes with those observed in typically developing children.

    Summary:

    • H reflex amplitude progressively decreases from wakefulness to REM sleep in normal children.
    • In spastic CP, the H reflex shows only a slight decrease in NREM sleep and no significant change in REM sleep, with amplitudes consistently higher than controls.
    • Children with dystonic or hypotonic CP exhibit H reflex patterns similar to controls.

    Impact:

    • Findings suggest an altered balance of supraspinal regulatory systems in spastic CP, likely due to reduced functionality of inhibitory structures.
    • This research provides insights into the neurophysiological underpinnings of spasticity during sleep.
    • Highlights potential differences in sleep-related spinal reflex modulation across CP subtypes.

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