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Respiratory cycle-related electroencephalographic changes during sleep in healthy children and in children with sleep

Sarah A Immanuel1, Yvonne Pamula2, Mark Kohler3

  • 1School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, Australia.

Sleep
|August 2, 2014
PubMed

Insights

Respiratory cycle-related electroencephalographic changes (RCREC) were higher in children with sleep disordered breathing (SDB). These changes, particularly during REM sleep, reduced after adenotonsillectomy, indicating SDB

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Neurophysiology
  • Respiratory Medicine

Background:

  • Sleep disordered breathing (SDB) affects children's sleep quality.
  • Respiratory cycle-related electroencephalographic changes (RCREC) are a potential indicator of sleep disturbances.
  • Understanding RCREC in SDB is crucial for diagnosis and treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate RCREC in healthy children versus those with SDB.
  • To analyze RCREC during scored event-free (SEF) breathing periods.
  • To assess the impact of adenotonsillectomy on RCREC in children with SDB.

Main Methods:

  • Case-control study with repeated measurements.
  • Paediatric sleep laboratory setting.
  • Forty children with SDB and 40 healthy controls underwent overnight polysomnography and electroencephalography (EEG).
  • Adenotonsillectomy was performed on SDB children; controls received no intervention.

Main Results:

  • EEG power decreased during inspiration versus expiration across all sleep stages in both groups.
  • Children with SDB exhibited significantly higher overall RCREC during REM sleep compared to controls.
  • Specific frequency bands (theta, alpha, sigma) showed elevated RCREC in SDB children during stage 2 NREM and REM sleep, and SWS.

Conclusions:

  • Nonrandom RCREC occur in both healthy children and those with SDB during NREM and REM sleep.
  • Elevated RCREC in SDB children, especially during REM sleep, suggest a link between SDB and altered brain activity.
  • Adenotonsillectomy significantly reduced the between-group differences in RCREC, highlighting its therapeutic effect.
Abstract

Keywords:
adenotonsillectomychildrenelectroencephalogramrespiratory cyclesleep disordered breathingsleep stage

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