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Cognitive function in preschool children with sleep-disordered breathing

Nicoletta Pietropaoli1, Maria Chiara Supino1, Ottavio Vitelli1

  • 1Chair of Pediatrics, Pediatric Sleep Disease Centre, Child Neurology, NESMOS Department, School of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, S. Andrea Hospital, Via di Grottarossa 1035-39, 4, Rome, Italy.

Sleep & Breathing = Schlaf & Atmung
|July 3, 2015
PubMed

Insights

Preschool children with sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) show no cognitive impairments compared to healthy peers. This study found no differences in IQ scores, indicating SDB does not impact cognitive function in this age group.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Sleep Medicine
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Neuroscience

Background:

  • Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is increasingly recognized in children.
  • The impact of SDB on cognitive development in preschool-aged children requires further investigation.
  • Previous research has yielded mixed results regarding cognitive deficits in children with SDB.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To evaluate cognitive functions in preschool children diagnosed with SDB.
  • To compare the cognitive performance of SDB children with age-matched healthy controls.
  • To determine if SDB severity correlates with cognitive impairment in young children.

Main Methods:

  • Recruited a clinical sample of children aged 2.5–6 years with SDB.
  • Utilized the sleep clinical record (SCR), a validated questionnaire for SDB diagnosis.
  • Conducted polysomnography (PSG) and comprehensive neurocognitive assessments for SDB participants.
  • Recruited healthy controls from a kindergarten setting for SCR and cognitive assessments.

Main Results:

  • Studied 41 children with mild SDB, 36 with moderate-severe SDB, and 83 controls.
  • No significant differences were observed in Verbal IQ, Performance IQ, or Global IQ scores across the three groups.
  • Cognitive subtest performance also showed no significant variations between SDB and control groups.
  • While SCR scores differed significantly, SDB duration and age of onset were similar between SDB subgroups.

Conclusions:

  • Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) in preschool children, regardless of severity, is not associated with cognitive impairment.
  • Cognitive functions, including IQ and specific subtests, appear unaffected by SDB in this age group.
  • Findings suggest that early SDB does not pose a risk for cognitive deficits in preschoolers.
Abstract

Keywords:
Cognitive assessmentIntelligence quotientObstructive sleep apnea syndromePreschool childrenSleep-disordered breathing

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