Distinctive sleep problems in children with perinatal moderate or mild hypoxic-ischemia

Extensive studies focus on the cognitive and motor impairments after perinatal hypoxic-ischemia (HI). Sleep problems, although reported to be associated with cerebral palsy (CP), are often overlooked in non-severe HI patients. Here, by investigating the sleep qualities of children with different degrees of HI, we discovered that sleep initiation and maintenance, sleep-related breathing problems, or circadian rhythmic issues were highly associated with children of moderate or mild HI, respectively. Follow-up MRI studies in 2-year old patients showed that periventricular white matter lesions including periventricular leukomalacia (PVL) were prevalent in moderate, but not mild, HI children. In contrast, the occurrence of pineal cysts had a high risk in children with mild HI. Our study provides novel insights into the mechanisms of distinctive sleep problems associated with children of different degrees of HI, and therefore sheds light on the studies of targeted therapeutic treatments for sleep disorders in children who suffer from HI.