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Opposite Impact of REM Sleep on Neurobehavioral Functioning in Children with Common Psychiatric Disorders Compared to

Roumen Kirov1, Serge Brand2, Tobias Banaschewski3

  • 1Institute of Neurobiology, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences Sofia, Bulgaria.

Frontiers in Psychology
|January 26, 2017
PubMed

Insights

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep impacts neurobehavioral functions differently in children with and without developmental psychiatric disorders. REM sleep alterations correlate with inattention and IQ, suggesting distinct roles in brain development.

Area of Science:

  • Neuroscience
  • Developmental Psychology
  • Sleep Medicine

Background:

  • Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is linked to cognitive and behavioral functions, but its role in developmental psychiatric disorders remains unclear.
  • Understanding REM sleep's function is crucial for addressing neurodevelopmental conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between polysomnographic (PSG) REM sleep measures and neurobehavioral functions in children with ADHD, Tourette syndrome/tic disorder (TD), comorbid ADHD/TD, and typically developing children (TDC).

Main Methods:

  • A two-night PSG was conducted on 47 children with developmental psychiatric conditions and 22 TDC, matched for age and gender.
  • Psychopathological scores and intelligence quotient (IQ) were assessed.
  • Multiple regression analyses were used to examine correlations between REM sleep parameters and neurobehavioral measures.

Main Results:

  • Children with psychiatric disorders exhibited increased REM sleep and shorter REM latency compared to TDC.
  • In children with developmental psychopathology, REM sleep proportion positively correlated with inattention and negatively with performance IQ.
  • Conversely, in TDC, REM sleep proportion negatively correlated with inattention and positively with performance IQ.

Conclusions:

  • REM sleep appears to have an opposite impact on neurobehavioral functioning depending on the presence or absence of developmental psychiatric disorders.
  • These findings suggest that REM sleep interacts differently with brain maturation pathways in children with and without psychiatric conditions.

Keywords:
REM sleepattention-deficit/hyperactivity disorderco-morbiditydevelopmental psychopathologiesneurobehavioral functioningtic disorder

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