Sleep-disordered breathing and reaction time in children

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Sleep Medicine
• Neuroscience
• Surgical Risk Assessment

Background:

• Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) are prevalent in children, often exceeding diagnostic capacity.
• Polysomnography (PSG) is the gold standard but limited in availability for diagnosing pediatric OSA.
• Sleep deficits are linked to slower reaction times (RTs), suggesting RT as a potential screening tool.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of a 10-minute psychomotor vigilance test (PVT) in assessing reaction time (RT) in children with and without a history of OSA/SDB.
• To determine if RT measurement can serve as a cost-effective method for identifying children at higher risk of perioperative complications due to SDB.

Main Methods:

• Children aged 6-11 years were divided into an SDB group (undergoing adenotonsillectomy with SDB history) and a control group (no SDB history, different surgery).
• A 10-minute PVT was administered to measure median RT for each child.
• RT results were compared to age-sex-specific norms, and the proportion exceeding norms was compared between groups.

Main Results:

• The study included 72 children (46 SDB, 26 control).
• No significant difference in median RT was found between the SDB and control groups.
• Fifty-four percent of children with SDB and 42% of controls exceeded normative RT values, a difference not statistically significant (P=0.326).

Conclusions:

• A substantial proportion of children, approximately half in both SDB and control groups, exhibited slower-than-normal reaction times on the PVT.
• Despite its convenience, RT measurement via PVT did not effectively differentiate children with probable SDB/OSA for preoperative risk stratification.