The association between sleep and dual-task performance in preterm and full-term children: an exploratory study

Area of Science:

• Pediatric Sleep Science
• Developmental Neuroscience
• Cognitive Psychology

Background:

• Previous research in adults linked sleep continuity to gait variability.
• Understanding sleep's impact on children's dual-task performance is crucial for development.
• Cognitive-motor dual tasks assess the integration of cognitive and motor functions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate correlations between sleep and children's dual-task performance.
• To explore associations between sleep architecture and dual-task abilities.
• To examine if prematurity moderates these sleep-performance relationships.

Main Methods:

• Children aged 7-12 years (preterm and full-term) performed cognitive-motor dual tasks.
• Gait was measured using an electronic walkway system.
• In-home sleep electroencephalography (EEG) was used to assess sleep architecture.

Main Results:

• Higher awakenings after sleep onset correlated with lower dual-task performance.
• Increased rapid-eye-movement (REM) sleep correlated with lower gait variability.
• More slow wave sleep (SWS) correlated with higher cognitive performance; prematurity had no effect.

Conclusions:

• Disrupted sleep in children is associated with poorer dual-task performance.
• REM sleep may support procedural tasks, while SWS supports declarative tasks.
• Different sleep stages may underpin distinct cognitive and motor processing.