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Published on: March 17, 2016
Childhood sleep disturbances and white matter microstructure in preadolescence
Tessa A Mulder1,2, Desana Kocevska1,2, Ryan L Muetzel2
1Generation R Study Group, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Insights
Childhood sleep problems are linked to reduced white matter integrity in preadolescence. Early intervention for sleep issues may support healthy neurodevelopment and mitigate long-term effects.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
Background:
- Sleep problems affect up to 30% of children, potentially impacting development.
- Previous research lacked longitudinal neuroimaging to understand underlying neurobiology.
- This study investigates the link between childhood sleep issues and white matter microstructure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the association between sleep problems in childhood and white matter (WM) microstructure in preadolescence.
- To identify specific white matter tracts affected by early-life sleep disturbances.
- To inform potential interventions for sleep problems to support neurodevelopment.
Main Methods:
- Utilized data from the population-based Generation R Study cohort (N=2,449).
- Assessed sleep problems repeatedly from 1.5 to 10 years using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and other parent/child reports.
- Measured white matter microstructure at age 10 using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) to obtain fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values.
Main Results:
- Childhood sleep problems at 1.5, 2, and 6 years were associated with reduced white matter microstructural integrity (lower global FA).
- Children with more sleep problems showed lower FA values at age 10 in key tracts, including the corticospinal tract, uncinate fasciculus, and forceps major.
- Effect sizes for reduced FA were consistent across the examined white matter tracts.
Conclusions:
- Childhood sleep disturbances are associated with diminished white matter microstructural integrity in preadolescence.
- Early neurodevelopment appears to be a vulnerable period for the impact of sleep problems.
- Further research into preventive sleep interventions is warranted to assess their impact on neurodevelopment.
Background:
Sleep problems occur in up to 30% of children and have been associated with adverse developmental outcomes. However, due to a lack of longitudinal neuroimaging studies, the neurobiological changes that may underlie some of these associations have remained unclear. This study explored the association between sleep problems during childhood and white matter (WM) microstructure in preadolescence.
Methods:
Children from the population-based birth cohort, the Generation R Study, who had repeatedly assessed sleep problems between 1.5 and 10 years of age and a MRI scan at age 10 (N = 2,449), were included. Mothers reported on their child's sleep problems using the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 1.5-5) when children were 1.5, 3, and 6 years of age. At age 2, mothers completed very similar questions. At age 10, both children and their mothers reported on sleep problems. We used whole-brain and tract-specific fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) values obtained through diffusion tensor imaging as measures of WM microstructure.
Results:
Childhood sleep problems at 1.5, 2, and 6 years of age were associated with less WM microstructural integrity (approximately 0.05 SD lower global FA score per 1-SD sleep problems). In repeated-measures analyses, children with more sleep problems (per 1-SD) at baseline had lower FA values at age 10 in particular in the corticospinal tract (-0.12 SD, 95% CI:-0.20;-0.05), the uncinate fasciculus (-0.12 SD, 95% CI:-0.19;-0.05), and the forceps major (-0.11 SD, 95% CI:-0.18;-0.03), although effect estimates across the tracts did not differ substantially.
Conclusions:
Childhood sleep disturbances are associated with less WM microstructural integrity in preadolescence. Our results show that early neurodevelopment may be a period of particular vulnerability to sleep problems. This study cannot demonstrate causality but suggests that preventive interventions addressing sleep problems should be further explored to test whether they impact adverse neurodevelopment.
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