Related Experiment Videos
The natural history of night terrors
1Department of Neurology, University of Vermont, Burlington.
Insights
Night terrors in children often peak early and resolve by age 8, though some cases persist into adolescence. Early onset may predict more frequent episodes, but no specific behavioral issues were identified.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Sleep Medicine
- Neurology
Background:
- Night terrors are a parasomnia characterized by partial arousal during slow-wave sleep.
- Episodes typically occur within two hours of sleep onset and involve agitation and unresponsiveness.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the natural history and characteristics of night terrors in a pediatric cohort.
- To identify potential predictors of episode frequency, duration, and resolution.
Main Methods:
- A questionnaire-based study of 19 children diagnosed with night terrors before age 7.5 years.
- Data collected on onset age, frequency, duration, family history, and resolution patterns over a mean observation period of 8.5 years.
Main Results:
- Seventy percent experienced peak frequency early, with shorter overall duration.
- Children with onset before 3.5 years had higher weekly episode frequency compared to those with later onset.
- Mean duration was 3.9 years; 50% resolved by age 8, and 36% continued into adolescence.
- Positive family history of sleepwalking correlated with longer duration.
- No common behavioral profile or psychopathology was identified, and precipitants were not determined.
Conclusions:
- Night terror frequency and duration in children show variability, influenced by onset age and family history.
- Most children experience resolution by adolescence, but a significant portion may have persistent symptoms.
- Further research is needed to identify specific triggers and associated conditions.
Abstract:
Night terrors are a sleep disorder, resulting from a partial arousal during slow-wave sleep. They usually occur within 2 hours of sleep onset and are characterized by agitation and unresponsiveness to external stimuli. Nineteen children (ten males, nine females) with onset of night terrors before age 7.5 years were studied by means of a questionnaire. Mean observation time (time from onset age to age at survey) was 8.5 years, but longer than 10 years in nine subjects. Seventy percent of the children had their initial frequency of night terrors as their peak frequency, with a tendency for shorter duration of the parasomnia in this group. Children with onset age less than 3.5 years may be expected to attain a peak frequency of at least one episode per week. Children with onset after 3.5 years, but before 7.5 years, may expect to attain a peak frequency of 1-2 episodes per month. There was a mean duration of 3.9 years, with a tendency for longer duration in children with positive family histories of sleep walking. Fifty percent stopped by age 8 years; 36 percent continued into adolescence. No common abnormal behavioral profile or psychopathology was found. Common precipitants of attacks were not identified.