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Testing Sensory and Multisensory Function in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Published on: April 22, 2015
An Electroencephalographic Study of Sleep Spindle and Infraslow Oscillation in Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Kevin Liu1, Binbin Sun2, Bryan K Wang3
1Fetal-Neonatal Neuroimaging and Developmental Science Center, Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.
Insights
Children with autism exhibit distinct sleep microstructure patterns, particularly in how spindle frequency interacts with slow oscillations. These differences in sleep may reflect underlying brain dysfunction and show sex-specific links to autism severity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Sleep Science
Background:
- Sleep disturbances are common in young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
- Understanding sleep microstructure may offer insights into neurodevelopmental differences in autism.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate spatial differences in sleep microstructures between young children with autism and typically developing peers.
- To explore the relationship between sleep features, brain activity, and autism severity.
Main Methods:
- Recorded 32-channel electroencephalography (EEG) during natural sleep in 53 children (26 with autism, 27 controls) after partial sleep deprivation.
- Quantified EEG features including spindle density, frequency, morphology, slow oscillations, and infraslow oscillations (0.005-0.03 Hz).
- Assessed clinical associations using standardized autism diagnostic tools.
Main Results:
- Children with autism showed greater modulation of spindle frequency by slow oscillation phase at a right frontal electrode (F8).
- An infraslow peak near 0.02 Hz was observed in both groups.
- Infraslow power correlated positively with autism severity in males, particularly in posterior and temporal regions, though group differences were not significant after multiple comparison correction.
Conclusions:
- Sleep microstructures in early childhood reveal thalamocortical and cortical dysfunction in autism.
- Observed sleep differences suggest potential sex-specific clinical associations with autism severity.
- These findings highlight the role of sleep in understanding neurodevelopmental differences in autism.
Abstract:
We investigated whether sleep microstructures show spatial differences in young children with autism compared with typically developing peers. 32-channel electroencephalography (EEG) during natural sleep after 5-6 h of partial sleep deprivation was recorded from 53 children (26 with autism, 27 typically developing; 1.1-5.1 years). Quantified EEG features included spindle density, frequency, morphology, slow oscillations and the relative power of infraslow oscillations (0.005-0.03 Hz). Clinical associations were examined using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, the Childhood Autism Rating Scale and the Gesell Developmental Schedules. Children with autism showed greater modulation of spindle frequency by the phase of slow oscillations at a right frontal scalp electrode (F8). An infraslow peak slightly below 0.02 Hz was present in both groups. Although group differences in infraslow power did not remain significant after correction for multiple comparisons, infraslow power correlated positively with autism severity in males, over posterior and temporal regions. These findings indicate that sleep microstructures in early childhood reflect thalamocortical and cortical dysfunction with sex-specific clinical associations.
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