Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 4, 2026
Infant Auditory Processing and Event-related Brain Oscillations
Published on: July 1, 2015
Topographic mapping and overnight dynamics of cyclic alternating pattern subtypes in typically developing children
Giovanni Lombardi1, Anna Castelnovo2, Mauro Manconi2
1Faculty of Biomedical Sciences, University of Italian Switzerland, Lugano, 6900, Switzerland; Neurology Department, Neurocenter of Southern Switzerland, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale, 6900, Switzerland.
Background:
The cyclic alternating pattern (CAP) is a key marker of NREM sleep microstructure, reflecting the balance between sleep-protective (A1) and arousal-promoting (A2/A3) processes. However, normative spectral and topographic data for CAP subtypes during development are limited, and high-density EEG (HD-EEG) mapping in children is lacking. This study aimed to characterize the scalp topography and spectral properties of CAP A subtypes in typically developing children and to assess their overnight dynamics.
Methods:
Nineteen typically developing children (mean age 10.2 years, range 8-13.7; 10 females) underwent overnight video-polysomnography with 256-channel HD-EEG. Power spectral density was estimated using Welch's method for CAP A1 (0.5-2.5 Hz), A2-low (0.5-2.5 Hz), A2-high (11-14 Hz), and A3 (11-14 Hz). Topographic distributions were computed across the night and compared between early and late NREM sleep using linear mixed-effects models with permutation-based TFCE correction.
Results:
A1 and A2-low activity showed maximal power over fronto-central and centro-parietal midline regions and was significantly higher during early compared to late night. In contrast, A2-high and A3 activity displayed a predominantly frontal distribution and increased during the late night. High-frequency components of A2 and A3 peaked within the 11-14 Hz range, differing from the alpha-band activity typically reported in adults.
Conclusions:
This exploratory study characterises the scalp topography and spectral properties of CAP A subtypes in typically developing children using HD-EEG. Slow-frequency CAP activity declined across the night, consistent with homeostatic processes, whereas faster components showed a frontal predominance and a late-night increase. These findings highlight developmental differences in CAP organization and provide preliminary reference data for paediatric sleep research, which require confirmation in larger, multicentre cohorts.
