Objective While caregiver-reported sleep disturbances are common in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), few studies have measured objective sleep in ASD compared to controls, and their findings are mixed. We investigated 1) differences in sleep architecture, specifically slow-wave sleep (SWS) and rapid eye movement sleep (REM), between ASD and typically developing controls (TD); and 2) if any observed differences in sleep were associated with core ASD symptoms. Methods We used ambulatory polysomnography (PSG) in 53 participants with ASD (ages 6 to 18) and 66 age-matched TD in their home sleeping environment. The primary outcome measures were SWS and REM sleep. Core behavioral ASD symptoms were assessed using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). Spectral power bands during sleep, and additional behavioral measures, were examined in exploratory analyses. Results Compared to TD, participants with ASD exhibited a higher SWS ratio and lower REM ratio. Within the ASD group, higher SWS was associated with more severe symptoms on the Restricted, Repetitive, and Stereotyped Behaviors subscale of the ADI-R. No association was observed between REM ratio and any ASD symptom. Conclusions Increased SWS and reduced REM sleep ratio differentiated ASD from TD. However, only increased SWS was associated with more severe core ASD symptoms. Increased SWS may reflect neuronal immaturity specific to ASD in this age group. These findings may inform the underlying mechanisms of clinical symptoms observed in children and adolescents with ASD.
Introduction Duration of slow wave sleep (SWS) declines with age and may not be the most sensitive biomarker for memory in older adults. Analyzing the spectral power of slow wave activity (SWA) (0.5–4 Hz) may provide a more sensitive measure to capture the impact of sleep on memory. We investigated the association of SWA at baseline with the change of overnight memory recall over one year in older adults. Methods Participants were 42 community-dwelling healthy older adults (22 women and 20 men). We performed a polysomnography (PSG) and list-learning memory tests at baseline (T1) and after a one-year follow-up (T2). The procedure includes, 1) the participants memorized a 16 word list in the evening, 2) after a 5 minute delay, participants wrote down as many words as they could remember (evening recall), 3) overnight PSG was then performed, and 4) the following morning, participants wrote down as many words from the original list from the night before (overnight memory recall). This procedure was repeated at T2. Mixed modeling was utilized to analyze the association between baseline SWA and trajectory of overnight memory recall. Results For the SWA component, higher relative power of slow oscillation (0.5–1 Hz) during the first ultradian cycle at baseline was correlated with a greater decline in overnight memory recall after 1 year (t = -2.198, p = .034), which covaried for age and gender. There was no correlation with evening recall. Relative power of delta (1–4 Hz) range activity did not show an association with evening and overnight memory recall. Conclusion Higher relative power of slow oscillation at baseline predicts a greater decline of overnight memory recall. This may indicate a differential effect among the frequency ranges of SWA on longitudinal change in memory in older adults. Support This work was supported by National Institute of Health grants MH 070886, AG 18784 and AG17824 and the Office of Academic Affiliations, Advanced Fellowship Program in Mental Illness Research and Treatment, Department of Veterans Affairs.
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