Sleep Disturbances and Epileptiform Activity in a Subpopulation of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A Literature Review Generating an Hypothesis with Implications for Drug Therapy

Abstract

The use of electroencephalography and sleep studies in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and the associated behavioral disorders is reviewed. Based on the available literature, we propose a hypothesis indicating four subtypes of ADHD. The usefulness of EEGs and sleep laboratory indices in detecting a subgroup of patients with submaximal responses to methylphenidate is also discussed.

Parent reports of sleep disturbances in stimulant-medicated children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder

“…These results are consistent with other studies in finding considerable variability in sleep disturbances associated with ADHD and its treatment (Miller & Kraft, 1992). Our results, along with those of other studies, indicate that as many as half of the children diagnosed with ADHD and on stimulant medication will not experience sleep disturbances.…”

“…There is increasing recognition that sleep disturbances may lead to or exacerbate daytime behavior problems of children with developmental disorders (Dahl & Puig-Antich, 1990;Miller & Kraft, 1992;Wilens et al, 1994), and instances in which the behavioral treatment of the sleep disturbances relieved the child's daytime behavioral problems (Bergman, 1976;Dahl, Pelham, & Wierson, 1991) do exist. Sleep disturbances may, therefore, contribute to the behavioral problems of some children with ADHD.…”