University of Adelaide researchers have discovered key signs that
children experiencing sleep difficulties continue to suffer health
problems even during periods of so-called "normal" sleep. The
same research has helped to show that surgical removal of adenoids and
tonsils is effective at reversing these problems among children, and may
lead to improvements in brain development and behaviour. Researchers in the University's School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering
have analysed data collected in sleep studies from children who have
been diagnosed with "sleep-disordered breathing", or sleep apnoea. This
condition is linked with poor development of the brain, cognitive and
behavioural issues among children.
Information gathered in the
sleep studies – such as brain, muscle, breathing and heart activity – is
used by sleep technicians to determine whether children have had an
adverse event during the night, or if their sleep has been considered
'normal'.
"For the first time, our research has uncovered key
indicators that show children with sleep-disordered breathing, or sleep
apnoea, may be experiencing problems even during periods of so-called
'normal' sleep," says research leader Associate Professor Mathias Baumert from the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
The
research, conducted by PhD student Sarah Immanuel, discovered that even
during "normal" sleep, children who have sleep apnoea take longer to
inhale and exhale than a healthy child.
"This shows that a
breathing abnormality persists throughout all periods of sleep. Such a
deficit in breathing may have implications for brain development," Ms
Immanuel says.
She also discovered that the signals sent from the
heart to the brain – which occurs every time the heart beats, known as a
'heartbeat evoked potential' – appear to be abnormal in these children.
"The
presence of a reduced heartbeat evoked potential provides a novel
marker that the internal processing of information from the body to the
brain is dysfunctional in these children," Ms Immanuel says.
Her
research showed that the indicators improved after surgery. "All of
these issues were reversed in children who received surgery to remove
their adenoids and tonsils," she says.
Associate Professor
Baumert says: "One of the main concerns for parents is that they often
don't know if this surgery will be beneficial for their child. A more
comprehensive analysis of sleep, using our novel markers, may help in
the decision-making process."