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Across-night dynamics in traveling sleep slow waves throughout childhood

Schoch, Sarah F. ; Riedner, Brady A. ; Deoni, Sean C. ; Huber, Reto ; LeBourgeois, Monique K. ; Kurth, Salome

In: SLEEP, 2018, vol. 41, no. 11, p. -

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    Title
    • Across-night dynamics in traveling sleep slow waves throughout childhood
    Author
    • Schoch, Sarah F.. Pulmonary Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
    • Riedner, Brady A.. Center for Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI
    • Deoni, Sean C.. Baby Imaging Laboratory, Woman & Infant's Hospital of Rhode Island, Providence, RI
    • Huber, Reto. Child Development Center, University Children's Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
    • LeBourgeois, Monique K.. Sleep and Development Laboratory, Department of Integrative Physiology, University of Colorado Boulder, Boulder, CO
    • Kurth, Salome. Pulmonary Clinic, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
    Document Type
    • Postprint
    OAI-PMH Identifier
    • oai:doc.rero.ch:332623
    Summary
    Abstract Study Objectives Sleep slow waves behave like traveling waves and are thus a marker for brain connectivity. Across a night of sleep in adults, wave propagation is scaled down, becoming more local. Yet, it is unknown whether slow wave propagation undergoes similar across-night dynamics in childhood—a period of extensive cortical rewiring. Methods High-density electroencephalography (EEG; 128 channels) was recorded during sleep in three groups of healthy children: 2.0-4.9 years (n = 11), 5.0-8.9 years (n = 9) and 9.0-16.9 years (n = 9). Slow wave propagation speed, distance, and cortical involvement were quantified. To characterize across-night dynamics, the 20% most pronounced (highest amplitude) slow waves were subdivided into five time-based quintiles. Results We found indications that slow wave propagation distance decreased across a night of sleep. We observed an interesting interaction of across-night slow wave propagation dynamics with age (p < 0.05). When comparing the first and last quintiles, there was a trend level difference between age groups: 2- to 4.9-year-old children showed an 11.9% across-night decrease in slow wave propagation distance, which was not observed in the older two age groups. Regardless of age, cortical involvement decreased by 10.4%-23.7% across a night of sleep. No across-night changes were observed in slow wave speed. Conclusions Findings provide evidence that signatures of brain connectivity undergo across-night dynamics specific to maturational periods. These results suggest that across-night dynamics in slow wave propagation distance reflect heightened plasticity in underlying cerebral networks specific to developmental periods.