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THE RISK FOR COGNITIVE CONSEQUENCES IN CHILDREN WITH SLEEP-DISORDERED BREATHING
- Eszter Csabi (Hungary)
Abstract
Background and Aims
Sleep-disordered Breathing (SDB) is a spectrum disorder ranging from primary snoring to obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). One of the most common sleep disorders in childhood however remarkably little is known of the effect of SDB on memory functions. The aim of our study is to investigate the cognitive consequences of SDB compared to children with no history of sleep disorders.
Methods
The SDB group consisted of sixteen children with SDB (average age: 8.56 years, SD: 2.31; 6females/10males) six of them with OSA and ten of them with primary snoring. The control group consisted of sixteen healthy participants (average age: 8.75 years, SD: 1.44; 8females/8males). The control and the SDB groups were matched on age and gender. We used story recall to measure explicit memory and Alternating Serial Reaction Time Task to examine implicit memory. There were two sessions: a learning phase and a testing phase, separated by a 12-hour offline period with sleep.
Results
Our data showed that children with SDB exhibited impaired explicit memory performance both in the learning and testing phase compared to the control group. In contrast to these results, we found intact implicit memory in SDB group.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that sleep disorders in childhood have a different effect on different memory processes and give us insight into how sleep disturbances affect the developing brain.