Shorter REM latency in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder

Abstract

The discrepancies in prior research about the actual sleep problems underlying attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) demand more studies of children with this disorder. This study aimed to compare the subjective and objective sleep characteristics of 20 children with ADHD (DSM-IV criteria) and 20 typically developing children (aged 7-11 years). We assessed the children using sleep questionnaires and polysomnography recordings and analysed differences between the two groups using two-tailed Mann-Whitney U exact tests and Rosenthal's r as effect size measure. We also assessed associations between sleep measures and psychopathology using Spearman's correlation coefficients. No significant difference was found between the groups in almost any objective sleep variable, except for shorter REM latency in the ADHD group. Children with ADHD also showed significantly higher levels of daytime sleepiness and greater general sleep problems than control children, as reported by their parents, after discarding the primary sleep problems commonly associated with ADHD. Significant correlations were found between psychopathology and sleep measures. Our findings might support the link between narcolepsy-like sleep phenotype and ADHD. However, longitudinal research combining objective and subjective assessments should further explore the involvement of other variables, such as ADHD subtypes, medication, and comorbid symptoms in this relationship.