OBJECTIVE: Between 25% and 30% of children and adolescents experience sleep disorders. These disorders are complex phenotypes that are regulated by many genes, the environment, and gene-environment interactions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to sleep behaviors in early childhood and to contribute to the knowledge on appropriate therapeutic approaches, using a twin design. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data on sleeping behavior were collected from 314 18-month-old twin pairs (127 monozygotic and 187 dizygotic)using a parent-rated questionnaire. We used structural equation modeling to estimate genetic and environmental variance components for different sleep behaviors (cosleeping, sleep duration, and night awakenings). RESULTS: Shared environment explained almost all (98.3%) of the total variance in cosleeping. Sleep duration was substantially influenced by shared environmental factors (64.1% nocturnal sleep and 61.2% diurnal sleep), with a moderate contribution of additive genetic effects (30.8% and 36.3% for nocturnal and diurnal sleep, respectively). For nocturnal waking episodes, we found a shared environmental contribution of 63.2% and a heritability estimate of 35.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Most sleep disturbances during early childhood are explained by common shared environmental factors, and behavioral interventions adopted by parents and focused on modifying sleep behavior could contribute to solving sleep disturbances in this age group. However, the influence of genetic factors should not be underestimated, and research in this area could clarify the physiologic architecture of sleeping and contribute to selecting appropriate personalized therapeutic approaches.
OBJECTIVE: Between 25% and 30% of children and adolescents experience sleep disorders. These disorders are complex phenotypes that are regulated by many genes, the environment, and gene-environment interactions. The objective of this study was to evaluate the contribution of genetic and environmental factors to sleep behaviors in early childhood and to contribute to the knowledge on appropriate therapeutic approaches, using a twin design. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data on sleeping behavior were collected from 314 18-month-old twin pairs (127 monozygotic and 187 dizygotic)using a parent-rated questionnaire. We used structural equation modeling to estimate genetic and environmental variance components for different sleep behaviors (cosleeping, sleep duration, and night awakenings). RESULTS: Shared environment explained almost all (98.3%) of the total variance in cosleeping. Sleep duration was substantially influenced by shared environmental factors (64.1% nocturnal sleep and 61.2% diurnal sleep), with a moderate contribution of additive genetic effects (30.8% and 36.3% for nocturnal and diurnal sleep, respectively). For nocturnal waking episodes, we found a shared environmental contribution of 63.2% and a heritability estimate of 35.3%. CONCLUSIONS: Most sleep disturbances during early childhood are explained by common shared environmental factors, and behavioral interventions adopted by parents and focused on modifying sleep behavior could contribute to solving sleep disturbances in this age group. However, the influence of genetic factors should not be underestimated, and research in this area could clarify the physiologic architecture of sleeping and contribute to selecting appropriate personalized therapeutic approaches.
Authors: Indrani Halder; Karen A Matthews; Daniel J Buysse; Patrick J Strollo; Victoria Causer; Steven E Reis; Martica H Hall Journal: Sleep Date: 2015-08-01 Impact factor: 5.849
Authors: Margo R Genderson; Brinda K Rana; Matthew S Panizzon; Michael D Grant; Rosemary Toomey; Kristen C Jacobson; Hong Xian; Alice Cronin-Golomb; Carol E Franz; William S Kremen; Michael J Lyons Journal: J Sleep Res Date: 2013-03-20 Impact factor: 3.981
Authors: Oliviero Bruni; Emma Baumgartner; Stefania Sette; Mario Ancona; Gianni Caso; Maria Elisabetta Di Cosimo; Andrea Mannini; Mariangela Ometto; Anna Pasquini; Antonella Ulliana; Raffaele Ferri Journal: J Clin Sleep Med Date: 2014-10-15 Impact factor: 4.062
Authors: Marcella Marinelli; Irene Pappa; Mariona Bustamante; Carolina Bonilla; Anna Suarez; Carla M Tiesler; Natalia Vilor-Tejedor; Mohammad Hadi Zafarmand; Mar Alvarez-Pedrerol; Sture Andersson; Marian J Bakermans-Kranenburg; Xavier Estivill; David M Evans; Claudia Flexeder; Joan Forns; Juan R Gonzalez; Monica Guxens; Anke Huss; Marinus H van IJzendoorn; Vincent W V Jaddoe; Jordi Julvez; Jari Lahti; Mónica López-Vicente; Maria-Jose Lopez-Espinosa; Judith Manz; Viara R Mileva-Seitz; Markus Perola; Anu-Katriina Pesonen; Fernando Rivadeneira; Perttu P Salo; Shayan Shahand; Holger Schulz; Marie Standl; Elisabeth Thiering; Nicholas J Timpson; Maties Torrent; André G Uitterlinden; George Davey Smith; Marisa Estarlich; Joachim Heinrich; Katri Räikkönen; Tanja G M Vrijkotte; Henning Tiemeier; Jordi Sunyer Journal: Sleep Date: 2016-10-01 Impact factor: 5.849