Anna Ricci1, Fan He2, Jidong Fang1, Susan L Calhoun1, Alexandros N Vgontzas1, Duanping Liao2, Magdy Younes3, Edward O Bixler1, Julio Fernandez-Mendoza4. 1. Sleep Research & Treatment Center, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Dr., Hershey, PA, 17033 USA. 2. Department of Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine, A210 Public Health Sciences, Hershey, PA, 17033 USA. 3. Sleep Disorders Centre, University of Manitoba, 1001 Wellington Crescent, Winnipeg, MB, R3M 0A7, Canada. 4. Sleep Research & Treatment Center, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, Penn State College of Medicine, 500 University Dr., Hershey, PA, 17033 USA. Electronic address: jfmendoza@psu.edu.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Brain maturation is reflected in the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) by a decline in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) slow wave activity (SWA) throughout adolescence and a related decrease in sleep depth. However, this trajectory and its sex and pubertal differences lack replication in population-based samples. We tested age-related changes in SWA (0.4-4 Hz) power and odds ratio product (ORP), a standardized measure of sleep depth. METHODS: We analyzed the sleep EEG of 572 subjects aged 6-21 y (48% female, 26% racial/ethnic minority) and 332 subjects 5-12 y followed-up at 12-22 y. Multivariable-adjusted analyses tested age-related cross-sectional and longitudinal trajectories of SWA and ORP. RESULTS: SWA remained stable from age 6 to 10, decreased between ages 11 and 17, and plateaued from age 18 to 21 (p-cubic<0.001); females showed a longitudinal decline 23% greater than males by 13 y, while males experienced a steeper slope after 14 y and their longitudinal decline was 21% greater by 19 y. More mature adolescents (75% female) experienced a greater longitudinal decline in SWA than less mature adolescents by 14 y. ORP showed an age-related increasing trajectory (p-linear<0.001) with no sex or pubertal differences. CONCLUSIONS: We provide population-level evidence for the maturational decline and sex and pubertal differences in SWA in the transition from childhood to adolescence, while introducing ORP as a novel metric in youth. Along with previous studies, the distinct trajectories observed suggest that age-related changes in SWA reflect brain maturation and local/synaptic processes during this developmental period, while those of ORP may reflect global/state control of NREM sleep depth.
BACKGROUND: Brain maturation is reflected in the sleep electroencephalogram (EEG) by a decline in non-rapid eye movement (NREM) slow wave activity (SWA) throughout adolescence and a related decrease in sleep depth. However, this trajectory and its sex and pubertal differences lack replication in population-based samples. We tested age-related changes in SWA (0.4-4 Hz) power and odds ratio product (ORP), a standardized measure of sleep depth. METHODS: We analyzed the sleep EEG of 572 subjects aged 6-21 y (48% female, 26% racial/ethnic minority) and 332 subjects 5-12 y followed-up at 12-22 y. Multivariable-adjusted analyses tested age-related cross-sectional and longitudinal trajectories of SWA and ORP. RESULTS: SWA remained stable from age 6 to 10, decreased between ages 11 and 17, and plateaued from age 18 to 21 (p-cubic<0.001); females showed a longitudinal decline 23% greater than males by 13 y, while males experienced a steeper slope after 14 y and their longitudinal decline was 21% greater by 19 y. More mature adolescents (75% female) experienced a greater longitudinal decline in SWA than less mature adolescents by 14 y. ORP showed an age-related increasing trajectory (p-linear<0.001) with no sex or pubertal differences. CONCLUSIONS: We provide population-level evidence for the maturational decline and sex and pubertal differences in SWA in the transition from childhood to adolescence, while introducing ORP as a novel metric in youth. Along with previous studies, the distinct trajectories observed suggest that age-related changes in SWA reflect brain maturation and local/synaptic processes during this developmental period, while those of ORP may reflect global/state control of NREM sleep depth.
Authors: Susan L Calhoun; Julio Fernandez-Mendoza; Alexandros N Vgontzas; Duanping Liao; Edward O Bixler Journal: Sleep Med Date: 2013-10-16 Impact factor: 3.492
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Authors: Anna Ricci; Fan He; Susan L Calhoun; Jidong Fang; Alexandros N Vgontzas; Duanping Liao; Edward O Bixler; Julio Fernandez-Mendoza Journal: Sleep Med Date: 2022-02-08 Impact factor: 3.492
Authors: Anna Ricci; Susan L Calhoun; Fan He; Jidong Fang; Alexandros N Vgontzas; Duanping Liao; Edward O Bixler; Magdy Younes; Julio Fernandez-Mendoza Journal: Sleep Date: 2022-03-14 Impact factor: 6.313