Scientific Investigations
First Night Effect Analysis in a Cohort of Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
http://dx.doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.2344
Ashura Buckley, M.D.1; Katherine Wingert, B.S.1; Susan Swedo, M.D.1; Audrey Thurm, Ph.D.1; Susumu Sato, M.D2; Shmuel Appel, M.D.2; Alcibiades J. Rodriguez, M.D., F.A.A.S.M.3
1National Institute of Mental Health, Pediatrics and Developmental Neuroscience Branch, Bethesda, MD; 2National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke, EEG section, Bethesda, MD; 3New York University, Department of Neurology, New York, NY
Study Objectives:
To evaluate for the first night effect (FNE) in a group of young children with autism.
Design:
Analysis of polysomnographic data from a 2-night sleep laboratory study.
Setting:
Clinical Center of the National Institutes of Health.
Patients or Participants:
15 children (aged 2-10 years) with a diagnosis of an ASD.
Measurements and Results
Polysomnographic analysis showed the presence of a FNE for wake after sleep onset minutes, stage 2, and sleep efficiency, but not for REM sleep parameters or TST.
Conclusions:
In this 2-night polysomnographic analysis of sleep stages in young children with autism, we did not find the expected second night increase in total sleep time or REM sleep percentage or a decrease in REM sleep latency. This lack of an FNE for TST and REM parameters suggests that a single-night polysomnogram may be sufficient to evaluate children with an ASD for TST or REM parameters.
Citation
Buckley A; Wingert K; Swedo S; Thurm A; Sato S; Appel S; Rodriguez AJ. First night effect analysis in a cohort of young children with autism spectrum disorder. J Clin Sleep Med 2013;9(1):67-70.
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