Electrophysiologic Sleep Phenotyping and Sleep-Dependent Neuro-maturation in Clinical and Healthy Pediatric Populations

What this Trial Is About

Researchers aim to fill a knowledge gap by studying sleep and brain development in infants and children aged 6 months to 8 years. This observational study focuses on how sleep patterns relate to neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders, including autism and related conditions. The goal is to build a detailed database using sleep EEG to track brain function changes and predict behavioral and cognitive outcomes over time. Participants are divided into two groups children at risk for neurodevelopmental disorders and children without known risk. They will undergo neurodevelopmental testing, medical and psychiatric history reviews, physical and neurological exams, interviews, and surveys. Some children will have a single 2-day visit, while others will have up to four 2-day visits spaced 8 months to 1 year apart over two years. Each child will participate in an overnight sleep study with electrodes placed to record brain activity during sleep. During the study, children may also have a brief daytime EEG to help calibrate the overnight sleep recording. Researchers will collect biological samples like cheek swabs or blood and monitor sleep using sensors and a protective gauze cap for the electrodes. The study will measure sleep spindle activity and social behavior development, among other sleep and neurodevelopmental features, to understand brain maturation and its links to behavior and disorders. Participation may last up to two years, with ongoing assessments to track development.

Electrophysiologic Sleep Phenotyping and Sleep-Dependent Neuro-maturation in Clinical and Healthy Pediatric Populations