UC Merced

Objective

Untreated sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is associated with problem behaviors in children. The neurological basis for this relationship is unknown. We used functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to assess the relationship between cerebral hemodynamics of the frontal lobe of the brain and problem behaviors in children with SDB.

Study design

Cross-sectional.

Setting

Urban tertiary care academic children's hospital and affiliated sleep center.

Methods

We enrolled children with SDB aged 5 to 16 years old referred for polysomnography. We measured fNIRS-derived cerebral hemodynamics within the frontal lobe during polysomnography. We assessed parent-reported problem behaviors using the Behavioral Response Inventory of Executive Function Second Edition (BRIEF-2). We compared the relationships between (i) the instability in cerebral perfusion in the frontal lobe measured fNIRS, (ii) SDB severity using apnea-hypopnea index (AHI), and (iii) BRIEF-2 clinical scales using Pearson correlation (r). A p < .05 was considered significant.

Results

A total of 54 children were included. The average age was 7.8 (95% confidence interval, 7.0-8.7) years; 26 (48%) were boys and 25 (46%) were Black. The mean AHI was 9.9 (5.7-14.1). There is a statistically significant inverse relationship between the coefficient of variation of perfusion in the frontal lobe and BRIEF-2 clinical scales (range of r = 0.24-0.49, range of p = .076 to <.001). The correlations between AHI and BRIEF-2 scales were not statistically significant.

Conclusion

These results provide preliminary evidence for fNIRS as a child-friendly biomarker for the assessment of adverse outcomes of SDB.