Sleep is important for children’s brain development

Many premature babies are particularly vulnerable

Brain researchers at the Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital at UMC Utrecht have discovered a link between more active sleep in premature babies and better development of the white matter in their brains. This is important because brain development in these vulnerable young patients is often delayed, which can lead to various problems. The results of the study were published in The Journal of Neuroscience.

Many premature babies are particularly vulnerable. They are at risk for all kinds of developmental problems, including concentration problems, behavioral problems, and difficulties with motor skills. As a result, children often have trouble keeping up in school. In the hospital, these children’s sleep is often disturbed by all kinds of medical procedures that perhaps could have been postponed. In the womb, these babies slept for up to 22 hours.

Based on previous research in mice, researchers expect that “good” sleep will have a positive influence on the brain development of premature babies. Especially “active sleep”, in which babies move, laugh or even make sounds, appears to be essential for brain development. However, no evidence of this had ever been found in humans. Researchers at UMC Utrecht wanted to change this and have now properly studied for the first time the role of sleep on the brain development of premature babies.

Analysis of sleep patterns of premature babies
The study, led by researchers Xiaowan Wang and Eline de Groot, used machine learning to analyze sleep patterns in premature babies. The team developed an algorithm that recognizes which sleep stage a baby is in. This algorithm uses heart rate and respiratory rate data that are routinely monitored in neonatal intensive care units (NICU). “In effect, we have transformed our existing monitoring system into a kind of smartwatch that can monitor bodily functions,” explains sleep researcher and neonatologist Jeroen Dudink from UMC Utrecht.

The study involved two groups of premature babies who had previously been treated in the neonatal intensive care unit. The researchers used data from the first group to train their algorithm. Data from the second group, consisting of 58 children, were analyzed for the relationship between sleep and brain development. The researchers found that there actually appears to be a relationship between a greater percentage of active sleep in premature babies and a greater amount of white matter in the brain. The time of measurement was the children’s due date. In the neonatal intensive care unit at WKZ, an MRI of the brain is often performed as standard in babies born too prematurely.

Integrate sleep monitoring into routine care
The researchers are pleased with this first concrete indication that sleep plays an important role in the early development of the human brain. “White matter is crucial in processing information and connecting different areas of the brain, which in turn is essential for cognitive and motor functions,” says researcher Eline de Groot. “We therefore expect that long-term, good quality sleep could have many benefits for these vulnerable children.”

The research team wants to better monitor the sleep of premature babies in neonatal intensive care units in the future, using the advanced sleep monitoring they have developed. “We hope to be able to ensure in the future that deferrable medical interventions are only performed at a time when the child is not in active sleep,” explains Jeroen. In this way, the team wants to investigate whether good quality sleep actually ensures better brain development in this vulnerable patient group. All this with the ultimate goal of giving premature babies the best possible start in their lives.

Read the research article here

Source: UMC Utrecht

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2024-01-02 08:00:59
#Sleep #important #childrens #brain #development