Sleep in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) before and after 6-month treatment with methylphenidate: a pilot study

Vigliano, Piernanda, Galloni, Giovanni Battista, Bagnasco, Irene, Delia, Giuliana, Moletto, Alessandra, Mana, Mauro and Cortese, Samuele (2016) Sleep in children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) before and after 6-month treatment with methylphenidate: a pilot study. European Journal of Pediatrics, 175 (5), 695-704. (doi:10.1007/s00431-016-2695-9).

Abstract

Children with ADHD may present with sleep disturbances that add to the impairment of the disorder. The long-term sleep effects of the first-line pharmacological treatment for ADHD, i.e., psychostimulants, are unclear. In this pilot study, we compared polysomnographic variables in children with ADHD (n?=?11, aged 6–15 years), before pharmacological treatment, and in children without ADHD (n?=?22, aged 5–14 years); we also assessed polysomnographic changes in children with ADHD (n?=?7) after a 6-month treatment with methylphenidate immediate-release (once or twice daily). Compared to children without ADHD, those with ADHD at baseline presented with significantly increased duration of awakenings (p?=?0.02), reduction in sleep efficiency (p?=?0.03), and increase in stage I (N1) (p?<?0.01) and reduction in stage II (N2) (p?=?0.02) and stage III–IV (N3) percentages. Methylphenidate treatment did not significantly change any parameter of sleep architecture.
Conclusion: Preliminary evidence from this pilot study shows that, compared to children without ADHD, those with ADHD presented a more fragmented and less effective sleep at baseline and that the 6-month methylphenidate treatment did not further negatively impact on sleep architecture.

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Contributors

Author: Samuele Cortese

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