Key result
Children exhibit more brain network interactions and heart-to-brain information flow during sleep than adults.
Why the study?
Physiological networks and Granger causality have been used to study sleep, but novel approximations comparing adult and children sleep connectivities were needed.
Observational (n=10)
Physiological network analysis using Granger causality suggests children have more heart-to-brain information flow during sleep compared to adults.
May inform age-specific sleep monitoring; leaves open whether heart-brain coupling differences affect neurodevelopment or cardiovascular outcomes.
Objective: Physiological networks have recently been employed as an alternative to analyze the interaction of the human body. Within this option, different systems are analyzed as nodes inside a communication network as well how information fows. Several studies have been proposed to study sleep subjects with the help of the Granger causality computation over electroencephalographic and heart rate variability signals. However, following this methodology, novel approximations for children subjects are presented here, where comparison between adult and children sleep is followed through the obtained connectivities. Methods: Data from ten adults and children were retrospectively extracted from polysomnography records. Database was extracted from people suspected of having sleep disorders who participated in a previous study. Connectivity was computed based on Granger causality, according to preprocessing of similar studies in this feld. A comparison for adults and children groups with a chi-square test was followed, employing the results of the Granger causality measures. Results: Results show that differences were mainly established for nodes inside the brain network connectivity. Additionally, for interactions between brain and heart networks, it was brought to light that children physiology sends more information from heart to brain nodes compared to the adults group. Discussion: This study represents a frst sight to children sleep analysis, employing the Granger causality computation. It contributes to understand sleep in children employing measurements from physiological signals. Preliminary fndings suggest more interactions inside the brain network for children group compared to adults group.
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Orjuela-Cañón et al. (2022) conducted an observational in Suspected sleep disorders (n=10). Childhood age vs. Adulthood was evaluated on Physiological network connectivity (brain and heart interactions) based on Granger causality. Children exhibited more interactions inside the brain network and sent more information from heart to brain nodes compared to adults during sleep.
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