Sleep patterns in the Lennox‐Gastaut syndrome

Serial polysomnograms were performed on 11 children with primary Lennox-Gastaut syndrome (LGS), 6 control children with other seizure disorders, and 12 who were developmentally normal. Five LGS children had abnormal polysomnograms with either complete absence or marked reduction of REM sleep; the other six LGS children had only a mild reduction of REM sleep. The percentage of REM in LGS children was less than in the controls with other seizure disorders (p less than 0.05) or the normal children (p less than 0.005). The scatter of REM percentages in LGS may imply heterogeneity of the syndrome, perhaps related to the severity of brainstem dysfunction or neurochemical derangement.