Evidence map›Paper›PMID 28921043›Full record

ArticleSleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung2018

Slow wave activity and executive dysfunction in children with sleep disordered breathing.

Jessica A Christiansz, Chloe R Lappin, Aidan J Weichard, Gillian M Nixon, Margot J Davey, Rosemary S C Horne, Sarah N Biggs

Abstract read
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Sleep & breathing = Schlaf & Atmung, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
0.5field-weighted citation impact, top 34% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 17 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Normal polysomnography parameters in healthy children: a systematic review and meta-analysis.European respiratory review : an official journal of the European Respiratory Society · 2026
    Pooled it
  2. Sleep homeostasis impairment across obstructive sleep apnea severity: findings from a population-based cohort study.Journal of clinical sleep medicine : JCSM : official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Jessica A ChristianszThe Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Chloe R LappinThe Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Aidan J WeichardThe Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Gillian M NixonThe Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Margot J DaveyThe Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Rosemary S C HorneThe Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.
Sarah N BiggsThe Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research and Department of Paediatrics, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. sarah.biggs@monash.edu.
Hudson Institute of Medical Research · AUMonash University · AUMonash Children’s Hospital · AU

Funding

National Health and Medical Research Council 1139620
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeThis study aimed to examine slow wave activity (SWA), a marker of homeostatic regulation, as a potential mechanism linking sleep disordered breathing (SDB) with executive dysfunction in children.

methodsExecutive function domains of working memory, spatial planning, information processing, and sustained attention were assessed using the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) in children (N = 40; 5-12 years) referred for clinical diagnosis of SDB. Polysomnography records of non-snoring, age-matched controls (N = 34) were retrospectively examined for comparison of SWA. Power spectral analysis of the delta wave determined SWA. Group differences in sleep, respiratory, and SWA outcomes were examined. Mean CANTAB scores were compared to standardized norms and correlated against SWA.

resultsChildren with SDB showed increased SWA compared to non-snoring controls and scored < 25th percentile for planning accuracy, speed of mental processing, and task efficiency, when compared against population norms. Increasing severity of SDB was associated with an increased difficulty in solving complex tasks and time on task performance. SWA was associated with performance on tasks of early problem solving and efficiency during sustained attention.

conclusionsSWA, a subtle measure of sleep disruption and sleep regulation, is associated with deficits in problem solving and sustained attention in children with SDB. As current mechanistic theories do not account for deficits observed in children with mild forms of SDB, this study provides a promising alternative.

Indexed as

Executive FunctionSleepChildChild, PreschoolFemaleHumansMalePolysomnographyRetrospective StudiesSleep Apnea SyndromesSnoringChildrenExecutive functionObstructive sleep apneaSlow wave activitySnoring

Identifiers

PMID28921043
OpenAlexW2754164546

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.