Abstract

Sleep deficiency influences emotion and behavior regulation but the mechanisms of influence are poorly understood. Emotion, behavioral, and sleep theories highlight differences in autonomic function as a potential pathway of influence and research in typical populations draw links between sleep deficiency and autonomic dysregulation (e.g., elevated reactivity within the sympathetic nervous system). In populations at elevated risk for sleep deficiency/problems (i.e., individuals with autism), greater variability in sleep and autonomic/arousal profiles may be particularly informative. Using electrodermal activity (EDA) as an indicator of sympathetic nervous system activation, this descriptive pilot study aimed to document daytime EDA patterns in children with autism and to explore their relations with sleep dysregulation/deficiency. EDA and sleep were measured using ankle and wrist worn sensors in 13 children (Mean_age 6.11 years). EDA indices included nonspecific skin conductance responses (NSSCR) and tonic skin conductance levels (SCL). Descriptively, children in the dysregulated sleep group had fewer NSSCRs and lower SCL in the afternoon. This blunted physiological arousal profile/pattern is consistent with previous research, but this is the first study to explore how sleep may be linked. Notably, this pattern may not reflect sleep but an overall dysregulation profile which in this sample included: dysregulated sleep, a blunted afternoon arousal profile, and elevated ASD symptom severity. Replication with larger, more diverse samples is needed to disentangle the complex relations among sleep, arousal, and ASD behavioral features. However, this study represents an important first step in documenting extended daytime arousal patterns.

摘要

睡眠不足会影响情绪和行为调节，但对其影响机制知之甚少。情绪、行为和睡眠理论强调了自主神经功能的差异，因为这是一种潜在的影响途径，在典型人群中的研究将睡眠不足​​和自主神经失调（例如，交感神经系统内的反应性升高）联系起来。在睡眠不足/问题风险较高的人群中（即患有自闭症的个体），睡眠和自主/唤醒特征的更大变化可能特别有用。使用皮肤电活动 (EDA) 作为交感神经系统激活的指标，这项描述性试点研究旨在记录自闭症儿童的日间 EDA 模式，并探讨他们与睡眠失调/缺陷的关系。_年龄6.11 年）。EDA 指数包括非特异性皮肤电导反应 (NSSCR) 和强直皮肤电导水平 (SCL)。描述性地，睡眠失调组的儿童在下午的 NSSCR 较少，SCL 较低。这种迟钝的生理唤醒特征/模式与之前的研究一致，但这是第一项探索睡眠如何关联的研究。值得注意的是，这种模式可能不反映睡眠，而是反映整体失调情况，在该样本中包括：睡眠失调、午后觉醒迟钝和 ASD 症状严重程度升高。需要使用更大、更多样化的样本进行复制，以解开睡眠、唤醒和 ASD 行为特征之间的复杂关系。然而，这项研究代表了记录长时间白天唤醒模式的重要第一步。