Sleep dysfunction produces a range of negative health and psychological effects. The incidence of sleep problems for individuals with mental retardation (MR) has been reported to be three-fold greater than people without MR. However, previous research estimating the prevalence of sleep problems for people with MR have relied primarily on behavioral observation data. Such analyses can only identify gross behavioral changes in sleep states and are unable to identify subtler alterations in brain activity and sleep architecture that, nonetheless, have serious effects on a person's health and life quality. Hence, current estimates of sleep problems in this population may be underestimated. A more precise analysis of sleep and individual sleep stages is needed. The investigators propose to use polysomnography (i.e., EEG, EOG, and EMG) to investigate the sleep architecture of people with MR. Three groups of adults with MR (mild, moderate, and severe/profound) will be studied to assess the presence of altered sleep architectures as a function of level of MR. These groups will be compared to a contrast group of typical adults. In addition, the investigators propose to assess whether the presence of a co-morbid syndrome (i.e., autism) interacts with level of MR in determining the structure of a person's sleep architecture (i.e., autism plus mild MR, autism plus moderate MR, and autism plus severe MR). ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Small Research Grants (R03)
Project #
1R03HD042042-01A1
Application #
6614907
Study Section
Pediatrics Subcommittee (CHHD)
Program Officer
Kau, Alice S
Project Start
2003-04-01
Project End
2005-03-31
Budget Start
2003-04-01
Budget End
2004-03-31
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2003
Total Cost
$75,500
Indirect Cost
Name
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Education
DUNS #
004413456
City
Nashville
State
TN
Country
United States
Zip Code
37212
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