Washington D.C., May 8: The prime time for brain development in a child's life is the first year, where the infant spends most of the time asleep. It is the time when neural connections form and sensory memories are encoded.
However, when sleep is disrupted, as occurs more often among children with autism, brain development may be affected, too.
New research led by the University of Washington finds that sleep problems in a baby's first 12 months may not only precede an autism diagnosis but also may be associated with altered growth trajectory in a key part of the brain, the hippocampus.
The study, which was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry, researchers report that in a sample of more than 400 taken of 6- to 12-month-old infants, those who were later diagnosed with autism were more likely to have had difficulty falling asleep.
It also states that this sleep difficulty was associated with altered growth trajectories in the hippocampus.
"The hippocampus is critical for learning and memory, and changes in the size of the hippocampus have been associated with poor sleep in adults and older children.
As many as 80 per cent of the children with autism spectrum disorder have sleep problems," said Annette Estes, director of the UW Autism Center and senior author of the study.
"In our clinical experience, parents have a lot of concerns about their children's sleep, and in our work on early autism intervention, we observed that sleep problems were holding children and families back," added Estes, who is also a UW professor of speech and hearing sciences.
"It could be that altered sleep is part-and-parcel of autism for some children. One clue is that behavioural interventions to improve sleep don't work for all children with autism, even when their parents are doing everything just right. This suggests that there may be a biological component to sleep problems for some children with autism," said Estes.
To consider links among sleep, brain development, and autism, researchers at the IBIS Network looked at MRI scans of 432 infants, surveyed parents about sleep patterns, and measured cognitive functioning using a standardized assessment.
At the outset of the study, infants were classified according to their risk for developing autism: Those who were at higher risk of developing autism -- about two-thirds of the study sample -- had an older sibling who had already been diagnosed.
Infant siblings of children with autism have a 20 per cent chance of developing autism spectrum disorder -- a much higher risk than children in the general population.
In the current study, 127 of the 432 infants were identified as "low risk" at the time the MRI scans were taken because they had no family history of autism.
They later evaluated all the participants at 24 months of age to determine whether they had developed autism. Of the roughly 300 children originally considered "high familial risk," 71 were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder at that age.
Problems with sleep were more common among the infants later diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, as were larger hippocampi. No other subcortical brain structures were affected, including the amygdala, which is responsible for certain emotions and aspects of memory, or the thalamus, a signal transmitter from the spinal cord to the cerebral cortex.
The authors note that while parents reported more sleep difficulties among infants who developed autism compared to those who did not, the differences were very subtle and only observed when looking at group averages across hundreds of infants.
Sleep patterns in the first years of life change rapidly as infants transition from sleeping around the clock to a more adult-like sleep/wake cycle. Until further research is completed, Estes said, it is not possible to interpret challenges with sleep as an early sign of increased risk for autism.
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BJP = B. Janardana Poojary
Subramianian Swamy (BJP) = Janardhan Poojari (Congress)
The inner Cheddi waking up for Poojari... congress is distancing him....
So no other option for him but to speak for Modi. Even after wearing specs he dont understand the Modi's Crocodile smile...
Why dint U speak when that DALITS are attacked.... POOJI ???????????????
I Personally dont like Congress party, but I love Mr.Poojary for his reforms that he has brought to Mangalore, This man will be remembered for generation to come, very few people praise their opposition party
Poojary has gone mad! I heard that some politicians will go up to any level to attain their nasty self desires. But from Poojari, no one could dreamt about. The real face has finally unleashed..............there is a proverb in Hindi \Jab geedad ki maut aati hain tho wo shehar ki taraf nikalthi hain\"."
true colors of this guy should not be given congress ticket. anyways he must be trying for BJP ticket now.
Nettidittina golibaje modi gh korle
Earlier he was working for RSS at night and Congress in the day, lately he became the full time member of saffron brigade by criticizing his own party fellows. Now he proved again he is an agent of BJP.
HIS NAME ITSELF SAYS HE IS BJP AGENT.
MAY BE HE HAS DUAL PERSONALITY
jannere dadrid keryer attha adaga irena PM olu itther? Pm dani kali brahneregla dalitere matrana? Nidded lakkle.
Janardana Illad .........MODI Delhi d .....va marl ya......Marl areg atthh ...arena pakshan nambd 60 varsha vote padderathha . yankleg marl . Daltherg marl ...poora congress da beela nakkinagle marl
MAHA CHAMCHA.........MASKA LAGAKE!!!!
its totally Bullshit......can you get 15 Lakhs for each household from your friend...
Jannnanna eereg praya dosha.. Nana illal kullodu pokkade dadha irna kiri kiri...
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