{Reference Type}: Journal Article
{Title}: Maturation-dependent changes in cortical and thalamic activity during sleep slow waves: Insights from a combined EEG-fMRI study.
{Author}: Bergamo D;Handjaras G;Petruso F;Talami F;Ricciardi E;Benuzzi F;Vaudano AE;Meletti S;Bernardi G;Betta M;
{Journal}: Sleep Med
{Volume}: 113
{Issue}: 0
{Year}: 2024 01 7
{Factor}: 4.842
{DOI}: 10.1016/j.sleep.2023.12.001
{Abstract}: Studies using scalp EEG have shown that slow waves (0.5-4 Hz), the most prominent hallmark of NREM sleep, undergo relevant changes from childhood to adulthood, mirroring brain structural modifications and the acquisition of cognitive skills. Here we used simultaneous EEG-fMRI to investigate the cortical and subcortical correlates of slow waves in school-age children and determine their relative developmental changes.<BR>We analyzed data from 14 school-age children with self-limited focal epilepsy of childhood who fell asleep during EEG-fMRI recordings. Brain regions associated with slow-wave occurrence were identified using a voxel-wise regression that also modelled interictal epileptic discharges and sleep spindles. At the group level, a mixed-effects linear model was used. The results were qualitatively compared with those obtained from 2 adolescents with epilepsy and 17 healthy adults.<BR>Slow waves were associated with hemodynamic-signal decreases in bilateral somatomotor areas. Such changes extended more posteriorly relative to those in adults. Moreover, the involvement of areas belonging to the default mode network changes as a function of age. No significant hemodynamic responses were observed in subcortical structures. However, we identified a significant correlation between age and thalamic hemodynamic changes.<BR>Present findings indicate that the somatomotor cortex may have a key role in slow-wave expression throughout the lifespan. At the same time, they are consistent with a posterior-to-anterior shift in slow-wave distribution mirroring brain maturational changes. Finally, our results suggest that slow-wave changes may not reflect only neocortical modifications but also the maturation of subcortical structures, including the thalamus.