Sleep Laboratory & Clinic, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Hôpital en santé mentale Rivière-des-Prairies, Montréal, Canada.
Sleep Laboratory & Clinic, CIUSSS du Nord-de-l'Île-de-Montréal, Hôpital en santé mentale Rivière-des-Prairies, Montréal, Canada; Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montréal, Canada.
Int J Psychophysiol. 2018 Dec;134:15-21. doi: 10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2018.10.004. Epub 2018 Oct 9.
Studies suggest a sympathetic-parasympathetic disequilibrium in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), compared to typically developing (TD) children. The autonomic nervous system (ANS) shows profound modification with age but studies in ASD adults are lacking. The ANS is also influenced by vigilance states such as wakefulness and sleep. The aim of this study is to explore differences in ANS activity in typically developing (TD) and ASD individuals during sleep and wakefulness, as a function of age.
Four groups of participants (17 adults with ASD, 16 TD adults, 13 children with ASD and 13 TD children) were recorded for two consecutive nights in a sleep laboratory. Electrocardiogram (ECG) was sampled during wakefulness (before and after sleep) and during stage N2 and REM sleep. Groups were compared on their heart rate variability parameters (LFnu, HFnu, LF/HF ratio) in each vigilance state.
Results show that ASD adults had lower HFnu in the morning than TD adults (p < 0.05). During REM sleep, adults had higher LF/HF ratio than children, regardless of their clinical status (p < 0.05).
Results of this study show autonomic distinctiveness during wakefulness specifically in ASD adults, suggesting a lower parasympathetic activity in the morning. Whether this characteristic represents a developmental feature or is related to lower sleep quality remains to be clarified.
与典型发育（TD）儿童相比，自闭症谱系障碍（ASD）儿童的交感-副交感神经失衡。自主神经系统（ANS）随年龄而发生深刻变化，但 ASD 成人的研究尚缺乏。ANS 还受到警觉状态（如清醒和睡眠）的影响。本研究旨在探索 TD 和 ASD 个体在睡眠和觉醒期间，随年龄变化时，ANS 活动的差异。
四组参与者（17 名 ASD 成人、16 名 TD 成人、13 名 ASD 儿童和 13 名 TD 儿童）在睡眠实验室连续记录了两个晚上。在觉醒期间（睡眠前后）和 N2 期及 REM 睡眠期间记录心电图（ECG）。在每个警觉状态下，比较各组心率变异性参数（LFnu、HFnu、LF/HF 比）。
结果显示，ASD 成人早晨的 HFnu 低于 TD 成人（p < 0.05）。在 REM 睡眠期间，无论其临床状况如何，成人的 LF/HF 比值均高于儿童（p < 0.05）。
本研究结果显示，ASD 成人在觉醒期间存在自主神经的独特性，提示早晨副交感神经活动较低。这种特征是否代表发育特征，还是与睡眠质量较低有关，仍有待阐明。
