Sleep problems and recall memory in children with Down syndrome and typically developing controls.
Angela F Lukowski, Emily M Slonecker, Helen M Milojevich
PMID 31743853WHAT IT FOUND
For children with Down syndrome, more reported sleep problems linked to greater forgetting of actions and their order.
This link was not found in typically developing children. The study was small, so treat these findings as preliminary rather than proof that sleep causes memory loss.
Key findings
01Children with Down syndrome showed increased forgetting of individual actions and their temporal order as parent-reported sleep problems increased, a pattern not seen in typically developing children.
02Parent-reported sleep problems were not significantly different between children with Down syndrome and typically developing children in this sample, contrary to the study's prediction.
03Sleep problems were not associated with encoding or delayed recall performance in either group.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
The sample size was very small (10 children per group), which reduces the reliability of the findings and may explain why expected differences in sleep problems were not found. Sleep problems were assessed only by parent report, which can miss quiet night wakings and does not provide objective data on sleep architecture. The study design was correlational, so it cannot prove that sleep problems cause memory deficits; other factors may influence both. The groups were matched on developmental age rather than chronological age, which may have influenced the sleep problem scores.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that treating sleep problems will improve memory in children with Down syndrome. This study found an association between reported sleep issues and forgetting, but it did not test whether improving sleep leads to better memory outcomes.