The role of circadian rhythms and sleep in the aetiology of autism spectrum disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: New evidence from bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis.
Xiaotian Dai, Gareth J Williams, John A Groeger and 5 others
PMID 38869021WHAT IT FOUND
Genetic liability to a later peak of daily activity was linked to higher odds of ASD and ADHD.
ADHD was also potentially linked to more night-time sleep episodes. This is genetic evidence about diagnosis risk, not proof that changing sleep treats either condition.
Key findings
01Genetically predicted M10 timing, the timing of the most active 10 hours, was linked to higher odds of ASD and ADHD.
02Genetically predicted sleep efficiency was linked to lower odds of ASD, but it did not pass the adjusted significance threshold.
03Genetic liability to ADHD was linked to more nocturnal sleep episodes, but it did not pass the adjusted significance threshold.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for SLPs
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What it does not show
The genetic analyses were limited to people of European ancestry, so they may not apply to patients of other ancestries. The study could not examine differences by sex because sex-stratified genetic data were not available. The results reflect lifelong genetic effects, not what would happen if sleep or circadian patterns were changed at a specific age. The ASD outcome used 564 cases, and the confidence interval for the ASD activity-timing estimate was very wide. Some associations, including sleep efficiency with ASD and ADHD with more sleep episodes, did not pass the stricter multiple-testing adjustment. The M10 activity measure may not fully capture circadian misalignment.
Declared interests
The paper reports no financial support for the research, authorship, or publication.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that treating sleep problems will reduce ASD or ADHD symptoms. The study used genetic variants linked to lifelong circadian and sleep patterns, not a sleep treatment. Several links were only potential after adjustment.