Sleep fragmentation and evidence for sleep debt in alcohol-exposed infants.
BACKGROUND
Infants exposed prenatally to alcohol are at increased risk for poor neurodevelopmental outcome including Sudden Infant Death Syndrome.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the relationship between prenatal alcohol exposure, sleep, arousal and sleep-related spontaneous motor movements in early infancy.


METHODS
Low-income women (N=13) were interviewed regarding pre- and pregnancy rates of alcohol, cigarette smoking and other substance use in the perinatal period. Infants were examined in a laboratory nap study using EEG, videography and actigraphy at 6-8 weeks of age. Estimates of maternal pre- and pregnancy alcohol use were used to divide infants into high vs. low maternal alcohol use groups.


METHODS
Mother-infant dyads recruited from a family practice clinic.


METHODS
Sleep-related spontaneous movements, behavioral state, and maternal assessments of infant alertness and irritability.


RESULTS
Pre-pregnancy rates of alcohol consumption including binge drinking correlated with maternal report of poor infant alertness, and increased irritability. High maternal exposure groups showed increased sleep fragmentation, e.g., frequency and duration of wakefulness following sleep onset and decreased active sleep. Bout analysis of the temporal structure of sleep-related spontaneous movements showed significantly reduced bout duration associated with high maternal alcohol use.


CONCLUSIONS
These results present evidence that prenatal alcohol exposure disrupts postnatal sleep organization and suppresses spontaneous movements during sleep, and increased sleep fragmentation promotes sleep deprivation. Results are consistent with the SIDS model of chronic sleep debt and suggest that attenuated sleep-related movements should be examined as an important modulator of cardiorespiratory functions during sleep in high-risk groups.
Troese
Marcia
M
Department of Psychology, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA.
Fukumizu
Michio
M
Sallinen
Bethany J
BJ
Gilles
Allyson A
AA
Wellman
Joseph D
JD
Paul
Jonathan A
JA
Brown
Eric R
ER
Hayes
Marie J
MJ
D000328:Adult; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000009:adverse effects*; D000431:Ethanol / Q000506:poisoning*; D005260:Female; D005323:Fetal Monitoring; D005324:Fetal Movement / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D018811:Maternal Exposure / Q000009:adverse effects; D010349:Patient Compliance; D011247:Pregnancy; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012309:Risk-Taking; D012890:Sleep / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D012892:Sleep Deprivation / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology
D000431:Ethanol