Article

Acquired brain injuries (ABI) such as traumatic brain injury (TBI)
or stroke can result in motor, language, or cognitive impairments. Although a
considerable number of studies have investigated functional recovery, underlying
brain reorganization remains poorly understood.
Accumulating evidence indicates
that plastic processes in the brain are linked to changes in
electroencephalographic (EEG) slow wave activity (SWA)
during deep sleep (EEG
spectral power 1-4.5 Hz). OBJECTIVE: We investigated sleep SWA in children and
adolescents with ABI. METHODS: We used high-density EEG (128 electrodes) to
record sleep in 22 young patients with ABI (age range = 4-16 years). We compared
patients to 52 previously measured typically developing children and adolescents
(age range = 4-16 years). RESULTS: The pattern of alterations in SWA differed
between particular patient groups. In patients with bilateral stroke, SWA was
globally reduced across the entire scalp. Patients with unilateral stroke showed
a local reduction in SWA over lesion areas and an increase over perilesional and
contralateral brain areas. In patients with severe TBI,
we found a reduction in
SWA over the midline and an increase over lateral brain areas. We found no
consistent pattern in patients with mild to moderate TBI. CONCLUSIONS: Sleep SWA
seems to be a sensitive measure to assess individual alterations in neural activity after ABI. Deviations from age norms might indirectly indicate plastic
processes that have occurred since injury. Improving our understanding of neural
activity after ABI could optimize clinical prognosis and guide the development of
novel therapeutic interventions.

Langue : ANGLAIS