Age-related changes in large muscle group movements during sleep
Maria P. Mogavero
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
Contribution: Conceptualization, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing, Investigation, Methodology
Search for more papers by this authorPatrizia Congiu
Sleep Disorder Research Center, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Contribution: Investigation, Writing - review & editing
Search for more papers by this authorGiuseppe Lanza
Clinical Neurophysiology Research Unit and Sleep Research Centre, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Troina, Italy
Department of Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialties, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Contribution: Writing - review & editing, Writing - original draft
Search for more papers by this authorLuigi Ferini Strambi
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
Contribution: Writing - review & editing
Search for more papers by this authorSara Marelli
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
Contribution: Writing - review & editing
Search for more papers by this authorAlessandra Castelnuovo
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
Contribution: Writing - review & editing
Search for more papers by this authorMonica Puligheddu
Sleep Disorder Research Center, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Contribution: Writing - review & editing
Search for more papers by this authorOliviero Bruni
Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
Contribution: Writing - review & editing
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Raffaele Ferri
Clinical Neurophysiology Research Unit and Sleep Research Centre, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Troina, Italy
Correspondence
Raffaele Ferri, Sleep Research Centre, Department of Neurology I.C., Oasi Institute (IRCCS), Troina, Italy.
Email: [email protected]
Contribution: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing, Supervision, Methodology, Funding acquisition
Search for more papers by this authorMaria P. Mogavero
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
Contribution: Conceptualization, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing, Investigation, Methodology
Search for more papers by this authorPatrizia Congiu
Sleep Disorder Research Center, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Contribution: Investigation, Writing - review & editing
Search for more papers by this authorGiuseppe Lanza
Clinical Neurophysiology Research Unit and Sleep Research Centre, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Troina, Italy
Department of Surgery and Medical-Surgical Specialties, University of Catania, Catania, Italy
Contribution: Writing - review & editing, Writing - original draft
Search for more papers by this authorLuigi Ferini Strambi
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
Contribution: Writing - review & editing
Search for more papers by this authorSara Marelli
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
Contribution: Writing - review & editing
Search for more papers by this authorAlessandra Castelnuovo
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Milan, Italy
Sleep Disorders Center, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, Milan, Italy
Contribution: Writing - review & editing
Search for more papers by this authorMonica Puligheddu
Sleep Disorder Research Center, Department of Medical Sciences and Public Health, University of Cagliari, Cagliari, Italy
Contribution: Writing - review & editing
Search for more papers by this authorOliviero Bruni
Department of Social and Developmental Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy
Contribution: Writing - review & editing
Search for more papers by this authorCorresponding Author
Raffaele Ferri
Clinical Neurophysiology Research Unit and Sleep Research Centre, Oasi Research Institute-IRCCS, Troina, Italy
Correspondence
Raffaele Ferri, Sleep Research Centre, Department of Neurology I.C., Oasi Institute (IRCCS), Troina, Italy.
Email: [email protected]
Contribution: Conceptualization, Data curation, Formal analysis, Writing - original draft, Writing - review & editing, Supervision, Methodology, Funding acquisition
Search for more papers by this authorSummary
This study aims to investigate large muscle group movements (LMM) during sleep across the lifespan, from school-aged children to older adults, and to examine their relationship with sleep architecture (REM and NREM). A total of 141 healthy participants were included, divided into five age groups: school-aged children (n = 43), adolescents (n = 31), young adults (n = 27), adults (n = 16), and older adults (n = 24). Polysomnography (PSG) was used to record sleep data and LMM, along with LMM associated with arousals (LMMA) and awakenings (LMMW), were scored according to recently established criteria. The LMM indices and durations were analysed for each group, and statistical comparisons were made between age groups and across REM and NREM sleep. LMM indices significantly increased with age, with older adults exhibiting the highest frequency of LMM, LMMA, and LMMW. The LMM duration was longer in younger participants and shorter in older adults. Significant differences in LMM patterns between REM and NREM sleep were observed, particularly in adults and older adults, where LMM and LMMA were more prevalent in REM sleep. No significant sex differences were found across age groups. LMM during sleep showed clear age-related trends, increasing in frequency and decreasing in duration with advancing age. These movements are more prevalent during REM sleep in older adults, reflecting age-related sleep fragmentation and instability. The findings provide important normative data for LMM across the lifespan and demonstrate that sleep-related motor activity is closely linked to changes in sleep architecture.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST STATEMENT
The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.
Open Research
DATA AVAILABILITY STATEMENT
The datasets generated and analysed during the current study are not publicly available due to privacy concerns but deidentified data are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.
Supporting Information
| Filename | Description |
|---|---|
| jsr14447-sup-0001-TableS1.docxWord 2007 document , 19.9 KB | Table S1. Comparison between sleep architecture and leg movement parameters found in the different age groups. |
Please note: The publisher is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting information supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing content) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.
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