Hypnagogic behavior disorder: complex motor behaviors during wake-sleep transitions in 2 young children.
Juan A Pareja, María Luz Cuadrado, Irene García-Morales, Antonio Gil-Nagel, Oriol Franch
Journal of child neurology August 1, 2008 DOI: 10.1177/0883073808314964 (opens in new tab) via PubMed
Summary
AI-generated from the abstractA distinctive behavioral disorder occurring during wake-sleep transitions has been identified in two young boys. The episodes, lasting from seconds to two hours, involved irregular body movements that were gentle or violent but never caused the children to get out of bed. The episodes were associated with poor reactivity and amnesia. EEG recordings showed wake-state features with brief bursts of hypnagogic hypersynchrony and no seizure activity. The authors propose that the clinical profile does not fit known parasomnias and may represent a new category of parasomnia.
Study at a glance
| Characteristics | Case study Case report Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 2 |
| Population | Young children (two boys, aged 1 year and several months at onset) |
| Duration | 1 year |
| Key finding | Identifies a behavioral disorder during wake-sleep transitions in early childhood with a wake EEG pattern that does not fit known parasomnias, suggesting a new category of parasomnia. |
Abstract
A nondescribed behavioral disorder was observed during wake-sleep transitions in 2 young children. Two boys had episodes of abnormal behavior in hypnagogic-and occasionally hypnopompic-periods for 1 year from the time they were 1 year and several months old. The episodes consisted of irregular body movements, which could be either gentle or violent but never made the children get out of bed. They lasted from a few seconds to 2 hours and were associated with poor reactivity and amnesia of the events. Electroencephalography (EEG) recordings showed wake-state features, with brief bursts of hypnagogic hypersynchrony, and did not display seizure activity. A distinctive behavior disorder occurring during wake-sleep transitions with a wake EEG pattern has been identified in very early childhood. The clinical profile does not fit any of the known parasomnias and might belong to a new category of parasomnia.