0241 N3 Slow Wave Duration Correlates with Next-Day Savoring Behavior in Pre-pubertal Children

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Recent meta-analysis (Tomaso et al., 2020) indicates sleep loss to have more profound adverse effects on positive than negative emotion, and experimental studies in adults suggest disruption of slow wave sleep (SWS) in particular mediates these effects (Finan et al., 2015; 2017). In pre-pubertal children, greater SWS has been shown to protect against next day negative affect (Palmer & Alfano, 2017) as well as the development of depression years later (Silk et al., 2007); however specific emotion-based mechanisms underlying these effects have rarely been explored. Pre-pubertal years especially represent a critical developmental window for probing these relationships due to dramatic decreases in SWS that occur during pubertal transition (Carskadon & Dement, 2011). Methods We detected slow waves (0.5 – 4 Hz) during N3 sleep using an automated algorithm among N=18 pre-pubertal children (7-11 years) during a night of normal sleep in relation to next-day savoring; a positive emotion regulation strategy that includes using thoughts and actions to increase the intensity, duration, and appreciation of positive experiences and emotions. Healthy children without any psychiatric disorders completed a night of at-home PSG monitoring (10 hr sleep opportunity). The next morning at 11:00, children returned to the clinic for an in-lab emotional assessment. Before and during the assessment, children were told/reminded that they would be given a piece of chocolate to enjoy at the end of the assessment. After children consumed the chocolate, they were asked several questions about how much they ‘savored’ the experience. All analyses controlled for total sleep time on the PSG night and there were no differences in SWA based on gender. Results Results indicated that the average duration of detected N3 SWs (F3/F4) correlated significantly with the extent to which children enjoyed the chocolate overall (r =.50, p <.05), felt they did a good job enjoying the chocolate while eating it (r =.44-.49, p <.05) and looked forward to eating the chocolate during the assessment (r =.46-.50, p <.05). Conclusion Although preliminary, these novel findings suggest that greater intensity of SWS may have a modulatory effect on subsequent emotional responses to positive experiences/events, which could be protective for longer term affective health. Support (If Any)