Sleep disturbances may play a critical role in recovery after pediatric brain injury, according to a new multisite study of 573 children. Researchers compared 191 children with mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) to two control groups: typically developing children and those with orthopaedic injuries.
Children with mTBI were more likely to develop new clinical sleep problems-15.2% versus 11.5% and 9.9% in the control groups. Chronic sleep disturbances affected 21.5% of the mTBI group, compared to 13.1% in controls. Total sleep scores were significantly higher in the mTBI group, closely tied to increased behavioral symptoms.
Despite no significant links to cognition or white matter changes, cortical thickness and volume were reduced in the mTBI group. Findings suggest sleep management should be a core part of pediatric brain injury recovery, with early screening recommended for better long-term outcomes.