Determinants of sleep disturbances in Rett syndrome: Novel findings in relation to genotype

Rett syndrome is a rare but severe neurological disorder associated with a mutation in the methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene. Sleep problems and epilepsy are two of many comorbidities associated with this disorder. This study investigated the prevalence and determinants of sleep problems in...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Boban, S., Wong, K., Epstein, A., Anderson, B., Murphy, N., Downs, Jennepher, Leonard, H.
Format: Journal Article
Published: John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2016
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/29045
_version_ 1848752698116014080
author Boban, S.
Wong, K.
Epstein, A.
Anderson, B.
Murphy, N.
Downs, Jennepher
Leonard, H.
author_facet Boban, S.
Wong, K.
Epstein, A.
Anderson, B.
Murphy, N.
Downs, Jennepher
Leonard, H.
author_sort Boban, S.
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Rett syndrome is a rare but severe neurological disorder associated with a mutation in the methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene. Sleep problems and epilepsy are two of many comorbidities associated with this disorder. This study investigated the prevalence and determinants of sleep problems in Rett syndrome using an international sample. Families with a child with a confirmed Rett syndrome diagnosis and a MECP2 mutation registered in the International Rett Syndrome Phenotype Database (InterRett) were invited to participate. Questionnaires were returned by 364/461 (78.9%) either in web-based or paper format. Families completed the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children and provided information on the presence, nature, and frequency of their child's sleep problems. Multivariate multinomial regression was used to investigate the relationships between selected sleep problems, age group, and genotype and linear regression for the relationships between sleep disturbance scales and a range of covariates. Night waking was the most prevalent sleep problem affecting over 80% with nearly half (48.3%) currently waking often at night. Initiating and maintaining sleep was most disturbed for younger children and those with a p.Arg294* mutation. Severe seizure activity was associated with poor sleep after adjusting for age group, mutation type, and mobility. We were surprised to find associations between the p.Arg294* mutation and some sleep disturbances given that other aspects of its phenotype are milder. These findings highlight the complexities of aberrant MECP2 function in Rett syndrome and explain some of the variation in manifestation of sleep disturbances.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T08:12:45Z
format Journal Article
id curtin-20.500.11937-29045
institution Curtin University Malaysia
institution_category Local University
last_indexed 2025-11-14T08:12:45Z
publishDate 2016
publisher John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
recordtype eprints
repository_type Digital Repository
spelling curtin-20.500.11937-290452017-09-13T15:24:21Z Determinants of sleep disturbances in Rett syndrome: Novel findings in relation to genotype Boban, S. Wong, K. Epstein, A. Anderson, B. Murphy, N. Downs, Jennepher Leonard, H. Rett syndrome is a rare but severe neurological disorder associated with a mutation in the methyl CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2) gene. Sleep problems and epilepsy are two of many comorbidities associated with this disorder. This study investigated the prevalence and determinants of sleep problems in Rett syndrome using an international sample. Families with a child with a confirmed Rett syndrome diagnosis and a MECP2 mutation registered in the International Rett Syndrome Phenotype Database (InterRett) were invited to participate. Questionnaires were returned by 364/461 (78.9%) either in web-based or paper format. Families completed the Sleep Disturbance Scale for Children and provided information on the presence, nature, and frequency of their child's sleep problems. Multivariate multinomial regression was used to investigate the relationships between selected sleep problems, age group, and genotype and linear regression for the relationships between sleep disturbance scales and a range of covariates. Night waking was the most prevalent sleep problem affecting over 80% with nearly half (48.3%) currently waking often at night. Initiating and maintaining sleep was most disturbed for younger children and those with a p.Arg294* mutation. Severe seizure activity was associated with poor sleep after adjusting for age group, mutation type, and mobility. We were surprised to find associations between the p.Arg294* mutation and some sleep disturbances given that other aspects of its phenotype are milder. These findings highlight the complexities of aberrant MECP2 function in Rett syndrome and explain some of the variation in manifestation of sleep disturbances. 2016 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/29045 10.1002/ajmg.a.37784 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. restricted
spellingShingle Boban, S.
Wong, K.
Epstein, A.
Anderson, B.
Murphy, N.
Downs, Jennepher
Leonard, H.
Determinants of sleep disturbances in Rett syndrome: Novel findings in relation to genotype
title Determinants of sleep disturbances in Rett syndrome: Novel findings in relation to genotype
title_full Determinants of sleep disturbances in Rett syndrome: Novel findings in relation to genotype
title_fullStr Determinants of sleep disturbances in Rett syndrome: Novel findings in relation to genotype
title_full_unstemmed Determinants of sleep disturbances in Rett syndrome: Novel findings in relation to genotype
title_short Determinants of sleep disturbances in Rett syndrome: Novel findings in relation to genotype
title_sort determinants of sleep disturbances in rett syndrome: novel findings in relation to genotype
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/29045