Sleep and Psychosocial Characteristics of Children with Narcolepsy According to Their Intellectual Profile: A Case–Control Study

Marine Thieux (1, 2) , Min Zhang (1) , Agathe Marcastel (2) , Alice Poitrinal (2) , Fanny Vassias (1) , Aurore Guyon (2) , Olivier Revol (3) , Stephanie Mazza (4) , Anne Guignard-Perret (2) , Patricia Franco (1, 2)

1 CRNL - Centre de recherche en neurosciences de Lyon - Lyon Neuroscience Research Center
2 Département d'épileptologie clinique pédiatrique [HCL-HFME, Lyon]
3 Département de Psychopathologie du développement [HCL-HFME, Lyon]
4 RESHAPE - Inserm U1290 - UCBL1 - Research on Healthcare Performance

Adequate intellectual abilities are a protective factor for psychosocial adjustments in chronic disorders. The main objective of this study was to assess the cognitive abilities, sleep, and psychosocial characteristics of children with narcolepsy compared to controls, according to their intellectual profile. Children underwent a polysomnography, completed an intellectual ability assessment, and filled out standardized questionnaires. The group with an intelligence quotient (IQ) in the area of high intellectual potential (high IQ, HIQ) consisted of 25 children with narcolepsy (HIQ-N, 40% boys, median age 11.5 years, 48% with obesity, 60% under treatment) and 25 controls (HIQ-C, 68% boys, median age 11.7 years). Compared to HIQ-C, HIQ-N had a lower perceptual reasoning index and fewer conduct disorders. The group with an IQ in the normal range (NIQ) consisted of 22 children with narcolepsy (NIQ-N, 55% boys, median age 12.1 years, 59% with obesity, 64% under treatment) and 21 controls (NIQ-C, 68% boys, median age 10 years). NIQ-N presented the same intellectual profile as NIQ-C but reported more school difficulties. In children with HIQ, those with narcolepsy appear to have a different cognitive profile than controls. NIQ seems to predict a greater impact of narcolepsy on daily-life functioning.

Mots clés: Cognition; Sleepiness; Polysomnography; Intellectual quotient

Domaines: Sciences du Vivant [q-bio]

Marine Thieux, Min Zhang, Agathe Marcastel, Alice Poitrinal, Fanny Vassias, et al.. Sleep and Psychosocial Characteristics of Children with Narcolepsy According to Their Intellectual Profile: A Case–Control Study. Journal of Clinical Medicine, 2022, 11 (16), pp.4681. ⟨10.3390/jcm11164681⟩. ⟨hal-03897684⟩