Ricerc@Sapienza

Background: Sleep disturbances, in particular insomnia, represent a common problem in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs). Currently, there are no approved medications for insomnia in children by the US Food and Drug Administration or European Medicines Agency and therefore they are prescribed off-label. We critically reviewed pediatric literature on drugs as well as nonpharmacological (behavioral) interventions used for sleep disturbances in children with NDDs.

Introduction: Sleep disturbances are highly prevalent in children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Without appropriate treatment, sleep disorders can become chronic and last for many years. However, there are no sleep medications approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration and only one has been approved by the European Medicines Agency for pediatric insomnia; thus, most medications are prescribed off-label.

Sleep has a crucial role in memory processes, and maturational changes in sleep electrophysiology
are involved in cognitive development. Albeit both sleep and memory alterations have
been observed in Developmental Dyslexia (DD), their relation in this population has been scarcely
investigated, particularly concerning topographical aspects. The study aimed to compare sleep
topography and associated sleep-related declarative memory consolidation in participants with DD

Helsmoortel-Van der Aa syndrome (HVDAS) is a neurodevelopmental condition associated with intellectual disability/developmental delay, autism spectrum disorder, and multiple medical comorbidities. HVDAS is caused by mutations in activity-dependent neuroprotective protein (ADNP). A recent study identified genome-wide DNA methylation changes in 22 individuals with HVDAS, adding to the group of neurodevelopmental disorders with an epigenetic signature. This methylation signature segregated those with HVDAS into two groups based on the location of the mutations.