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. 2005 May;28(5):637-43.
doi: 10.1093/sleep/28.5.637.

Sleep EEG evidence of sex differences in adolescent brain maturation

Ian G Campbell  1 , Nato Darchia, Wong Y Khaw, Lisa M Higgins, Irwin Feinberg
Affiliations

Sleep EEG evidence of sex differences in adolescent brain maturation

Ian G Campbell et al. Sleep. 2005 May.

Abstract

Study objectives: The steep decline in slow-wave (delta) electroencephalogram (EEG) intensity across adolescence is a prominent feature of late brain maturation. As a first step in determining whether the adolescent delta decline is similar in both sexes, we compared cross-sectional sleep EEG data from 9- and 12-year-old boys and girls.

Design: All-night EEG recordings, 6 months apart, were conducted on each subject.

Setting: EEG was recorded in the subjects' homes.

Participants: Thirty-two 9-year-olds and 38 12-year-olds are enrolled in a 4-year longitudinal study of adolescent sleep. There are equal numbers of each sex in both age cohorts.

Interventions: N/A.

Measurements: Using ambulatory recorders, EEG was recorded in the subjects' homes on their normal sleep schedule. For each of the 2 semi-annual recording periods, data from the 10 subjects from each age-sex group with the cleanest (fewest artifacts) signals were selected for crosssectional comparisons of visual scoring and EEG variables. All artifact-free 20-second non-rapid eye movement epochs were analyzed with power spectral and period-amplitude analysis.

Results: In the 12-year-old cohort, delta power per minute was 37% higher in boys than girls. The 9-year-old cohort showed no sex difference. A second recording 6 months later produced similar results.

Conclusion: These cross-sectional data indicate that girls begin the steep adolescent decline in slow-wave EEG earlier than boys. We hypothesize that this reflects an earlier onset of adolescent synaptic pruning in females.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure Statement

This was not an industry supported study. Drs. Campbell, Darchia, Khaw, Higgins, and Feinberg have indicated no financial conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
For (A) the first recording period and (B) the second recording 6 months later, mean delta (0.3 – 3 Hz) power density (± SEM) is compared between boys and girls in the 9- and 12-year-old cohorts. In both recording periods, girls in the 12-year-old cohort had significantly (*) lower delta power density than boys in the 12-year-old cohort or girls in the 9-year-old cohort. Within the 9-year-old cohort, delta power density did not differ between boys and girls in either recording period.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Sex effects on mean delta wave amplitude and incidence in the (A) 9-year-old cohort and (B) the 12-year-old cohort. Within the 9-year-old cohort, neither delta-wave amplitude nor incidence differed between boys and girls. Within the 12-year-old cohort, boys had significantly (*) higher delta-wave amplitude than girls, but incidence was the same for both sexes. Data shown are for the first recording period.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Sex effects on power density in electroencephalogram subfrequencies within the delta range. Within the 12-year-old cohort, girls had significantly (*) lower power density than boys in the 0.3 to 1 Hz and 1 to 2 Hz bands but not in the 2 to 3 Hz and 3 to 4 Hz bands. Within the 9-year-old cohort, no significant sex differences were seen in any frequency band.
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