Disturbance of circadian rhythms in severely brain-damaged patients correlated with CT findings

Abstract

Twelve patients aged 3-14 years with severe brain damage of prenatal, perinatal or postnatal origin were studied for 2-4 days regarding the circadian rhythms of sleep and wakefulness, body temperature and blood cortisol levels. Six patients had developed a disorder in the circadian rhythm of sleep and wakefulness. The circadian rhythm of body temperature was maintained in 11 of the patients and was little disturbed compared to those of sleep and wakefulness and cortisol levels. The three overt rhythms of circadian activity were not necessarily disturbed simultaneously, which does not contradict the multiple oscillatory theory of the human time-keeping system. CT findings suggested that the brain-stem plays a more important role than the cerebral hemispheres in the regulation of human circadian rhythms.