Assessment of Cognitive Function with Sleep Spindle Characteristics in Adults with Epilepsy.

Objective: Epilepsy may cause chronic cognitive impairment by disturbing sleep plasticity. Sleep spindles play a crucial role in sleep maintenance and brain plasticity. This study explored the relationship between cognition and spindle characteristics in adult epilepsy. Methods: Participants underwent one-night sleep electroencephalogram recording and neuropsychological tests on the same day. Spindle characteristics during N2 sleep were extracted using a learning-based system for sleep staging and an automated spindle detection algorithm. We investigated the difference between cognitive subgroups in spindle characteristics. Multiple linear regressions were applied to analyze associations between cognition and spindle characteristics. Results: Compared with no/mild cognitive impairment, epilepsy patients who developed severe cognitive impairment had lower sleep spindle density, the differences mainly distributed in central, occipital, parietal, middle temporal, and posterior temporal (P < 0.05), and had relatively long spindle duration in occipital and posterior temporal (P < 0.05). Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) was associated with spindle density (pars triangularis of the inferior frontal gyrus (IFGtri): ß = 0.253, P = 0.015, and P.adjust = 0.074) and spindle duration (IFGtri: ß = -0.262, P = 0.004, and P.adjust = 0.030). Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was associated with spindle duration (IFGtri: ß = -0.246, P = 0.010, and P.adjust = 0.055). Executive Index Score (MoCA-EIS) was associated with spindle density (IFGtri: ß = 0.238, P = 0.019, and P.adjust = 0.087; parietal: ß = 0.227, P = 0.017, and P.adjust = 0.082) and spindle duration (parietal: ß = -0.230, P = 0.013, and P.adjust = 0.065). Attention Index Score (MoCA-AIS) was associated with spindle duration (IFGtri: ß = -0.233, P = 0.017, and P.adjust = 0.081). Conclusions: The findings suggested that the altered spindle activity in epilepsy with severe cognitive impairment, the associations between the global cognitive status of adult epilepsy and spindle characteristics, and specific cognitive domains may relate to spindle characteristics in particular brain regions.

Differences in the topographical distribution of sleep spindles among adult epilepsy with cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVE: Cognitive comorbidities are common in epilepsy; however, symptomatic treatment is currently the only available effective therapy. Sleep, cognition, and epilepsy are closely associated. Therefore, many studies on epilepsy and cognition have focused on sleep structures, such as sleep spindles, which are considered windows to understanding the sleeping brain. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between sleep spindles and the severity of cognitive impairment in adult epilepsy. METHODS: Fifty-seven adults with epilepsy underwent overnight sleep electroencephalogram recordings and cognitive testing. Slow (9-12 Hz) and fast (12-15 Hz) spindle characteristics during N2 sleep were calculated using a convolutional neural network-based sleep staging system and automatic spindle detection algorithm. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to analyze differences in fast and slow spindle densities among subgroups of patients based on cognitive impairment severity. RESULTS: A significant between-group effect was observed for both slow and fast spindle densities. Multiple comparisons showed that slow and fast spindle densities of the severe cognitive impairment subgroup were lower than those of the noncognitive impairment subgroup (P < 0.05). Simple-effect analysis revealed differences in slow spindle density distributed among the EEG channels Fp1, Fp2, F3, C3, P4, O1, O2, F8, T4, T5, T6, Fz, and Cz (P < 0.05). Differences in fast spindle density were distributed among the channels Fp1, Fp2, F3, C3, O1, O2, F7, F8, T4, T5, T6, and Fz (P < 0.05). SIGNIFICANCE: Significant differences in topographical distribution of fast and slow spindle densities were observed at the scalp level among patients with different cognitive statuses. Compared with patients with no cognitive impairment, those with severe cognitive impairment had lower slow and fast spindle densities over multiple scalp regions during N2 sleep. This study provides a reference for objective assessment of cognitive dysfunction in epilepsy patients.