# Project 1: The impact of sleep dysregulations on Autism Spectrum Disorder

> **NIH NIH P50** · STANFORD UNIVERSITY · 2023 · $393,944

## Abstract

The impact of sleep dysregulation on Autism Spectrum Disorder: Abstract
As many as 80% of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) experience sleep disruptions. These
are among the most burdensome symptoms reported by parents of children with ASD. Insufficient
subjective sleep quality is associated with exacerbated severity of core ASD symptoms, including
repetitive behaviors, social and communication difficulties. However, the few objective sleep PSG
studies have not found significant effects. This likely reflects the small number of studies that utilized
PSG as an objective sleep measure, small sample sizes, or assessment in a laboratory setting rather
than in the child's home environment. Our own investigation of a larger sample using sleep PSG in
ASD subjects, in their home, found an increased SWS ratio in ASD and a lower REM sleep ratio
compared to typically developing (TD) children and adolescents. To address the critical question of
whether dysregulated sleep is central to the development and symptoms of ASD, we will test for
differences in sleep fragmentation (actigraphy), sleep architecture (PSG) and daytime, awake, resting
state EEG, in 150 individuals with ASD and 75 age and sex-matched TD controls, age 4-17. We will
examine if any observed sleep dysregulation is associated with the core symptoms, repetitive
behaviors, and cognitive function of ASD. We will also examine if sleep impairments are associated
with dysregulated daytime, resting state EEG in ASD compared to TD. In collaboration with Project 2,
we will examine if target engagement-induced normalization of sleep positively impacts these
symptoms. In collaboration with Projects 3 and 4, we will examine if the hypothesized impairments in
sleep fragmentation, sleep architecture and daytime awake, resting state EEG in ASD will be
recapitulated in our animal experiments of sleep in genetic models of ASD and if normalization of sleep
fragmentation, sleep architecture and daytime awake, resting EEG in our animal models of ASD will be
associated with improved social communication and cognition, and reduced repetitive behaviors in
these animal models. If we demonstrate that sleep fragmentation is responsible for the development of
some ASD traits and sleep normalization alleviates them, we will have demonstrated the potential
causality and importance of sleep in ASD.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10698070
- **Project number:** 5P50HD109861-02
- **Recipient organization:** STANFORD UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Ruth M O'Hara
- **Activity code:** P50 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2023
- **Award amount:** $393,944
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-06 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10698070

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10698070, Project 1: The impact of sleep dysregulations on Autism Spectrum Disorder (5P50HD109861-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-21 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10698070. Licensed CC0.

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