Cortical processing of respiratory afferent stimuli during sleep in children with the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

Study Objectives: Children with the obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) have blunted upper airway responses to negative pressure, but the underlying cause remains unknown. Cortical processing of respiratory afferent information can be tested by measuring respiratory-related evoked potentials (RREPs). We hypothesized that children with OSAS have blunted RREP responses compared to normal children during sleep.