New study on sleep, looking for kids with early puberty

Dr. Natalie Shaw, a Pediatric Endrocrinologist in Boston, is about to start a new research study looking at sleep architecture (i.e., percent of sleeping spent in deep sleep vs. in REM sleep) in children with precocious puberty.  A number of investigators have shown that there is a dramatic decline in slow-wave (deep) sleep that occurs across adolescence and that the decline occurs earlier in girls than in boys (as does puberty), suggesting that sex steroids may be responsible.  To answer this question, Dr. Shaw will enroll kids with CPP in a study which involves two investigations, one at the time of diagnosis, and a second after at least 6 months of treatment for the CPP.  She will then compare their sleep patterns to similar kids who do not have CPP and do a comparison (pre/post treatment).  Dr. Shaw is very interested to see if exposure to sex steroids affect sleep and if so, if the effects are reversible.  If they are not, she would look into what this means for the children's health.

Deep sleep is known to be important in terms of refreshing a child and preparing them for learning the next day.  (For a not-too-technical discussion, click here.)

If you are interested in enrolling your child, or know anyone else who might be interested in doing so, please pass on the information.  Here is the official notice:

The Reproductive Endocrine Unit at the Massachusetts General Hospital seeks healthy girls (4-8 years old) and boys (4-9 years old) who have started puberty (known as precocious puberty), who have not yet begun treatment and who do not have a sleep disorder.  The purpose of the study is to determine the effect of reproductive hormones like estrogen and testosterone on sleep.

This study involves a screening visit (1 hour) and 1-2 overnight stays at the hospital (from approximately 5pm to 9am) for a sleep study and blood sample(s).  The study will take about 6 months to complete. Payment for participation is up to $250.

Call Natalie at 617-726-1895 or email nshaw@partners.org<mailto:nshaw@partners.org> for more information.


Thank you!