Can a stressful task reveal the Sleep-Learning link in neurodevelopmental disorders?
NCT ID NCT06479668
First seen Aug 21, 2026 · Last updated Aug 25, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study investigates how emotional stress impacts sleep and learning in children aged 7 to 12 with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Researchers will use a social stress task to trigger emotional responses, then monitor sleep patterns overnight using polysomnography. The goal is to understand the connections between emotional dysregulation, sleep disturbances, and cognitive challenges in these children.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Trier Social Stress Task (a behavioral stress-inducing task)
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could clarify how emotional stress disrupts sleep and learning in children with ADHD and autism, potentially guiding better sleep and behavioral interventions.
- What could go wrong
- This is an observational study with a small sample size (30 children), so findings may not apply broadly. The stress task may not fully capture real-world emotional challenges.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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30 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Oct 2024
- Finished
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May 2026
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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7 to 12 years
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Subjects aged 7 to 12 * Able to receive clear, age-appropriate information and to participate fully in the study * Whose legal representative(s) are able to understand the objectives and risks of the research and to give their dated and signed informed consent. * Subjects benefiting from a social health insurance plan (beneficiary of the legal representative(s)) * With a diagnosis made prior to inclusion of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or Attention Deficit Disorder with or without Hyperactivity (ADHD) as defined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual 5 (DSM-5). * With abbreviated intelligence quotient \> 80 measured by Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children version IV (WISC-IV )no more than 6 months prior to research inclusion * No diagnosis of: fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, trisomy 21, tuberous sclerosis of Bourneville, von Recklinghausen disease, Cytomegalovirus encephalitis (CMV encephalitis), congenital rubella, phenylketonuria * No clinically significant abnormality which, in the investigator's opinion, could interfere with the implementation of the study. Exclusion Criteria: \- Current or past neurological problem(s) (e.g. stroke, epilepsy, meningitis, head trauma with loss of consciousness of more than 15 min, concussion, brain tumor, ...). tumor, ...) * Transmeridian travel (\> 2 time zones) in the month prior to study inclusion * Presence of a mood disorder (bipolar disorder or depression) according to DSM-5 criteria * Social jet-lag \> 2 hours (mid-point of sleep differential during weekends vs. weekdays) * Modification of psychotropic medication in the 2 months prior to inclusion * Use of melatonin-based dietary supplement(s)/medication(s) in the 24 hours prior to study inclusion * Use of psychostimulant(s) within 48 hours of study entry * Extreme chronotype (Morningness/Eveningness questionnaire score \< 10 or \> 42) * Cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBT) targeting sleep disorders * Participation in research involving an experimental drug which may interfere with the protocol\*. * Minor under guardianship * Subject in a period of exclusion (determined by a previous or current study) * Subject in emergency situation
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Hôpitaux Universitaires de Strasbourg
Strasbourg, Grand Est, 67000, France
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