The BISCUIT Study: Sleep, Cognition and Wellbeing in Childhood Brain Injury
In collaboration with
- Dr Michael Yoong
- Dr Marina Matthildi Martinos
- Professor Michelle de Haan
Following a traumatic brain injury, some children recover quickly, while others experience longer-lasting difficulties with areas such as attention, memory and behaviour. Researchers still do not fully understand why recovery of these skills varies between children, what role sleep difficulties play in this process, or how best to support children and families following injury.
The BISCUIT Study
Researchers at Queen Mary University of London are leading the Brain Injury, Sleep and Cognition - Untangling the Long-term Impact of Childhood Traumatic Brain Injury (BISCUIT) study, funded by Barts Charity, to better understand how sleep changes after childhood brain injury, how these changes relate to children's cognitive and behavioural outcomes, and how this knowledge can inform future support for children and their families.
Co-led by Dr Bosiljka Milosavljevic and Dr Michael Yoong, the study brings together expertise in developmental psychology, paediatric neurology and cognitive neuroscience. The research team also includes Professor Michelle de Haan at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, whose research has advanced understanding of infant and child neurodevelopment, particularly in children with neurological and medical conditions, and Dr Marina Matthildi Martinos at Queen Mary's Blizard Institute, whose work has focused on cognitive development following childhood neurological conditions.
A central part of the study is working closely with children, young people and families to understand their experiences after brain injury. Their perspectives will help shape future research and guide the development of sleep interventions that are responsive to the needs of those living with the long-term effects of childhood brain injury.
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Studying sleep, cognition and wellbeing
Sleep plays an important role in children's brain development, learning, memory and emotional wellbeing. Although sleep difficulties are common after childhood traumatic brain injury, researchers still do not fully understand how they relate to children's thinking skills, behaviour and everyday functioning.
The BISCUIT study aims to address this gap by investigating the relationship between sleep, cognition and recovery after brain injury. The study includes children and young people who have experienced a traumatic brain injury, alongside a comparison group of children recovering from orthopaedic injuries. Comparing these groups helps researchers identify which changes are specific to brain injury rather than reflecting recovery from an injury more generally.
Children wear a small wrist-worn device to measure their sleep at home, complete age-appropriate assessments of attention, memory and thinking skills, and parents complete questionnaires about sleep, behaviour and everyday functioning. Interviews with parents and adolescents explore how sleep difficulties affect daily life, the challenges families face during recovery, and what types of support they would find most helpful.
Turning findings into family-centred support
Current care following childhood traumatic brain injury focuses largely on managing the immediate effects of injury. However, there is still much to learn about the factors that influence children's longer-term recovery and how best to support them and their families.
By bringing together objective measures of sleep and cognitive development with the perspectives gathered through these interviews, the study aims to provide a more complete understanding of recovery after childhood brain injury. The findings could inform future research, clinical care and rehabilitation, helping healthcare professionals, schools and families better understand the challenges children may face after injury and guiding the development of practical, family-centred approaches to supporting recovery.
Find out more about the BISCUIT Study at: https://www.biscuitstudy.org