Abstract
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent condition that is associated with significant neurobehavioral impairments. Cognitive abnormalities identified in individuals with OSA include impaired verbal memory, planning, reasoning, vigilance, and mood. Therapy for OSA improves some but not all neurobehavioral outcomes, supporting a direct role for OSA in brain dysfunction and raising the question of irreversible injury from OSA. Recent clinical studies have refined the neurobehavioral, brain imaging, and electrophysiological characteristics of OSA, highlighting findings shared with aging and some unique to OSA. This review summarizes the cognitive, brain metabolic and structural, and peripheral nerve conduction changes observed in OSA that collectively provide a distinct phenotype of OSA brain injury and dysfunction. Findings in animal models of OSA provide insight into molecular mechanisms underlying OSA neuronal injury that can be related back to human neural injury and dysfunction. A comprehensive phenotype of brain function and injury in OSA is essential for advancing diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of this common disorder.
Highlights
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent condition that is associated with significant neurobehavioral impairments
This review summarizes the cognitive, brain metabolic and structural, and peripheral nerve conduction changes observed in OSA that collectively provide a distinct phenotype of OSA brain injury and dysfunction
Obstructive sleep apnea can be effectively treated with the use of continuous positive airways pressure (CPAP) therapy, an approach that stents open the upper airway with positive pressure
Summary
Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a highly prevalent condition that is associated with significant neurobehavioral impairments. Not all patients with OSA have cognitive abnormalities, and most of the studies finding significant differences in cognitive function have examined individuals with severe OSA. In a study of 50 individuals with severe OSA, 76% of subjects with OSA had significant cognitive abnormalities, including disturbances in mood, thought processing, memory, communication capabilities, and attention (Kales et al, 1985).
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