How Does Sleep Apnea Impact Your Brain? Get a Home Sleep Study

At the KAHN CENTER, we search for root causes of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) like atrial fibrillation, hypertension, and coronary artery disease.

In the last decade, sleep pathologies have emerged as a major risk for developing CVD so we offer home sleep studies. Now, more and more data is connecting sleep issues and brain health like dementia.

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a potential risk factor for cognitive impairment and dementia; however, its contribution in midlife and interactions with APOE ε4 remain unclear.

Therefore, a new study examined the risk of OSA in brain health.

STUDY

Participants were 2795 cognitively unimpaired, middle-aged adults enrolled in the Healthy Brain Project. OSA status was determined by self-report. Cognition was assessed using the Cogstate Brief Battery, and dementia risk using the Cardiovascular Risk Factors, Ageing, and Incidence of Dementia (CAIDE) score.

RESULTS

Participants with OSA demonstrated poorer memory than those without OSA, although this association was attenuated after adjusting for vascular risk. Individuals with OSA (with or without APOE ε4) had significantly higher CAIDE scores than those with neither risk factor. APOE ε4 did not moderate OSA-cognition associations.

DISCUSSION

OSA may be associated with poorer memory and greater dementia risk, irrespective of APOE ε4 carriage. These findings highlight the need for early OSA screening to identify individuals at elevated dementia risk.

A limitation of this study was that the OSA was self reported and many cases were probably missed.

At the KAHN CENTER, we offer home sleep studies which are simple, safe, accurate, and inexpensive, to all patients with CVD or neurological issues.

STUDY HIGHLIGHTS

OSA was associated with poorer memory in at-risk middle-aged adults, though this association was attenuated after adjustment for vascular risk factors.
OSA was also associated with elevated dementia risk, including risk driven by modifiable vascular factors such as obesity, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and physical inactivity.
APOE ε4 did not moderate the associations of OSA with cognition or dementia risk.
This work highlights that routine screening for OSA in midlife may help identify individuals at elevated dementia risk.

Author

Dr. Joel Kahn

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