0686 Associations of Mild to Moderate Obstructive Sleep Apnea on Cognitive Function in Older Adults
Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Moderate to severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) contributes to worse cognitive function and may be associated with Alzheimer’s disease. Prior studies have focused on a limited subset of cognitive domains, primarily executive function and memory. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between OSA severity and a more comprehensive set of 6 cognitive domains and premorbid IQ in older adults with mild to moderate OSA. Cognitive domains were selected to assess risk for cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease. The sample included 47 older adults (60-85 years), 70.2% college degree or higher, 64% women, and 87% caucasian. Apnea-Hypopnea Index(AHI) measured OSA severity; participants with AHI >20 were excluded. The neuropsychological battery was selected to be highly sensitive to impairments that might indicate early stages of Alzheimer’s disease and included language, visual spatial ability, attention, processing speed, episodic memory, executive function and premorbid IQ. Linear regression with covariates age, sex, race and education were used to investigate relations among AHI and cognitive tests. Mean baseline AHI was 5.5 ± 4.4, range 1-19.2 (mild/moderate OSA severity). Higher AHI was associated with worse Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale backward digit span, a measure of attention (p=.058); worse executive function in the Trail Making Test, condition 4, letter sequencing (p = .096); and worse language in the Halstead-Reitan appendix (p = .076). No significant correlations with language, visual/spatial ability, attention, processing speed, episodic memory, executive function and premorbid IQ (p >.05). These preliminary data suggest weak associations between AHI and cognitive function in participants with mild to moderate OSA and no history of cognitive impairment. The small sample size, low apnea severity, and relatively young age of the sample may have mitigated against stronger findings. Future studies should include comprehensive measures of cognitive function within all domains in larger samples with a wider range of OSA severity. Sleep, Circadian Rhythms, and Cardiometabolic Risk in Retired Shift Workers NIH R01 AG047139 (PI: Buysse/Hall); Translational Research Training in Sleep Medicine NIH 5T32HL082610-12 (PI: Buysse);
Source: SLEEP
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Language: English
Subfield: Physiology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W2937174496