Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: with structural, functional and molecular brain alterations in the same sample. Methods: 85 cognitively unimpaired older adults from the Age-Well study of the Medit-Ageing European project (mean age: 69.2 6 3.8 years) were included. The apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) and the oxygen desaturation index 3% (ODI) were obtained from polysomnography recordings. All participants underwent T1-weighted and T2 high-resolution hippocampal MRI scans to assess grey matter (GM), white matter (WM) and hippocampal subfield volumes. Early and late florbetapir-PET acquisitions were also obtained to measure brain perfusion and amyloid burden respectively. Hippocampal subfields were automatically segmented using the ASHS software. Multiple regression analyses were performed between AHI, ODI and neuroimaging data controlling for age and gender. Results: Higher AHI was associated with lower perfusion in the thalamus and caudate nuclei and lower WM volume in the anterior thalamic radiation and corpus callosum (genu) (p<0.001). Relationships were also found at p<0.005 between higher AHI and lower GM volume within middle and inferior frontal, inferior temporal and caudate regions, as well as increased amyloid burden in posterior (lingual/fusiform gyri, precuneus) and frontal areas. Higher ODI was related to lower perfusion in frontal areas (p<0.001), lower GM volume within the left temporal pole (p<0.005) and greater WM atrophy of the uncinate fasciculus and inferior longitudinal fasciculus (p<0.005). No association was found between ODI and amyloid burden. Neither the AHI nor the ODI were associated with hippocampal subfield volumes. Conclusions: In older adults, obstructive sleep apnea severity is mainly associated with functional alterations in fronto-thalamic GM areas and WM tracts. To a lower extent, obstructive sleep apnea was related to amyloid burden and structural alterations in posterior, temporal and frontal areas, known to be sensitive to ageing and AD. Our results confirm, and extend to other neuroimaging modalities, the association between obstructive sleep apnea and AD biomarkers, and highlight the potential interest to diagnose and treat this condition for AD prevention.
Source: Alzheimer s & Dementia
Authors: Alexandre Bejanin, Melissa E. Murray, Peter R. Martin, Hugo Botha, Nirubol Tosakulwong, Christopher G. Schwarz, Matthew L. Senjem, Gaelle Chetelat, Clifford R. Jack, Bradley F. Boeve, David S. Knopman, Ronald C. Petersen, Caterina Giannini, Joseph E. Parisi, Dennis W. Dickson, Jennifer L. Whitwell, Keith A. Josephs
Language: English
Subfield: Psychiatry and Mental health
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: bronze
OpenAlex ID: W4252824756