PAP adherence and longitudinal accumulation of Alzheimer’s disease pathology in cognitively normal older adults with obstructive sleep apnea

2018 Strategic Research Grant

Ruth Benca, MD, PhD
University of California, Irvine

Key Project Outcomes

The findings supported by the grant indicate that severity of sleep apnea is associated with biomarkers of Alzheimer’s disease, brain degeneration, brain network dysfunction, memory impairment, and negative memory bias. Moreover, these findings indicate that when sleep apnea events occur during REM sleep, the brain may be particularly vulnerable. These findings underscore the importance of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) treatment in the context of cognitive impairment, emotional memory, and pathophysiology of dementia.

Abstracts

WORLD SLEEP CONGRESS

Obstructive sleep apnea-related blood oxygen desaturation is associated with preferential consolidation of negative memories in older adults

Associations between obstructive sleep apnea, anti-inflammatory interleukins, and 𝛃-amyloid burden in cognitively unimpaired older adults