Project description:Hypertension and dementia are highly prevalent in the general population. Hypertension has been shown to be a risk factor for Alzheimer's dementia and vascular dementia. Sleep apnea, another common disorder, is strongly associated with hypertension and recent evidence suggests that it may also be linked with cognitive decline and dementia. It is possible that sleep apnea is the final common pathway linking hypertension to the development of dementia. This hypothesis merits further exploration as sleep apnea is readily treatable and such therapy could foreseeably delay or prevent the onset of dementia. At present, there is a paucity of therapeutic modalities that can prevent or arrest cognitive decline. In this review, we describe the associations between hypertension, dementia and sleep apnea, the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying these associations, and the literature examining the impact of treatment of hypertension and sleep apnea on cognition. Potential areas of future investigation that may help advance our understanding of the magnitude and direction of the interaction between these conditions and the effects of treatment of high blood pressure and sleep apnea on cognition are highlighted.
Project description:ImportanceGood sleep is essential for health, yet associations between sleep and dementia risk remain incompletely understood. The Sleep and Dementia Consortium was established to study associations between polysomnography (PSG)-derived sleep and the risk of dementia and related cognitive and brain magnetic resonance imaging endophenotypes.ObjectiveTo investigate association of sleep architecture and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with cognitive function in the Sleep and Dementia Consortium.Design, setting, and participantsThe Sleep and Dementia Consortium curated data from 5 population-based cohorts across the US with methodologically consistent, overnight, home-based type II PSG and neuropsychological assessments over 5 years of follow-up: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study, Cardiovascular Health Study, Framingham Heart Study (FHS), Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Study, and Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Sleep metrics were harmonized centrally and then distributed to participating cohorts for cohort-specific analysis using linear regression; study-level estimates were pooled in random effects meta-analyses. Results were adjusted for demographic variables, the time between PSG and neuropsychological assessment (0-5 years), body mass index, antidepressant use, and sedative use. There were 5946 participants included in the pooled analyses without stroke or dementia. Data were analyzed from March 2020 to June 2023.ExposuresMeasures of sleep architecture and OSA derived from in-home PSG.Main outcomes and measuresThe main outcomes were global cognitive composite z scores derived from principal component analysis, with cognitive domains investigated as secondary outcomes. Higher scores indicated better performance.ResultsAcross cohorts, 5946 adults (1875 females [31.5%]; mean age range, 58-89 years) were included. The median (IQR) wake after sleep onset time ranged from 44 (27-73) to 101 (66-147) minutes, and the prevalence of moderate to severe OSA ranged from 16.9% to 28.9%. Across cohorts, higher sleep maintenance efficiency (pooled β per 1% increase, 0.08; 95% CI, 0.03 to 0.14; P < .01) and lower wake after sleep onset (pooled β per 1-min increase, -0.07; 95% CI, -0.13 to -0.01 per 1-min increase; P = .02) were associated with better global cognition. Mild to severe OSA (apnea-hypopnea index [AHI] ≥5) was associated with poorer global cognition (pooled β, -0.06; 95% CI, -0.11 to -0.01; P = .01) vs AHI less than 5; comparable results were found for moderate to severe OSA (pooled β, -0.06; 95% CI, -0.11 to -0.01; P = .02) vs AHI less than 5. Differences in sleep stages were not associated with cognition.Conclusions and relevanceThis study found that better sleep consolidation and the absence of OSA were associated with better global cognition over 5 years of follow-up. These findings suggest that the role of interventions to improve sleep for maintaining cognitive function requires investigation.
Project description:Study objectivesTo examine associations between positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy, adherence and incident diagnoses of Alzheimer's disease (AD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia not otherwise specified (DNOS) in older adults.MethodsThis retrospective study utilized Medicare 5% fee-for-service claims data of 53,321 beneficiaries, aged 65 and older, with an obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) diagnosis prior to 2011. Study participants were evaluated using ICD-9 codes for neurocognitive syndromes (AD [n = 1,057], DNOS [n = 378], and MCI [n = 443]) that were newly identified between 2011 and 2013. PAP treatment was defined as the presence of at least one durable medical equipment (Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System [HCPCS]) code for PAP supplies. PAP adherence was defined as at least two HCPCS codes for PAP equipment, separated by at least 1 month. Logistic regression models, adjusted for demographic and health characteristics, were used to estimate associations between PAP treatment or adherence and new AD, DNOS, and MCI diagnoses.ResultsIn this sample of Medicare beneficiaries with OSA, 59% were men, 90% were non-Hispanic whites and 62% were younger than 75 years. The majority (78%) of beneficiaries with OSA were prescribed PAP (treated), and 74% showed evidence of adherent PAP use. In adjusted models, PAP treatment was associated with lower odds of incident diagnoses of AD and DNOS (odds ratio [OR] = 0.78, 95% confidence interval [95% CI]: 0.69 to 0.89; and OR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.55 to 0.85). Lower odds of MCI, approaching statistical significance, were also observed among PAP users (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.66 to 1.02). PAP adherence was associated with lower odds of incident diagnoses of AD (OR = 0.65, 95% CI: 0.56 to 0.76).ConclusionsPAP treatment and adherence are independently associated with lower odds of incident AD diagnoses in older adults. Results suggest that treatment of OSA may reduce the risk of subsequent dementia.
Project description:Rationale: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with metabolic dysregulation and systemic inflammation. This may be due to pathophysiologic effects of OSA on visceral adipose tissue. We sought to assess the transcriptional consequences of OSA on adipocytes by utilizing pathway-focused analyses. Methods: Patients scheduled to undergo ventral hernia repair surgery were recruited to wear a portable home sleep monitor for two nights prior to surgery. Visceral fat biopsies were obtained intra-operatively. RNA was extracted and whole-genome expression profiling was performed. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to identify curated gene sets that were differentially enriched in OSA subjects. Network analysis was applied to a select set of highly enriched pathways. Results: 10 patients with OSA and 8 control subjects were recruited. There were no differences in age, gender, body mass index between the two groups, but the OSA subjects had a significantly higher respiratory disturbance index (19.2 vs. 0.6, P-value 0.05) and worse hypoxemia (minimum oxygen saturation 79.7% vs. 87.8%, P-value < 0.001). GSEA identified a number of gene sets up-regulated in adipose tissue of OSA patients including the pro-inflammatory NF-M-NM-:B pathway and the proteolytic ubiquitin/proteasome module. A critical metabolic pathway, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), was down-regulated in subjects with OSA. Network analysis linked members of these modules together and identified regulatory hubs. Conclusions: OSA is associated with alterations in visceral fat gene expression. Pathway-based network analysis highlighted perturbations in several key pathways whose coordinated interactions may contribute to the metabolic dysregulation observed in this complex disorder. Total RNA from visceral fat of 18 subjects (10 OSA, 8 Control) was hybridized to 18 Affymetrix Genechip Human Gene 1.0 ST microarrays.
Project description:Study objectivesCurrent evidence suggests that the pathological mechanisms underlying obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are altered with age. However, previous studies examining individual physiological traits known to contribute to OSA pathogenesis have been assessed in isolation, primarily in healthy individuals.DesignWe assessed the four physiological traits responsible for OSA in a group of young and old patients with OSA.SettingSleep research laboratory.ParticipantsTen young (20-40 y) and old (60 y and older) patients with OSA matched by body mass index and sex.Measurements and resultsPharyngeal anatomy/collapsibility, loop gain (LG), upper airway muscle responsiveness/gain (UAG) and the respiratory arousal threshold were determined using multiple 2- to 3-min decreases or drops in continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP). Passive pharyngeal anatomy/collapsibility was quantified as the ventilation at CPAP = 0 cmH2O immediately after the CPAP drop. LG was defined as the ratio of the ventilatory overshoot to the preceding reduction in ventilation. UAG was taken as the ratio of the increase in ventilation to the increase in ventilatory drive across the pressure drop. Arousal threshold was estimated as the ventilatory drive that caused arousal. Veupnea was quantified as the mean ventilation prior to the pressure drop. In comparison with younger patients with OSA, older patients had a more collapsible airway (ventilation at 0 cmH2O = 3.4 ± 0.9 versus 1.5 ± 0.7 L/min; P = 0.05) but lower Veupnea (8.2 ± 0.5 versus 6.1 ± 0.4 L/min; P < 0.01) and a lower LG (5.0 ± 0.7 versus 2.9 ± 0.5; P < 0.05). The remaining traits were similar between groups.ConclusionsOur data suggest that airway anatomy/collapsibility plays a relatively greater pathogenic role in older adults, whereas a sensitive ventilatory control system is a more prominent trait in younger adults with obstructive sleep apnea.CitationEdwards BA, Wellman A, Sands SA, Owens RL, Eckert DJ, White DP, Malhotra A. Obstructive sleep apnea in older adults is a distinctly different physiological phenotype.
Project description:Study objectivesProspective data evaluating abnormal sleep quality and quantity with cognitive decline are limited because most studies used subjective data and/or had short follow-up. We hypothesized that, over 15 y of follow-up, participants with objectively measured obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and other indices of poor sleep quantity and quality would experience greater decline in cognitive functioning than participants with normal sleep patterns.MethodsARIC participants (n = 966; mean age 61 y, 55% women) with in-home polysomnography (1996-1998) and repeated cognitive testing were followed for 15 y. Three cognitive tests (Delayed Word Recall, Word Fluency, and Digit Symbol Substitution) were administered at two time points (1996-1998 and 2011-2013). Ten additional cognitive tests were administered at the 2011-2013 neurocognitive examination. OSA was modeled using established clinical OSA severity categories. Multivariable linear regression was used to explore associations of OSA and other sleep indices with change in cognitive tests between the two assessments.ResultsA median of 14.9 y (max: 17.3) passed between the two cognitive assessments. OSA category and additional indices of sleep (other measures of hypoxemia and disordered breathing, sleep fragmentation, sleep duration) were not associated with change in any cognitive test. Analyses of OSA severity categories and 10 cognitive tests administered only in 2011-2013 also showed little evidence of an association.ConclusionsOverall, abnormal sleep quality and quantity at midlife was not related to cognitive decline and later-life cognition. The effect of adverse sleep quality and quantity on cognitive decline among the elderly remains to be determined.
Project description:Rationale: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been associated with metabolic dysregulation and systemic inflammation. This may be due to pathophysiologic effects of OSA on visceral adipose tissue. We sought to assess the transcriptional consequences of OSA on adipocytes by utilizing pathway-focused analyses. Methods: Patients scheduled to undergo ventral hernia repair surgery were recruited to wear a portable home sleep monitor for two nights prior to surgery. Visceral fat biopsies were obtained intra-operatively. RNA was extracted and whole-genome expression profiling was performed. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis (GSEA) was used to identify curated gene sets that were differentially enriched in OSA subjects. Network analysis was applied to a select set of highly enriched pathways. Results: 10 patients with OSA and 8 control subjects were recruited. There were no differences in age, gender, body mass index between the two groups, but the OSA subjects had a significantly higher respiratory disturbance index (19.2 vs. 0.6, P-value 0.05) and worse hypoxemia (minimum oxygen saturation 79.7% vs. 87.8%, P-value < 0.001). GSEA identified a number of gene sets up-regulated in adipose tissue of OSA patients including the pro-inflammatory NF-κB pathway and the proteolytic ubiquitin/proteasome module. A critical metabolic pathway, the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), was down-regulated in subjects with OSA. Network analysis linked members of these modules together and identified regulatory hubs. Conclusions: OSA is associated with alterations in visceral fat gene expression. Pathway-based network analysis highlighted perturbations in several key pathways whose coordinated interactions may contribute to the metabolic dysregulation observed in this complex disorder.
Project description:Study objectivesObstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is prevalent among older adults. Although treatment with positive airway pressure (PAP) lowers subsequent morbidity, PAP adherence is inconsistent. Socioeconomic disparities have been observed in OSA treatment, but regional differences in OSA care are unknown. This study examined geographic variations in PAP treatment and adherence among older Americans.MethodsThis study utilized a representative 5% sample of all Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 65+ years. An OSA diagnosis, treatment, and PAP adherence were confirmed with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, HCPCS (Health Care Common Procedure Coding System) codes, and ≥2 HCPCS claims for PAP supplies respectively. Descriptive statistics were used to examine proportions of Medicare beneficiaries who obtained and adhered to PAP. Maps described the proportion of treated and adherent beneficiaries by state and hospital referral region.ResultsFor state-level data, PAP treatment and adherence proportions among beneficiaries with an OSA diagnosis ranged between 54-87% and 59-81%, respectively. Proportions of treated patients were higher in Midwest states (>80%), in comparison to Northwest, Northeast, and Southern states (<73%). Southern states and California had lowest proportions of PAP adherence (<70%). Within-state variability in treatment patterns were apparent along the East and West coasts. Correlations of PAP treatment and adherence proportions were low in Washington, DC, New York, and New Jersey. Discordant treatment and adherence proportions were observed in Alabama and Mississippi.ConclusionsSignificant state-level and regional disparities of PAP treatment and adherence among Medicare beneficiaries with OSA suggest gaps in delivery of OSA care for older Americans.