Scientists Expose Brain Changes Caused By Sleep Apnea
Millions of Americans with sleep apnea often use continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machines to manage their condition. However, researchers at the University of Missouri-Columbia are exploring alternative treatments by focusing on specific brain chemicals associated with sleep apnea and its related high blood pressure.
Under the leadership of postdoctoral researcher Procopio Gama de Barcellos Filho and senior author David Kline from the Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, the team has identified brain chemicals in mice that link sleep apnea to elevated blood pressure. Their aim is to develop targeted medications that could act on these neurochemicals or the proteins they influence to better control blood pressure.
In their study, the researchers exposed mice to low-oxygen conditions similar to those found in sleep apnea. They observed significant changes in the mice’s neurochemistry, particularly in two chemicals: oxytocin and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). These chemicals led to increased brainstem activity, which over time could result in high blood pressure and related health issues, such as stroke.
Published in The Journal of Physiology, the findings suggest that addressing these neurochemical pathways could mitigate some severe consequences of sleep apnea, including high blood pressure, disrupted sleep, cognitive problems, and heightened risk of accidents due to drowsiness.
Although this research is in its early stages and animal study results may not always translate directly to human treatments, the team remains optimistic. Kline noted that these new insights could lay the groundwork for future research aimed at developing therapies to regulate blood pressure and enhance health outcomes for individuals with sleep apnea.
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