The disorder accelerates memory loss in older adults.
Approximately 936 million adults worldwide grapple with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), a condition characterized by recurrent interruptions in breathing during sleep, leading to fragmented sleep patterns.
Prior research has established a correlation between OSA and an elevated risk of various neurological disorders, including cognitive decline, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease.
A recent investigation conducted by the University of California, Irvine, sheds light on the detrimental impact of OSA severity during the rapid eye movement (REM) stage of sleep on verbal memory, particularly among older adults predisposed to Alzheimer’s disease. Verbal memory, defined as the capacity to recall words within a contextual framework, emerges as a key focus of this study.
Dr. Bryce A. Mander, Associate Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at the University of California, Irvine, elucidated the significance of verbal memory, emphasizing its vulnerability to Alzheimer’s disease pathology and its early manifestation as a cognitive impairment.
The study cohort comprised 81 adults, averaging around 62 years of age, with approximately 70% possessing a familial history of Alzheimer’s disease. Notably, female participants constituted 62% of the sample.
Each participant underwent assessments for verbal memory alongside polysomnography, a diagnostic tool for sleep-related disorders.
The study’s findings unveiled a negative association between sleep apnea episodes occurring during REM sleep and verbal memory performance, particularly evident among individuals genetically predisposed to or with a familial history of Alzheimer’s disease.
Contrary to initial expectations, the study observed a stronger predictive link between REM sleep-related events and verbal memory impairment, surpassing the anticipated influence of events during non-REM (NREM) sleep. Dr. Mander attributed this unexpected finding to REM sleep’s pivotal role in supporting memory consolidation, coupled with its heightened metabolic demands compared to NREM sleep and wakefulness.
Dr. Mander posited a potential mechanism wherein oxygen deprivation during REM sleep, characterized by heightened metabolic demands, could exacerbate neuronal damage, thus compromising verbal memory function. Further investigations are underway to elucidate this hypothesis in subsequent studies.
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