Disease characteristics and neuropathological changes associated with cognitive dysfunction in obstructive sleep apnea

Tingting Ji; Xiaodan Li; Yue Qiu; Lin Mei; Xinbei Jia; Jun Tai; Yongli Guo; Jie Zhang; Shengcai Wang; Xin Ni

doi:10.1002/ped4.12247

Disease characteristics and neuropathological changes associated with cognitive dysfunction in obstructive sleep apnea

Pediatr Investig. 2021 Mar 22;5(1):52-57. doi: 10.1002/ped4.12247. eCollection 2021 Mar.

Authors

Tingting Ji¹, Xiaodan Li¹, Yue Qiu¹, Lin Mei¹, Xinbei Jia¹, Jun Tai², Yongli Guo³, Jie Zhang¹, Shengcai Wang¹, Xin Ni^{1

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery Beijing Children's Hospital Capital Medical University National Center for Children's Health Beijing China.
² Department of Otorhinolaryngology Beijing Children's Hospital Capital Institute of Pediatrics Beijing China.
³ Beijing Key Laboratory for Pediatric Diseases of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery Beijing Pediatric Research Institute Beijing Children's Hospital Capital Medical University National Center for Children's Health Beijing China.

Abstract

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a common sleep-disordered breathing disease that often leads to many comorbidities (e.g., cognitive dysfunction), which adversely affect the quality of life for patients with OSA. Thus far, the underlying mechanisms of this dysfunction remain unclear. Many studies have focused on OSA-related characteristics, including intermittent hypoxemia and sleep fragmentation. There is increasing emphasis on neuroimaging studies to explore underlying relationships between neuropathological changes and cognitive dysfunction. This article reviews recent research progress concerning cognitive dysfunction associated with OSA to reveal potential mechanisms that contribute to this dysfunction.

Keywords: Cognitive dysfunction; Neuropathological mechanisms; Obstructive sleep apnea.

Publication types

Review