Cognitive Deficits Associated with Sleep Apnea Syndrome: A Proposed Neuropsychological Test Battery

Abstract

Numerous studies have assessed a wide range of cognitive deficits associated with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS). The comparison of these various results, however, is hampered by the fact that different studies employ different neuropsychological tests, even when assessing the same function. The aim of this paper is to present a standardized neuropsychological test battery for the evaluation of OSAS patients. Following a description of the general characteristics of OSAS, we review the main cognitive functions reported as being impaired in OSAS patients. These include general intellectual functioning, attentional functioning, memory and learning abilities, executive functions, and motor performance. Based on this review, we propose a test battery designed to cover these cognitive processes while taking into account the time constraints present in most research and clinical centers. In addition to providing a comprehensive neuropsychological evaluation of OSAS patients, the proposed test battery should facilitate the comparison of results from different laboratories.

Green Tea Catechin Polyphenols Attenuate Behavioral and Oxidative Responses to Intermittent Hypoxia

“…During the last two decades, OSA has increasingly been recognized as a serious and frequent health condition with potential long-term morbidities that include learning and psychological disabilities, metabolic consequences, and increased severity and prevalence of cardiovascular disorders (2,4,(19)(20)(21).…”

“…NADPH-oxidase-dependent production of superoxide radical (O 2 2 ) has been identified as a major contributor to oxidative Figure 4. Summary of probe trial performance after completion of water maze testing in rats exposed to room air (RA) or intermittent hypoxia (IH) and treated with green tea polyphenols (GTP) or vehicle (n 5 19-25 per group; *P , 0.05).…”

“…Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most severe form of SDB, is characterized by repeated episodes of upper airway obstruction during sleep that induce intermittent hypoxia (IH) and sleep fragmentation. Left untreated, OSA may affect multiple target organs, ultimately leading to substantial metabolic, cardiovascular, and neurocognitive morbidities (2)(3)(4). In addition, patients suffering from OSA have been reported to have increased circulating markers of oxidative stress and inflammation and develop regional gray and white matter losses (5)(6)(7).…”

Sleep Abnormalities and Sleep Breathing Disorders in Children with Drug- Resistant Catastrophic Epileptic Encephalopathy

“…Consequently, sleep breathing disorders are underdiagnosed in patients with epilepsy, especially in children with catastrophic epileptic encephalopathy [21]. One possibility is that antiepileptic drugs increases daytime sleepiness with the influence of the sleep architecture, acting as a confounding factor.…”

Rehabilitation of Cardiovascular Disorders and Sleep Apnea

“…28 In contrast, the presence of OSA in the setting of stroke is associated with unfavorable clinical course, including early neurologic worsening, delirium, depressed mood, impaired functional capacity and cognition, longer period of hospitalization and rehabilitation, and increased mortality. 1,7,9,10,36,37,[68][69][70][71][72] In addition, severe OSA not only increases the risk of stroke recurrence but also increases the incidence of fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events as well as sudden death during sleep. 44,[73][74][75] The higher blood pressure and its swing during episodes of upper airways obstruction lead to worse outcome following stroke.…”