Sleep Apnea and Alzheimer's
The flurry of research findings concerning Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) continues, this time in connection with Alzheimer's Disease.
New research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society studied patients who suffered from mild to moderate Alzheimer's and also sleep apnea. The study looked at the effect of CPAP treatment: half the group were given therapeutic CPAP for six weeks, the other half placebo CPAP for three weeks followed by therapeutic CPAP for three weeks.
At the end of the six week trial tests on the group as a whole showed "suggested improvements in verbal learning and memory as well as some aspects of executive function such as cognitive flexibility and mental processing speed".
Professor Sonia Ancoli-Israel who led the study said:
New research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society studied patients who suffered from mild to moderate Alzheimer's and also sleep apnea. The study looked at the effect of CPAP treatment: half the group were given therapeutic CPAP for six weeks, the other half placebo CPAP for three weeks followed by therapeutic CPAP for three weeks.
At the end of the six week trial tests on the group as a whole showed "suggested improvements in verbal learning and memory as well as some aspects of executive function such as cognitive flexibility and mental processing speed".
Professor Sonia Ancoli-Israel who led the study said:
"Although it is unlikely that OSA causes dementia, the lowered oxygen levels and sleep fragmentation associated with OSA might worsen cognitive function. This study, which showed significant improvement in patients' neurological test scores after treatment with CPAP, suggests that clinicians who treat patients with Alzheimer's disease and sleep apnea should consider implementing CPAP treatment"
Labels: CPAP, sleep apnea
