Obstructive sleep apnea during REM sleep and daytime cerebral functioning: A regional cerebral blood flow study using high-resolution SPECT

• Published in: Journal of cerebral blood flow and metabolism 2020-06, Vol.40 (6), p.1230-1241
• Main Authors: Baril, Andrée-Ann, Gagnon, Katia, Brayet, Pauline, Montplaisir, Jacques, Carrier, Julie, Soucy, Jean-Paul, Lafond, Chantal, Blais, Hélène, d'Aragon, Caroline, Gagnon, Jean-François, Gosselin, Nadia
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Brain - blood supply; Brain - physiopathology; Cerebrovascular Circulation - physiology; Female; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Original; Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography Computed Tomography; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - complications; Sleep Apnea, Obstructive - physiopathology; Sleep, REM - physiology
• ISSN: 0271-678X; 1559-7016
• DOI: 10.1177/0271678X18814106

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) predominantly during rapid eye movement (REM) sleep may have impacts on brain health, even in milder OSA cases. Here, we evaluated whether REM sleep OSA is associated with abnormal daytime cerebral functioning using high-resolution single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT). We tested 96 subjects (25 F, age: 65.2 ± 6.4) with a wide range of OSA severity from no OSA to severe OSA (apnea–hypopnea index: 0–97 events/h). More respiratory events during REM sleep were associated with reduced daytime regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in the bilateral ventromedial prefrontal cortex and in the right insula extending to the frontal cortex. More respiratory events during non-REM (NREM) sleep were associated with reduced daytime rCBF in the left sensorimotor and temporal cortex. In subjects with a lower overall OSA severity (apnea–hypopnea index