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Differences in electroencephalographic spectra during pre-sleep wakefulness, N1, and R sleep between comorbid insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea

  • Neurology • Original Article
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Abstract

Purpose

The neuropsychobiological effects of the comorbidity of insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea are not well studied. Our objective was to compare electroencephalographic spectra of patients with comorbid insomnia and sleep apnea syndrome to those of patients with sleep apnea syndrome alone during pre-sleep wakefulness and the N1 and R sleep periods.

Method

We performed electroencephalography and polysomnography on 10 patients with comorbid insomnia and sleep apnea and 10 with only sleep apnea. Electroencephalography spectra analysis was performed for absolute power in clinical bands in six derivations.

Results

Compared to sleep apnea patients, comorbid patients had lower sleep efficiency and total sleep time, higher beta-1 power in the left frontal and central derivations during pre-sleep wakefulness, higher delta power in the left frontal and central derivations during the N1 stage, and higher beta-2 power in the left frontal and central, and right central derivations during the R stage.

Conclusions

Data suggest that patients with insomnia and sleep apnea, compared to patients with only sleep apnea, presented higher left high-frequency rhythms during pre-sleep wakefulness and R sleep stage, and may be for increased emotional and cognitive-related activity, while in stage N1, presented higher left delta power, which suggest some slowing after sleep deprivation.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas UNAM and CONACyT for support to AMPB during her doctoral studies. This article is a requirement to obtain a Doctorate degree in Biological Sciences in the field of knowledge of experimental biology.

Funding

The authors declare that the study has no industry-supported funding.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratory of Sleep, Mexican Institute of Integral Sleep Medicine, Mexico City, Mexico

    Angela M. Páramo-Brando & Reyes Haro

  2. Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Unidad de Posgrado, Circuito de Posgrados, Ciudad Universitaria, Mexico City, Mexico

    Angela M. Páramo-Brando

  3. Laboratory of Developmental Neurophysiology-Laboratory of Experimental Animal Biology, School of Sciences, National University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico

    Pilar Durán

  4. Department of Psychobiology and Neuroscience, School of Psychology, National University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico

    Irma Y. del Río-Portilla

  5. Laboratory of Cognitive Neurophysiology, National Institute of Rehabilitation, Calzada México-Xochimilco 289. Col. Arenal-Guadalupe, Tlalpan, 14389, Mexico City, Mexico

    Adrián Poblano

  6. Clinic of Sleep Disorders, National University of Mexico (UNAM), Mexico City, Mexico

    Adrián Poblano

Authors
  1. Angela M. Páramo-Brando
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  2. Pilar Durán
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  3. Irma Y. del Río-Portilla
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  4. Adrián Poblano
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  5. Reyes Haro
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Adrián Poblano.

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Ethical standards

Our manuscript submitted for possible publication contains a statement that the study has been approved by the appropriate ethics committee and has been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid out in the Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments, in the “Methods” section, “Subjects” subsection, last paragraph, page 4.

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Páramo-Brando, A.M., Durán, P., del Río-Portilla, I.Y. et al. Differences in electroencephalographic spectra during pre-sleep wakefulness, N1, and R sleep between comorbid insomnia and obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep Breath 24, 267–275 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-019-01951-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-019-01951-y

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