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Relationship between inflammation and cognitive function in obstructive sleep apnea

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Abstract

Objectives

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) can have adverse effects on cognitive functioning, mood, and cardiovascular functioning. OSA brings with it disturbances in sleep architecture, oxygenation, sympathetic nervous system function, and inflammatory processes. It is not clear which of these mechanisms is linked to the decrease in cognitive functioning. This study examined the effect of inflammatory parameters on cognitive dysfunction.

Materials and methods

Thirty-nine patients with untreated sleep apnea were evaluated by polysomnography and completed a battery of neuropsychological tests. After the first night of evaluation in the sleep laboratory, blood samples were taken for analysis of interleukin 6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and soluble TNF receptor 1 (sTNF-R1).

Results

sTNF-R1 significantly correlated with cognitive dysfunction. In hierarchical linear regression analysis, measures of obstructive sleep apnea severity explained 5.5% of the variance in cognitive dysfunction (n.s.). After including sTNF-R1, percentage of variance explained by the full model increased more than threefold to 19.6% (F = 2.84, df = 3, 36, p = 0.05). Only sTNF-R1 had a significant individual relationship with cognitive dysfunction (β = 0.376 t = 2.48, p = 0.02).

Conclusions

sTNF-R1 as a marker of chronic inflammation may be associated with diminished neuropsychological functioning in patients with OSA.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NIH grants HL044915, RR00827, and AG08415 and by the grant PBBSB115117 from the Swiss National Foundation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of General Internal Medicine, University Hospital Berne, Berne, Switzerland

    Alexander Haensel

  2. Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA

    Alexander Haensel, Wayne A. Bardwell, Paul J. Mills, Sonia Ancoli-Israel, Erin E. Morgan, Robert K. Heaton & Joel E. Dimsdale

  3. Moores UCSD Cancer Center, 3855 Health Sciences Drive #0658, La Jolla, CA, 92093-0658, USA

    Wayne A. Bardwell, Sonia Ancoli-Israel & Joel E. Dimsdale

  4. Department of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, CA, USA

    Jose S. Loredo

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  1. Alexander Haensel
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  2. Wayne A. Bardwell
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Correspondence to Wayne A. Bardwell.

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Haensel, A., Bardwell, W.A., Mills, P.J. et al. Relationship between inflammation and cognitive function in obstructive sleep apnea. Sleep Breath 13, 35–41 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-008-0198-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11325-008-0198-2

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