Is brain function impaired in moderate sleep apnoea?: Before and after six months of CPAP
Speaker
Prof Richard Jones
Institute
Director, Christchurch Neurotechnology Research Programme New Zealand Brain Research Institute
Time & Place
Fri, 16 Oct 2020 14:00:00 NZDT in Link 309 Lecture Theatre
Abstract
Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common sleep disorder characterized by cyclical oxygen desaturation, sleep fragmentation, and, in turn, excessive daytime sleepiness and a substantially increased propensity for microsleeps and risk of fatal accidents on the road. There is substantial evidence showing that severe OSA is causal of serious effects on health: increased risk of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cognitive dysfunction, and decreased cerebral perfusion when awake. We have carried out a longitudinal study to investigate (i) Is brain function impaired in moderate OSA, in terms of reduced cerebral perfusion, reduced cognition, increased drowsiness, and/or increased microsleep propensity? and (ii) Can CPAP slow down, stop, or even reverse the decline of these functions in patients with moderate OSA?
Biography
- Director, Christchurch Neurotechnology Research Programme
New Zealand Brain Research Institute - Senior Biomedical Engineer, Medical Physics and Bioengineering, Christchurch Hospital
- Adjunct Professor, ECE, UC (Neural Engineering Research Group)
- Adjunct Professor, School of Psychology, Speech and Hearing
- Research Professor, Medicine, University of Otago, Christchurch