CEREBRAL IMPACT OF CHILDHOOD SLEEP APNEA

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This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Studies in both adults and children demonstrate that obstructive sleep apnea, a prevalent public health problem, can cause neuropsychological disturbances. Multiple studies in adults have documented the association of sleep apnea with abnormalities of memory, attention, and executive functions of the frontal lobe. Small numbers of studies in children have demonstrated effects of apnea on IQ, attention, behavior, memory, and learning. The level of severity of sleep apnea, and the polysomnographic parameter abnormalities that cause neuropsychological disturbances in children is unknown. Adults with severe obstructive sleep apnea may have permanent cognitive impairments, especially involving memory. In fact, there is evidence of cerebral metabolic impairment as measured by magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging in adults with moderate-severe sleep apnea. Whether permanent cerebral impairment is associated with childhood sleep apnea is unknown. It is unknown if neuropsychological dysfunction correlates with cerebral damage in sleep apnea patients. There is a need to define the neuropsychological and central nervous system outcomes of obstructive sleep apnea in children.