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Randomized Controlled Trial
. 2008 Nov;56(11):2076-81.
doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2008.01934.x. Epub 2008 Sep 15.

Cognitive effects of treating obstructive sleep apnea in Alzheimer's disease: a randomized controlled study

Sonia Ancoli-Israel  1 , Barton W Palmer, Jana R Cooke, Jody Corey-Bloom, Lavinia Fiorentino, Loki Natarajan, Lianqi Liu, Liat Ayalon, Feng He, Jose S Loredo
Affiliations
Randomized Controlled Trial

Cognitive effects of treating obstructive sleep apnea in Alzheimer's disease: a randomized controlled study

Sonia Ancoli-Israel et al. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2008 Nov.

Abstract

Objectives: To examine whether treatment of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) results in better cognitive function.

Design: Randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial. Participants were randomized to therapeutic CPAP for 6 weeks or placebo CPAP for 3 weeks followed by therapeutic CPAP for 3 weeks.

Setting: General clinical research center.

Participants: Fifty-two men and women with mild to moderate AD and OSA.

Intervention: CPAP.

Measurements: A complete neuropsychological test battery was administered before treatment and at 3 and at 6 weeks.

Results: A comparison of subjects randomized to 3 weeks of therapeutic versus placebo CPAP suggested no significant improvements in cognition. A comparison of pre- and posttreatment neuropsychological test scores after 3 weeks of therapeutic CPAP in both groups showed a significant improvement in cognition. The study was underpowered to make definitive statements about improvements within specific cognitive constructs, although exploratory post hoc examination of change scores for individual tests suggested improvements in episodic verbal learning and memory and some aspects of executive functioning such as cognitive flexibility and mental processing speed.

Conclusion: OSA may aggravate cognitive dysfunction in dementia and thus may be a reversible cause of cognitive loss in patients with AD. OSA treatment seems to improve some cognitive functioning. Clinicians who care for patients with AD should consider implementing CPAP treatment when OSA is present.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00477828.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
CONSORT diagram showing the flow of participants through each stage of the randomized trial.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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