Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2025;54(3):153-159.
doi: 10.1159/000542691. Epub 2024 Nov 25.

Sleep Apnea Risk, Subjective Cognitive Decline, and Cognitive Performance: Findings from the Boston Latino Aging Study

Celina McDowell  1   2   3 , Averi Giudicessi  1   2 , Jairo Enrique Martinez  1   2 , Alex L Badillo-Cabrera  2 , Nikole A Bonillas Félix  2 , Lusiana Martinez  2 , Diana Munera  2 , Clara Vila-Castelar  2 , Nadine Schwab  2 , Liliana Ramirez-Gomez  4 , Daniel Gilberto Saldana  2 , Marta Gonzalez Catalan  2 , Rebecca Amariglio  5 , Jeanne F Duffy  3 , Alice Cronin-Golomb  1 , Yakeel T Quiroz  1   2   4
Affiliations

Sleep Apnea Risk, Subjective Cognitive Decline, and Cognitive Performance: Findings from the Boston Latino Aging Study

Celina McDowell et al. Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 2025.

Abstract

Introduction: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and increased risk of cognitive decline and dementia. These relations are understudied in ethnoracially diverse groups. We examined associations among self-reported OSA risk, SCD, and cognitive performance in community-dwelling older Latinos. High OSA risk was hypothesized to be associated with greater SCD and worse cognitive performance.

Methods: 112 participants (40 female) from the Boston Latino Aging Study (BLAST) were included (Mage = 67.0 years [SD = 8.0]; Meducation = 11.0 years [SD = 5.1]). Participants completed the Preclinical Alzheimer's Cognitive Composite-5 (PACC5; z-scores), the Berlin Questionnaire (high vs. low OSA risk), and the Cognitive Function Instrument (SCD). The Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) indexed global cognition. Hierarchical regressions assessed associations among OSA risk, SCD, and cognitive performance while controlling for demographics. t tests examined demographic and cognitive differences between those at high/low OSA risk.

Results: On average, participants had an MMSE score of 25.9 (SD = 3.7, range 11-30; 37 participants with MMSE <26) and mild SCD (CFI; M = 4.2 [3.6]). OSA risk did not predict SCD (β = 0.09, p = 0.33) or PACC5 performance (β = 0.01, p = 0.92). No differences in SCD or PACC5 performance were observed between those at low versus high OSA risk (p's ≥ 0.21).

Conclusion: Preliminary findings suggest that self-reported OSA risk may not signal cognitive decline risk for older Latinos. Questionnaires screening for OSA may need to be used in tandem with other assessments to identify those experiencing early cognitive decline. More work with larger sample sizes is needed; BLAST data collection is ongoing.

Keywords: Cognitive decline; Cognitive impairment; Latinos; Obstructive sleep apnea.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of Interest Statement

Dr. Quiroz is a consultant for Biogen. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

    1. Ernst G, Mariani J, Blanco M, Finn B, Salvado A, Borsini E. Increase in the frequency of obstructive sleep apnea in elderly people. Sleep Sci. 2019. Sep;12(03):222–6. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Blackwell T, Yaffe K, Laffan A, Redline S, Ancoli-Israel S, Ensrud KE, et al. Associations between sleep-disordered breathing, nocturnal hypoxemia, and subsequent cognitive decline in older community-dwelling men: The Osteoporotic Fractures in Men Sleep Study. J American Geriatrics Society. 2015. Mar;63(3):453–61. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Yaffe K, Laffan AM, Harrison SL, Redline S, Spira AP, Ensrud KE, et al. Sleep-disordered breathing, hypoxia, and risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia in older women. JAMA [Internet]. 2011. Aug 10 [cited 2023 Oct 2];306(6). Available from: http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?doi=10.1001/jama.2011.1115 - PMC - PubMed
    1. Liguori C, Mercuri NB, Izzi F, Romigi A, Cordella A, Sancesario G, et al. Obstructive sleep apnea is associated with early but possibly modifiable Alzheimer’s disease biomarkers changes. Sleep [Internet]. 2017. Jan 28 [cited 2024 Feb 10]; Available from: https://academic.oup.com/sleep/article-lookup/doi/10.1093/sleep/zsx011 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Jessen F, Amariglio RE, van Boxtel M, Breteler M, Ceccaldi M, Chételat G, et al. A conceptual framework for research on subjective cognitive decline in preclinical Alzheimer’s disease. Alzheimer’s & Dementia. 2014. Nov;10(6):844–52. - PMC - PubMed