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A new Monash University study has found that obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) has been linked to an increased risk of dementia.
The study, published in Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, and led by Dr. Melinda Jackson of the Turner Institute for Brain and Mental Health, found that severe OSA is linked to an increase in a protein, called beta-amyloid, which builds up on the artery walls of the brain and increases the risk of dementia.
The study involved 34 people with newly diagnosed untreated OSA and 12 asymptomatic individuals for sleep disorders. He explored associations between brain amyloid load using a PET brain scan and measures of sleep, demographics, and mood.
The OSA group recorded a higher amyloid load, lower sleep efficiency, and less time spent in sleep stage N3 (a regenerative period in which your body heals and repairs itself).
OSA is a common sleep disorder, affecting approximately 1 billion people worldwide and is caused by the collapse of the airways during sleep, resulting in intermittent drops in oxygen levels and awakenings from sleep.
“The significance of finding the association between increased brain amyloid in patients with OSA will allow further research to explore in more detail the implications of treating OSA to reduce the risk of dementia,” said Dr. Jackson.
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