Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 5, 2026

Drug-Induced Sleep Endoscopy (DISE) with Target Controlled Infusion (TCI) and Bispectral Analysis in Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Published on: December 6, 2016
Executive functions and cognitive subprocesses in patients with obstructive sleep apnoea
Stefanie Lis1, Stephan Krieger, Dorothee Hennig
1Department of Psychiatry, Justus-Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany. Stefanie.Lis@psychiat.med.uni-giessen.de
Patients with obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) show working memory (WM) deficits. These cognitive impairments are linked to elementary processing speed, not just sleepiness or disease severity.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Medicine
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS) is increasingly linked to executive function impairments.
- Previous studies often failed to isolate working memory (WM) deficits from other cognitive processes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate working memory (WM) functions in patients with OSAS.
- To differentiate WM deficits from other cognitive impairments using a reaction-time-decomposition approach.
Main Methods:
- Compared WM performance in 20 OSAS patients and 10 healthy controls using n-back tasks.
- Assessed cognitive functions and daytime sleepiness multiple times daily.
- Employed a reaction-time-decomposition method to analyze task-solving processes.
Main Results:
- OSAS patients exhibited deficits in accuracy and reaction times on n-back tasks.
- Slower reaction times were observed even in simple reaction tasks.
- Morning accuracy decline in 1-back tasks correlated with daytime sleepiness.
- Afternoon accuracy decline in 2-back tasks did not correlate with sleepiness or disease severity.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive deficits in OSAS are complex, involving both elementary processing speed and higher-level WM.
- Slower processing times in WM tasks may stem from more basic cognitive slowing.
- Reduced accuracy in WM tasks for OSAS patients is not solely explained by elementary cognitive deficits.
More Related Videos
04:53Acupoint Application Combined with Ear Plaster Therapy for Treating Sleep Disorders with Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Published on: October 18, 2024
06:23A Chronic Sleep Fragmentation Model using Vibrating Orbital Rotor to Induce Cognitive Deficit and Anxiety-Like Behavior in Young Wild-Type Mice
Published on: September 22, 2020
Related Concept Videos
Sleep Apnea
The condition is more prevalent among...
Sleep-Wake Cycles
NREM Sleep
NREM sleep comprises four progressive stages that seamlessly merge:
Understanding Sleep
The circadian rhythm, a nearly 24-hour cycle, is deeply influenced by environmental light cues. Light exposure directly affects the hypothalamus, which in turn regulates...
Subconsciousness and No Awareness
An illustrative example of subconscious processing is its role in problem-solving. Often, individuals...
Information Processing Approach
High-Level and Low-Level Awareness