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Respiratory cycle-related EEG changes: response to CPAP.
Ronald D Chervin1, Anita Valanju Shelgikar, Joseph W Burns
1Sleep Disorders Center and Department of Neurology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. chervin@umich.edu
Sleep
|February 2, 2012
Summary
Respiratory cycle-related EEG changes (RCREC) decrease with positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment for sleep apnea. This suggests RCREC may indicate subtle respiratory events during sleep.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Sleep Medicine
- Respiratory Physiology
Background:
- Respiratory cycle-related EEG changes (RCREC) indicate synchrony between breathing and brain activity.
- RCREC may predict sleepiness in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the immediate effect of positive airway pressure (PAP) on RCREC.
- To understand how relieving upper airway obstruction impacts RCREC.
Main Methods:
- Compared RCREC during baseline polysomnography with PAP titration in 50 adults with suspected sleep disordered breathing.
- Calculated RCREC in various EEG frequency bands during the final 3 hours of sleep.
Main Results:
- RCREC significantly decreased across multiple EEG frequencies (delta, theta, beta) with PAP use.
- Reductions in RCREC were significant within specific sleep stages, especially REM sleep.
Conclusions:
- Positive airway pressure acutely reduces RCREC.
- Findings support the hypothesis that RCREC reflect subtle inspiratory microarousals.
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